From RT.com….
The US Marine Corps is downsizing. Tanks and armored vehicles are on the way out, drones are in, and there will be fewer Marines – but more educated and trained to handle multiple weapons systems, USMC generals said.
The USMC has already “modified our force structure” as part of the 10-year modernization initiative called Force Design 2030, Commandant General David Berger announced on Monday. Other changes envisioned by the program include the “complete divestment” of tanks, not replacing the existing LAV-25 wheeled vehicles with another platform, shifting to missiles from conventional artillery, and reducing the size of the corps from 186,000 in 2020 to 174,000 or so by the end of the decade.
Marines Update Force Design 2030 After a Year of Experimentation in the Field – USNI Newshttps://t.co/olzWwmqsKm pic.twitter.com/od2WRPXKCC
— USNI News (@USNINews) April 26, 2021
The aging LAV – in service since 1983 – will not be replaced “with a similar armored, wheeled or tracked manned vehicle in a one-for-one ratio,” the Marines said. Instead, they’re looking at the Advanced Reconnaissance Vehicle (ARV), which Brigadier-General Eric Austin of the Capabilities Development Directorate described as less of a specific platform than a set of capabilities.
