OT - How the Marines see the 21st Century

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[Commerce Business Daily: Posted in CBDNet on February 16, 2000]
From the Commerce Business Daily Online via GPO Access
[cbdnet.access.gpo.gov]

PART: U.S. GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENTS SUBPART: SERVICES CLASSCOD: A--Research and Development OFFADD: Commander, Marine Corps System Command, Code CTQ, 2033 Barnett Avenue, Ste 315, Quantico, VA 22134-5010 SUBJECT: A--EMERGING THREATS AND OPPORTUNITIES SOL M67854-00-R-2070 DUE 040300 POC Procurement Analyst, Valerie Tolan (703)784-5172; Contract Specialist, Lee Kerr (703)784-5822 ext. 249 DESC: Description: The 21st Century will be characterized by increasing crises and conflicts on the world's littorals. The consequences of unconstrained population growth, declining resources, ethnic animosities, resurgent nationalism, the decline of the nation-state, terrorism, and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction are all potential threats to national interests. These global challenges of the 21st Century will be increasingly complex and less amenable to solution by overwhelming force and will require innovative approaches that are timely and effective across the full range of military operations. The United States Marine Corp's Warfighting Laboratory (MCWL) is issuing a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for Research And Development (R&D) and invites submission of white papers from Institutions of Higher Education (IHE) for research aimed at exploring concepts, capabilities and solutions for addressing the non-traditional operational challenges emerging in the 21st Century. Areas of particular interest are: Asymmetrical threats and responses, civil affairs, psychological operations, counter terrorism, homeland defense, humanitarian assistance, media relations, non-lethal weapons policy, peacekeeping and peace enforcement. The most promising candidates will be those institutions that have experience in one or more of these areas."

Interesting read

-- Carl (clilly@goentre.com), February 16, 2000

Answers

Man. What a bunch of doomers those Marines.

-- Gomer (@ .), February 16, 2000.

Yeah, I hear those idiots wasted their money on guns and a food storage program.

-- (@ .), February 16, 2000.

The MCWL has been very active in its preparations for the brave new world of warfighting with its 5-year Sea Dragon program. Sea Dragon has three phases (Hunter Warrior, Urban Warrior, and Capable Warrior), each of which culminates in an Advanced Warfighting Experiment. The objective is to prepare Marines for battlefields where they may face numerically superior opponents and where there is no real WWII-style front, flank, or rear. Lots of improvements inr C4I systems to give them better battlefield intel.

Hunter Warrior exercises were held back in March, 1997. Folks up in the Bay Area got spooked and/or annoyed big-time during the final phase of Urban Warrior exercises just last year. Capable Warrior exercises will likely be a bit less visible and will probably be held later this year or early in 2001.

-- DeeEmBee (macbeth1@pacbell.net), February 16, 2000.


What's a littoral? See the first sentence...

-- chairborne commando (what-me-worry@armageddon.com), February 16, 2000.

Littorals are those areas of the world within 300-500 miles from an ocean, IIRC.

-- Justa (poohbear@100acres.com), February 16, 2000.


Not doomers...just realistic...

-- Mad Monk (madmonk@hawaiian.net), February 17, 2000.

Jus' doin' their job, I reckon. With national loyalties on the decline, where does that leave the overwhelming force?

-- Okie Dan (brendan@theshop.net), February 17, 2000.

Littorals = coastal waters

-- (@ .), February 17, 2000.

"Areas of particular interest...homeland defense...

That's the one that caught my eye...

-- Carl (clilly@goentre.com), February 17, 2000.


"Areas of particular interest...homeland defense" Sheesh, yeah, I mean who'd have thought the armed forces might be interested in defending the homeland, heh?

-- Who, me?? (+@!.%), February 17, 2000.


Let's see, isn't "homeland defense" normally a national guard, and coast guard job, besides local law enforcement? Been a long time since the Marines had to polish plan's to repel an attack against the USA...

-- Carl (clilly@goentre.com), February 17, 2000.

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