The Marine Corps is famous for rarely complaining about its mission or budget.  They make do with what they have – and do it better than anyone else. So when the assistant commandant of the corps warns Congress that their mission is threatened by budget cuts that have led to a dangerous lack of readiness and training, we should sit up and take notice. Washington Free Beacon: Gen. John Paxton told a meeting of the Senate Armed Services Committee that several components of the Corps would be unable to respond to an unexpected crisis, long regarded as a Marine specialty. Paxton highlighted aviation as one of the hardest hit areas. “I worry about the capability and the capacity to win in a major fight somewhere else right now,” Paxton said. Paxton also said that approximately 80 percent of Marine aviation units do not have the number of aircraft that they need for training and operations. There has been a number of...(Read Full Post)