The MAGTF Was Never Supposed to Be

The end all be all solution, so we're not quite sure why there is any sort of issue with it being changed, replaced or adapted. The Marine Corps at least in theory and lore is supposed to be an adaptable force that can hit hard in a very short amount of time. The Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) worked really well for a while at doing that. Hitting hard and hitting fast, IT WORKED REALLY FUCKING WELL. We put warheads on foreheads and killed bad guys like Arnold in "True Lies". But...all good things must come to an end.It's no secret that our armed forces are doing a mild pivot towards fighting near peer-level adversaries. With that pivot comes the shelving or adapting of the very successful MAGTF. As America's "shock" troops, shouldn't we be at the forefront of adapting our warfighting capabilities? We're not hating on the MAGTF, but to think that there isn't something better out there, well that's just foolish.H.G. Wells said it best, "Adapt or perish, now as ever, is nature's inexorable imperative."The MAGTF served the purpose it was designed for. Now as we face near-peer level adversaries, we need something new. There is nothing wrong with doing something new unless that new thing is also a useless thing. People who think the MAGTF is either sacred and/or designed to never be touched, updated or added to are fucking mental midgets.Just a few weeks ago, Faisal Sipra explained how versatile and hard-hitting a company of Marines can be. Is that the answer? Is our next fight going to utilize company-sized, agile, hard-hitting task forces or will we do something else entirely? Who knows? But for anyone to think that we've finally hit the Gold Standard of warfighting in the MAGTF, don't quit your fucking day job.Employing company-sized or smaller elements can be a huge force multiplier, just look at what Special Operations can accomplish with their small teams. The Marine Corps was once viewed as a large 'special force' and Marines will still act like it is. There is an ethos instilled in the Marine infantryman from day one, that a fire team, a squad, a platoon...one of these smaller units can make a significant difference in maneuver warfare.War is a constantly evolving beast and the people that fight in these wars need to be constantly evolving as well.Who was it that said, "Doctrine is often the last refuge of the unimaginative?" (hint: his callsign was Chaos)Because they were right. Not really sure who is unwilling to let the MAGTF ride off into the sunset gracefully, only to return when using it becomes advantageous again, but whoever that guy or gal is, needs to calm the fuck down and let the tactics, unit size and TO/E fit the mission.