Just recently, senior officials at the Pentagon proposed separating the Marine Corps and Army in the Middle East. The Army would then occupy Iraq and the Marines Afghanistan. The Marine Corps, who are now occupying the al-Anbar province in Iraq, have greatly improved this area. The province is safer than it has ever been. Now, officials want the Marines to do the same in Afghanistan and allow the Army to uphold the safety in al-Anbar. According to Fox News, defense officials argue, "it would allow the services to operate more efficiently." Although they do have a good argument, there are other factors that need to be taken into consideration.
The Marine Corps is much smaller than any other branch of the United States military. They do have a reputation of being the most disciplined and well trained, but they do not receive the same amount of funding as other military branches. Still in good condition, most of their equipment is handed down from the Army. How would they afford to occupy an entire country? They do not have the funding or enough bodies to be successful.
The officials also argue that the Marines can control land and air assaults where as the Army can rely on the Air Force. Once again, the Marines do not have enough people. The United States has been in Iraq for nearly five years, one of the many challenges is shortening the length of deployment. Yes, the Army would be in a better situation to rotate troops, but the Marines would not.
As of right now, this change is only an idea. The proposal from the officials at the Pentagon seems sound until the size of each branch is taken into consideration. It would work if the Marine Corps were larger. As of right now, the United States military has its different branches working together as a team. This war may never end if the Army, Marines, and Air Force are broken up. They all need each other to specialize in what they do best.