"Enough Marine Air on Carriers Already"
(See S. Garick, pp. 62-64, August 2002 Proceedings)
Colonel John D. Jogerst, U.S. Air Force, Special Operations Chair, Air University—It's always good to know what the operators are thinking. The author's position indicates we have failed to get the services to implement a concept of joint operations.
Other than the AV-8, which doesn't normally operate from the big-deck carriers, today's Marine Corps aircraft cannot operate from an austere, front-line strip carved out of the battlefield. If the F/A-18s aren't operating as part of the fleet's carrier air wing, they require secure bases ashore. If you have secure bases ashore, the U.S. Air Force will be there in force—providing significantly more capability than organic Marine air. If you can't get airfields close to the action, then you are once again reliant on the Air Force for long-range shooters and tankers.
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