Saving Taiwan's Marine Corps

choi

Grant Newsham and Kerry Gershaneck, Saving Taiwan's Marine Corps. The Diplomat, Nov 26, 2015.
http://thediplomat.com/2015/11/saving-the-taiwan-marine-corps/

Quote:

"Much like species on the Galapagos Island cut off from outside contact and influence, the TMC has been cut off from most interaction with foreign militaries. As a result, it resembles a 1979 version of the U.S. Marine Corps. Although TMC’s ethos and professionalism are superb – indeed, the best in the Taiwan Armed Forces – the Taiwan Marines “froze” in time where the U.S. Marines were 35 years ago: relatively heavy, mechanized, and not particularly mobile.

"the US 'Marine Expeditionary Unit' (MEU). A MEU is a combination of amphibious ships with Marines and their logistics and organic aviation assets aboard, trained, equipped, and ready to join fully in regional HA/DR missions and training exercises.

My comment:
(1) Read first the resume of authors at the bottom. They are professional. Kerry almost invariably is a female first name. This is the first time I see a man with it.
(2) "Kerry Gershaneck is a Senior Associate with Pacific Forum CSIS, and a professor at a major Asian military academy. Through his Marine Corps and civil service career, he helped develop ROC/Taiwan military capabilities at the tactical through strategic levels."  

"A major"?  Where can it be?  
(3) Kerry
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/County_Kerry
(is named after the Ciarraige [name of a people/tribe] who lived in part of the present county
(4) "It [Taiwan Marine Corps] must be become light, mobile, operationally flexible in its thinking, and able to operate as a lethal fire-brigade from one end of Formosa to the other."

fire department
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_department
(fire department (United States and Canada) or fire brigade (United Kingdom and Commonwealth))
(5) "Mobility requires an 'air wing' for transportation and fire support."

fire support
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_support

(6) "With an embedded aviation element, TMC could then adopt the combat-proven 'MAGTF' (Marine Air-Ground Task Force) structure and a doctrine akin to the USMC. The MAGTF combines ground, aviation, and logistics elements into a single coherent and mobile force"

Just read briefly the above , as well as the following two items. Only when you are done with all three, will you get the concept.
(a) Marine Air-Ground Task Force
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_Air-Ground_Task_Force
(i) "MCDP stands for Marine Corps Doctrinal Publication."
(ii) Read first paragraph 1 of the introduction. Proceed to (f)(ii), browse the entire page there (be acquainted with the heading only of, say, Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU)), and then return to (f)(i).
(b) Structure. US Marine Corps, undated
www.marines.com/operating-forces/structure
(Marine Air-Ground Task Force)  

choi

(7) Regarding Taiwan Marine Corps. "There are a number of ways to employ a properly sized and equipped amphibious force in a counter-attack role in the context of a strategic defense of Taiwan."

The "counter-attack" is contemplated in a scenario where PLA succeeds in landing and penetration. Then TMC is supposed to land behind it, to both cut off supplies and assault from behind.

(8) "The TMC has already proved its usefulness in domestic HA/DR on a number of occasions, to include the 2009 flooding when TMC amphibious assault vehicles (AAVs) were the only vehicles capable of accessing certain afflicted areas. The TMC’s AAVs are old, but they still have life in them."
(a) Typhoon Morakot
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoon_Morakot
(on Aug 7, 2009 making landfall in central Taiwan; "In the wake of the storm, Taiwan's government faced extreme criticism for the slow response to the disaster and having only initially deployed roughly 2,100 soldiers to the affected regions. Later the number of soldiers working to recover trapped residents increased to 46,000"/ section 4 Aftermath, section 4.1 Taiwan)

"莫拉克颱風" in Taiwan.

The typhoon was the first major crisis of, and inflict heavy political loss on, the Ma administration
(b) "Morakot" is a baby (given) name for both sexes in Thailand.
(c) The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism
https://books.google.com/books?i ... tionary&f=false
("Wat Phra Kaew. [alt[ernative]. Wat Phra Kaeo]. In Thai, 'Temple of the Emerald Buddha,' perhaps the most famous Buddhist temple in Thailand * * * PHRA KAEW MORAKOT, the most sacred buddha image in Thailand: Kaew is an indigenous Thai ord for 'glass' or 'translucent'; morakot derives from the Sanskrit word for emerald (S[anskrit]. marakata)")
(d) Wat Phra Kaew
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wat_Phra_Kaew

(9) "One anticipates criticism from certain quarters of Taiwan Armed Forces’ more active role in regional humanitarian activities."

The clause "of Taiwan Armed Forces’ more active role in regional humanitarian activities" modifies the noun "criticism."  So the sentence is more like: One anticipates criticism, from certain quarters, of Taiwan Armed Forces’ more active role in regional humanitarian activities.
(10) "Expand ANGLICO (Air-Naval Gunfire Liaison Company) capabilities."

ANGLICO | Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company. American Special Ops, undated
(a) www.americanspecialops.com/usmc-special-operations/anglico/
("Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company (ANGLICO) are an elite United States Marines Corps (USMC) unit tasked with calling in air strikes and artillery fires in support of their attached formation")
(b) View the photo in Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Naval_Gunfire_Liaison_Company

The text of this Wiki page, alone, is not helpful.
(c) The "special ops" stands for "special operations."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_operations

(11) "The wheeled LAV-25 (and its variants) would give the Taiwan Marines an added dimension of agility, high maneuverability and firepower"

LAV-25
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LAV-25
(Light Armored Vehicle; used by the United States Marine Corps and Canadian Army)

Taiwan does not have LAV-25, but rather produces its own
CM-32 Armoured Vehicle  雲豹裝甲車
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CM-32_Armoured_Vehicle
(2007- ; for Taiwan army not marines)

Taiwan already operates AAV7s (which US is rumored to sell again).
(12) "the Taiwan Marines deploying shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles and other mobile SAM systems can provide a highly mobile air defense capability, thereby complicating PRC targeting of Taiwan’s AAA capabilities by PLA missiles, aircraft, and Special Operations teams and sleeper agent cells."

AAA = anti-aircraft artillery

(12) 'the US Marine Corps should send one or two Mandarin-speaking officers as Liaison Officers to the Taiwan Marine Corps, as it has done in sending LNOs to the Japan Ground Self Defense Force and other regional militaries."

For LNO, see liaison officer
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liaison_officer
(section 1 Military Liaison Officers (LNOs))

If one goes to US military's websites, "Liaison Officer (LNO)" is used. When such jobs are advretised (directed to outside world), "Military" is added in front to make clear the role.