Marines trading away Hawaii helicopters for new capabilities to counter China
The Marine Corps in Hawaii is losing all of its traditional helicopters — more than 35 in all — in a radical restructuring across the entire service branch to save $12 billion and spend it on new approaches to potentially fight China in the Western Pacific.
More than 600 Hawaii-based personnel will be displaced with the departure next fiscal year, but about that many will be needed with a new KC-130 refueling squadron and up to 15 aircraft that are coming, along with other changes, officials said.
The Force Design 2030 plan pursued by Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger is controversial and not without its critics.
https://www.staradvertiser.com/2021/03/14/hawaii-news/marines-trading-away-hawaii-helicopters-for-new-capabilities-to-counter-china/
