By Jared Samuelson
While busy dramatically reshaping his service, Marine Corps Commandant General Berger managed to stop by the Sea Control virtual studio (the first podcast program to make it on his Commandant’s reading list.) In a wide-ranging interview, we discussed force design, expeditionary logistics, the Light Amphibious Warship, anti-submarine warfare, Navy-Marine Corps command and control arrangements and more.
Sea Control 269 – USMC Commandant General David Berger On Force Design
Links
2. General David H. Berger official biography.
11. Commandant of the Marine Corps Professional Reading Program 2020.
Jared Samuelson is Executive Producer and Co-Host of the Sea Control podcast. Contact him at [email protected].
Great interview. Berger should get extended as Commandant.
Better question, what war games has the Commandant played? These answers can be as important as a reading list and most of the best aren’t on a computer.
Also, I understand the driver to keep LAW cheap, but you could have a point defense against ASMs and even towed torpedo decoy and still keep cost such you could have 8-12 LAW per the cost of an LPD. Those mk 46 turrets don’t seem as valuable as would Searam, NULKA and a SEWIP. Its a ship, and even if its as cheap as possible it’s still a juicy target.
I’d rather have a modern Newport-lite with the speed to move with everyone else. Speed is relevant. We have to think the PLAN will gray zone us to death before firing a shot. They could afford to “accidentally” run a 23 knot container ship right over a LAW just like it were a whale getting in the way. yes, we need smaller and more numerous, but it is not an end in and of itself.