Divesting Assault Breaching and Bridging Capabilities Will Hurt America’s Marines

The ugly truth is United States Marines no longer have the full “toolbox” of capabilities needed to conduct combined arms operations in the traditional sense. Aside from the ill-advised divestments in infantry, tanks, cannon artillery, assault amphibious vehicles, and aviation, the Marine Corps has jettisoned all its bridging and assault breaching capabilities. All the divestments were made to self-fund future, experimental capabilities. No reductions were mandated nor even suggested by the Department of Defense. None of the needed equipment tossed aside was directed by the Congress or others.