#gen robert neller

The U.S. Marine Corps has selected the HK M27 as its Infantry Automatic Rifle (IAR). This rifle is based on the HK 416 and the Marine Corps couldn’t have made a better choice.  The biggest difference between this firearm platform and the standard M4 platform is the gas system.  The HK M27 is a “piston driven” gun, where as the standard M4 is what they call Direct Impingement (DI). This…

Marine Corps Birthday – 242 Years of Warfighting Excellence

The US Marine Corps birthday is celebrated everywhere in the month of November. The Marines (the Continental Marines) began 242 years ago in Tun Tavern in Philadelphia on November 10, 1775.  In spite of being disbanded after the Revolutionary War, they were soon brought back to fight the Muslim Barbary Pirates. The fierce fighting force known colloquially as “Devil Dogs” will never go quietly…

Three Women Join the USMC Infantry

The first 3 women to be granted an infantry MOS joined the grunts of the 1st Battalion, 8th Marines out of Camp LeJeune on Thursday. The three will be a rifleman, machine gunner, and mortarman.  Their names were withheld by the Corps. All graduated from the USMC Infantry School. Female grunts coming to the line In preparation for the arrival of the three women, the Corps “incorporated” a “small…

Is USMC on Track for 36 Battalions under Trump?

President-elect Donald Trump has promised to build up the military, but in particular he wants to increase the US Marine Corps to be big enough to handle “two wars at the same time.” No, he is not being a “warmonger,” he just wants the Marines to have enough resources to handle anything that happens. The current post-drawn down strength of the Corps is 182,000 Marines with 24 battalions. They…

What Happens if the Military Runs for the Exits?

If our volunteer military continues to be stymied by budget cuts, will the Soldiers, Marines, Airmen, and Sailors  run for the exits? It’s a question posed by 4 Service Chiefs at a hearing on Capitol Hill yesterday. A word of warning from the top brass Marine Commandant General Robert Neller, Army Chief of Staff Mark Milley, Chief of Naval Operations Adm John Richardson, and Air Force Chief of…

New Marine Command: Marine Corps Cyberspace Warfare Group

New Marine Command: Marine Corps Cyberspace Warfare Group On Friday, Stripes reported that a new Marine Command was christened: the Marine Corps Cyberspace Warfare Group.  Though they only have a handful of teams up and running, and won’t be fully operation until next year, their mission is to “man, train and equip Marine cyberspace mission teams to perform both defensive and offensive operations…