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"It's a mother beautiful bridge, and it's gon
This just came out - thought y'all might be interested. Notice the last line... 
Aerospace Daily & Defense Report
July 9, 2004
Iraq Operations Putting Most Strain On Light Helos, Official Says
More of a strain has fallen on the assets most used in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) - light helicopters, and to a lesser extent heavy-lift helicopters, said Lt. Gen. Chip Gregson, commander of U.S. Marine Corps Pacific.
"We need convoy escorts and troop lift escorts," he told reporters July 8 at a Defense Writers Group breakfast. "We are being careful to manage these assets and sustain them over time."
The Marine Corps recently put 28 fixed-wing AV-8B Harriers into Operation Iraqi Freedom, which took over some of the function of convoy escorts from UH-1 helicopters, he said. "We're also using the surveillance capabilities of the new equipment on the Harriers."
Gregson's comments are similar to remarks made last month by Lt. Gen. Robert Magnus, Marine Corps deputy commandant for programs and resources.
"We are about topped out on Marine aviation - for tactical helicopters and heavy-lift helicopters," Magnus said June 8. "OIF is putting stress on aviation planning for next spring."
The Marine Corps will decide this summer whether to extend the service lives of out-of-production Sikorsky CH-53 heavy-lift helicopters, as part of the fiscal 2006-11 Future Years Defense Plan, Magnus said.
Regarding other adjustments to accommodate heavy aviation requirements in OIF, the Marine Corps during the first part of the war moved its depot level maintenance from Camp Pendleton, Calif., to Iraq, bringing the depot to the helicopters instead of moving the helicopters to the depot, Gregson said.
As part of the Marine Corps transformation effort that Magnus had mentioned, the service is asking for five catamaran-type boats similar to the one the service is currently leasing and which "proved important in the first part of OIF," Gregson said. This request is not in the fiscal 2006 budget process, though the idea was floated two years ago, he said.
"These boats are easier to get than are more amphibious ships, for valuable for normal operations," he said.
Lessons learned from OIF are being applied to new tactics and techniques.
"We'll take something new the enemy is doing and communicate that to the Marine Expeditionary Force in California and replicate it and counter it," he said. "We're also working with DARPA [the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency] for technology solutions."
Joint Training/Realignment
The Marine Corps is considering moving forces from Okinawa to mainland Japan as one option for realignment, "if the move could enhance combined training of U.S. forces with the Japanese Self Defense Force," Gregson said.
"The common impression of Okinawa is that there are two warring camps there, which isn't true. The Marines there have the highest enlistment rate.
"In the future, our hope is that our alliance becomes part of more combined efforts in Southeast Asia," he said. "The Marine Corps also is looking at creating a joint training facility in Australia. We train there now, and this would be an extension of that."
-- Lisa Troshinsky
Aerospace Daily & Defense Report
July 9, 2004
Iraq Operations Putting Most Strain On Light Helos, Official Says
More of a strain has fallen on the assets most used in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) - light helicopters, and to a lesser extent heavy-lift helicopters, said Lt. Gen. Chip Gregson, commander of U.S. Marine Corps Pacific.
"We need convoy escorts and troop lift escorts," he told reporters July 8 at a Defense Writers Group breakfast. "We are being careful to manage these assets and sustain them over time."
The Marine Corps recently put 28 fixed-wing AV-8B Harriers into Operation Iraqi Freedom, which took over some of the function of convoy escorts from UH-1 helicopters, he said. "We're also using the surveillance capabilities of the new equipment on the Harriers."
Gregson's comments are similar to remarks made last month by Lt. Gen. Robert Magnus, Marine Corps deputy commandant for programs and resources.
"We are about topped out on Marine aviation - for tactical helicopters and heavy-lift helicopters," Magnus said June 8. "OIF is putting stress on aviation planning for next spring."
The Marine Corps will decide this summer whether to extend the service lives of out-of-production Sikorsky CH-53 heavy-lift helicopters, as part of the fiscal 2006-11 Future Years Defense Plan, Magnus said.
Regarding other adjustments to accommodate heavy aviation requirements in OIF, the Marine Corps during the first part of the war moved its depot level maintenance from Camp Pendleton, Calif., to Iraq, bringing the depot to the helicopters instead of moving the helicopters to the depot, Gregson said.
As part of the Marine Corps transformation effort that Magnus had mentioned, the service is asking for five catamaran-type boats similar to the one the service is currently leasing and which "proved important in the first part of OIF," Gregson said. This request is not in the fiscal 2006 budget process, though the idea was floated two years ago, he said.
"These boats are easier to get than are more amphibious ships, for valuable for normal operations," he said.
Lessons learned from OIF are being applied to new tactics and techniques.
"We'll take something new the enemy is doing and communicate that to the Marine Expeditionary Force in California and replicate it and counter it," he said. "We're also working with DARPA [the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency] for technology solutions."
Joint Training/Realignment
The Marine Corps is considering moving forces from Okinawa to mainland Japan as one option for realignment, "if the move could enhance combined training of U.S. forces with the Japanese Self Defense Force," Gregson said.
"The common impression of Okinawa is that there are two warring camps there, which isn't true. The Marines there have the highest enlistment rate.
"In the future, our hope is that our alliance becomes part of more combined efforts in Southeast Asia," he said. "The Marine Corps also is looking at creating a joint training facility in Australia. We train there now, and this would be an extension of that."
-- Lisa Troshinsky
