Netherlands News: 1870

[Darman]

Due to the extensive overseas territorial holdings, the Dutch Army and Navy have begun exploring the formation of sea-transportable brigades to establish and defend forward-deployed anchorages and coaling stations to help defend those sea-lanes vital to the security and economic well-being of the Dutch East Indies colonies.  Several ideas have been floated by both the Army and the Navy, the only true sticking point is that the Navy requires an engineer component. 

Proposal A:
     Engineers
     Heavy Artillery
     Infantry
Proposal B:
     Engineers
     Field Artillery
     Gatling Guns (special weapons)
Proposal C:
     Engineers
     Logistics
     Defense Battalion (mixed artillery and infantry, no organic transport, represented by a special weapons unit)

[KWorld]

The US Marine Corps, hoping to remain an actual organization and not be disbanded, is looking into similar organizations for taking or holding ports.  Those, though, are currently strictly combat organizations, without the integral engineering component of the Dutch formations.  If they were to be armed as Special Weapons units, in the current period they'd be riflemen equipped with a long-range single-shot rifle (a trap-door Springfield) and a second, shorter-ranged, repeater (a Spencer or  a Winchester).  A siege artillery regiment would also be included to serve as temporary coast defence batteries.