“To be able to support that Marine on the ground,
we bring a lot more of our fire from the air than the Army
does... Because we’re a lighter, quicker-to-the-fight
force, we rely much more on aviation as an integral part of this
team, this Navy-Marine air-ground team.”
Source: Marine Col. Robert Walsh, deputy
assistant commandant for aviation, in a recent
interview. Walsh noted that Aviation makes up about one-third
of the total Marine Corps, with about 1,200 aircraft.