Talking to the Pakistan military II: An interview with a Navy Officer

[jaibi]

That would still come in as an amphibious operations, right? Only defencive.

The Pak Marines are not modeled on the US Marines.

The Basic role of Pak Marines is protecting the Creek areas, Coastal defense and are also employed on Tactical Security duties.

Your right about the SSGN.

 

[Rashid Mahmood]

That would still come in as an amphibious operations, right? Only defencive.

Typical Amphibious Operations are considered as Offensive in which Marines or Naval forces land on hostile shore to project power.

Pak Marines do not plan to do that.

It's more like Coastal Defense specifically to defend the Creek areas. Pakistan did not have any force to defend the Creek areas, as the Army does not operate in the Creeks and neither the Navy. Pak Marines has filled this gap.

 

[blain2]

There is no disagreement on the the need for "jointness". The Interviewee is absolutely correct that cadets from all services should go through a Joint Services Academy or the YOs should go through an immediate joint services course right after passing out. This is essential because more and operations will require multi-dimensional services. By this, the call should not be to build redundant, overlapping capacities within each service, rather to have complementary capabilities that boost the interoperability and effectiveness of the services while at the same time help being cost effective. The problem currently for Pakistan, and most other countries is that the services usually take the zero sum approach. That is, either they own the role/responsibility thus deserve all the funding, or they want none of it. The US and NATO militaries have started changing this and its yielding dividends because they can spend more of their funding on new technology and capabilities induction rather than investing in redundant capabilities and respective force structures.

 

[Abingdonboy]

I've always thought the PN having a Marine force was entirely pointless. Marines are inherently an offensive force to be used for amphibious assault but for a navy like the PN against an enemy like India their Marine force is entirely too small, too ill equipped and just unnessercary IMHO. If the PN had equipped the PMs with MBTs, LPDs, integral arty, dedicated helos etc then fair enough but they haven't- so what's the point in the PMs?

The simple fact the "Pak marines" are used as a coastal defence force is testament to this. They really should be under the Pakistan Coast guard and NOT the navy.

The PN has a Spec Ops unit (SSG-N) and that along with a compliment base/force protection force is all it needs. It in NO WAY needs marine infantry.

 

[Joe Shearer]

Most countries in these unpredictable parts of the world would benefit from land and sea defence offered by tightly-integrated land and sea services, but these seem to exist only in PRC. More later.