MARINE CORPS PLANS MAJOR PROGRAM CUTS.

• Author: Harper, Jon

* SIMI VALLEY, Calif. -- The Marine Corps intends to divest itself of legacy systems as it transforms into a more mobile and expeditionary force, the service's commandant said Dec. 7.

In recent decades, Marines have been busy fighting land wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. But now they must prepare for a potential conflict in a naval environment against advanced adversaries such as China, Gen. David Berger told reporters at the Reagan National Defense Forum.

"We cannot wait any longer before we start adjusting our service to what we've got to be six, seven, eight years out," he said. "We have lots of changes we have to make and ... we have to get rid of legacy things in the Marine Corps. We've got to go on a diet. We've got to get back on ship. We've got to become expeditionary again."

What types of legacy systems will be on the chopping block?

"Big, heavy things," Berger said. "Expensive things that we can't either afford to buy or afford to maintain over the life of it. Things that don't fit aboard ship. Things that can't fire...