Pro Vieques Article by Admiral Carroll

by RADM (Ret.) Eugene Carroll, Jr., USN


September 14, 2002

It has been said wisely, "The military always prepares to win the last war." This harsh criticism persists because it is all too true. Just look at what the U.S. Navy and Marines are doing on the beaches and ranges of Vieques Island.

During World War II in the Pacific the Navy and Marines had little choice of strategy or tactics. Island hopping was the strategy and violent frontal amphibious assaults were the tactical means to get to Tokyo. In retrospect, inventing this new mode of warfare and implementing it in the face of deadly, fanatic adversaries were brilliant, courageous feats for which Navymen and Marines are still justifiably proud. This professional pride is one reason they feel justified in using Vieques Island to prepare to win WW II all over again.

Certainly Vieques -- with major support from the world's largest Naval Base at Roosevelt Roads -- affords the two services a unique setting in which to rehearse for a rerun of WW II. First, Navy can use the broad expanse of sea and airspace encompassed by the missile range there to conduct major exercises in air, surface and submarine warfare. These exercises simulate the transit and approach of powerful naval forces to an objective area defended by enemy land, sea and air forces.

The culmination of this battle at sea occurs in an amphibious assault supported by live naval gunfire and air attacks directed against Vieques' beaches and live fire impact areas. It is true, as Navy argues, that there is no place in the United States where such a sea battle could be followed immediately by a live fire amphibious assault. Vieques is unique.

But this brings us back to the real issue. Why does Navy want to practice for the last war when it has neither the need, the means nor the intention to fight that war again? First, rule out the need. America faces no enemy capable of mounting effective defenses against U. S. Navy operations on the high seas and in the airspace above our forces at sea. It is only when the slow moving amphibious forces approach a defended coastal area that modern precision weapons render combat assaults infeasible today. Thus, the Navy-Marine Corps team has no intention to conduct such assaults.

It is only when one comes to means that the primary reason to continue use of Vieques becomes clear. The Marine Corps is desperate to maintain the role as an amphibious assault force because that is the only capability which distinguishes it from the U.S. Army. Navy supports the Marine Corps in this role because it justifies maintaining a large fleet of amphibious warfare ships and an assault support role for its 12 aircraft carriers. Therefore, Vieques is needed as a place to go through the motions of being prepared for a war that was fought and won 57 years ago.

There is yet one more fact which demonstrates that assault operations at Vieques are cynical charades. WW II island hopping in the Pacific was only possible because it was supported by overwhelming naval gunfire. 17 battleships and scores of cruisers lined up off the beaches and pounded the defenders for days with violent, highly accurate barrages of shells as large as one ton each. Even with this devastating firepower we still suffered heavy losses in landing our troops. Today the U.S. Navy has no gun power - period. Our surface warships are equipped with one 5" rifle that provides absolutely no means of effective gunfire support.

Furthermore, Navy has no intention of investing in re-creating such essential gunpower. Instead, Navy land attack firepower is in guided missiles such as the Tomahawk. At more than $l million per missile, it is obvious that they will never be available in numbers adequate to replace the assault support gunfire which is necessary to prepare the objective area. But, even if they were, they could never be used at Vieques because when a "smart" Tomahawk goes "dumb" (loses its guidance) it can miss its intended target by miles. Both Esperanza and Isabel Segunda would be at real risk if Navy resorted to missiles to replace gunfire.

The fact is, there are many places where Navy forces can now exercise every weapon they now employ at Vieques. Troops can be landed across beaches in North Carolina and California. Missiles can be fired in Florida, California and in the Mediterranean Sea. The small 5" naval rifles on our surface ships can be fired at sea against floating targets. Sea battles can be simulated across the world's oceans. While these sites do not combine in one place the special features of Vieques and Roosevelt Roads, that is no longer required in order to meet unrealistic and unneeded amphibious warfare training requirements. Full combat readiness for necessary missions can be maintained by all Navy and Marine Corps units worldwide and this can be done while finally providing Peace Para Vieques.