After USRanger's post about the Vietnam Wall, some of the stats really got me thinking, so I read a bunch of the books I have (again) on the air war in Vietnam, and then went hunting for some videos.
Specific to that close air support doctrine, I happened upon 2 great videos about the siege at Khe Sanh. I think the USMC and the US military as a whole, but particularly the USMC showed what outnumbered troops in a fixed position can do with that air support doctrine.
As to what Rich was saying, we've all heard the "every Marine a rifleman" often enough, and it's one of those ethos sayings that actually happens to be 100% factual. I've always like that idea, if nothing else it gives every Marine the chance to see things from the infantry perspective, which almost all other military systems are designed to support in some way, the "bottom line" guys so to speak I guess. Maybe that's why when I read things Marines have written along the lines of "we really prefer to have fellow Marines providing air cover over our heads", it's very easy to take them at their word because of this. Not that other service or even allies air cover isn't taken I'm sure.
I still think of all the variants of the F35, the Marines are the ones getting the biggest boost in capability. I've read that some of the USMC F18C Hornet squads MAY be getting the F35C as well, so the Corps will be operating both STOVL and CATOBAR types of fighters as they are now, but IMO the F35B will be a great improvement over the Harrier.
Today the Defense sites were saying an F35 will fly over the new Brit Carrier soon, but won't land, just hover, due to not wanting to temp fate and break anything. Kind of an odd statement, but that's what they said. I hope the UK builds the 2nd ship and doesn't sell/stop/etc, as having 2 of those new birds farms with F35's may come in pretty handy, ski jump or not, in the future for them, and the rest of the free world.
