The U.S. Marine Corps' ability in rapid response to crisis outbreak worldwide is attenuated by Iraq War demands, a U.S. Marine commander said on Monday.
Marine Commandant Gen. James Conway said in a speech to the Center for New American Security that he is "a little bit concerned about us keeping our expeditionary flavor," since "we are much heavier than ever before."
He referred to the heavy equipment the Marine Corps has to buy, including a fleet of 3,700 mine-resistant vehicles, to protect its personnel from roadside bombs in Iraq.
The Marine Corps have emerged in recent years as a "second land Army" tasked with securing Iraq, Conway said.
On a separate issue, Conway cautiously expressed his optimism that al-Qaida in Iraq is significantly crippled by recent U.S. efforts, but previous experience showed that terror network had "amazing ability to regenerate."
"Are they crippled? Yeah," he said. "Are they still dangerous? Absolutely."
Source:Xinhua
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