A More Challenging Battlefield: The Need to Change 0351s into 1371s

During Operation Iraqi Freedom OIF, assaultmen adapted effectively to newly assigned breaching missions in urban environments. The adaptability demonstrated by them led to top officials assuming that assaultmen are appropriately trained to handle advanced demolitions. This is not the case, and the assumption is dangerous. In fact, it is as dangerous as assuming that engineers are capable of handling Explosive Ordinance Disposal EOD missions involving unidentified Unexploded Ordinance UXOs. While engineers did a limited amount of this type of mission during OIF, engineers do not have the proper training for this mission, nor should they. If infantry battalions need assaultmen to do advanced demolitions then they should be trained correctly and sent to the Engineer School. If assaultmen are going to be trained as engineers, then they should be re-designated as 1371s. The Marine Corps should re-allocate all assaultmen forces to the combat engineer community so that the infantry battalions get the combat engineer support they require. With the increasing demand for combat engineers and the growing complexity of engineer missions to be accomplished by assaultmen, the Marine Corps requires a force restructuring of the combat engineer field and elimination of the 0351 field. This restructuring would greatly increase the capabilities of each infantry battalion while reducing the strain on the combat engineer community.