During World War II, US Marines moved from island to island, fighting bloody battles against entrenched Japanese forces determined to dominate the Pacific.
Now, as the possibility of conflict with China looms, the Marine Corps is again looking closely at this historical island warfighting mission.
Last week, US Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit led a series of simulated small-island assaults in Japan, the Corps announced Thursday.
After the Marines seized the island's airfield, US troops quickly established a Forward Arming and Refueling Point.
"If you look at the island chains and so forth in the Pacific as platforms from which we can project power, that would be a historical mission for the Marine Corps and one that is very relevant in a China scenario."
In the Pacific, China is establishing military outposts on occupied islands in the South China Sea while seeking to extend its reach beyond the first island chain.
"We continue to seek areas to cooperate with China where we can, but where we can't we're prepared to certainly protect both US and allied interest in the region," Marine Lt. Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, the director of the Joint Staff, said at the Pentagon last May. "The United States military has had a lot of experience in the Western Pacific taking down small islands," he said when asked whether the US had the ability to "Blow apart" China's outposts in the South China Sea.
https://www.businessinsider.com/us-marines-seize-small-island-to-train-for-a-possible-china-fight-2019-3?
Now, as the possibility of conflict with China looms, the Marine Corps is again looking closely at this historical island warfighting mission.
Last week, US Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit led a series of simulated small-island assaults in Japan, the Corps announced Thursday.
After the Marines seized the island's airfield, US troops quickly established a Forward Arming and Refueling Point.
"If you look at the island chains and so forth in the Pacific as platforms from which we can project power, that would be a historical mission for the Marine Corps and one that is very relevant in a China scenario."
In the Pacific, China is establishing military outposts on occupied islands in the South China Sea while seeking to extend its reach beyond the first island chain.
"We continue to seek areas to cooperate with China where we can, but where we can't we're prepared to certainly protect both US and allied interest in the region," Marine Lt. Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, the director of the Joint Staff, said at the Pentagon last May. "The United States military has had a lot of experience in the Western Pacific taking down small islands," he said when asked whether the US had the ability to "Blow apart" China's outposts in the South China Sea.
https://www.businessinsider.com/us-marines-seize-small-island-to-train-for-a-possible-china-fight-2019-3?
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