Ideas & Issues - Marine Corps Association

Non-Combat Attacks on the Marine Corps

No respect for the Marine Corps Throughout its 250-year history, the Marine Corps, in the words of 1980s comedian Rodney Dangerfield, “Don’t get no respect.” Dangerfield’s line describes the treatment

Lessons from an Unlikely Enemy

What the Marine Corps can learn from the Houthis The Uncomfortable TeacherThe Houthis are not the type of adversary the Marine Corps typically studies for operational inspiration. As a non-peer,

Exquisite and Insufficient

The fires revolution the Marine Corps missed One of the central premises of Marine Corps Force Design was the evolving relationship between precision and mass. The Marine Corps subscribed to

The Floating Forward Operating Base MEU

A blueprint for the Marine Corps of 2035 Executive Summary The MEU of 2035 must evolve to remain relevant in the face of precision-strike threats, ubiquitous surveillance, and rapid technological

Forward, Flexible, Formidable, and Relevant

Today’s Amphibious Ready Group/Marine Expeditionary Unit Since its inception, the MEU has embarked on an Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) and continues to serve as the preeminent example of the contribution

Decision-Advantage

The case for Marine Corps ISR enterprise transformation The Marine Corps stands at a pivotal crossroads, a moment of profound transformation that will define its relevance and effectiveness in the

Gendarmerie de Marjah

Success at ground level Marjah, Afghanistan, was the financial base and perceived Taliban “heart of darkness” prior to Operation MOSHTARAK in early 2010.1 After a few months, the political perception

Bulldozers to Baghdad

Marine Corps combat D9 dozers in the Iraq War Marines have always emphasized high-speed mobility. We place a premium on acquiring equipment that is lighter and faster. But sometimes, particularly

Sensing in the Shadows

Integrating autonomous and human intelligence for decision superiority in the Pacific Modernizing Intelligence for Distributed Littoral Operations In April 2023, in response to former U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy

Mobilization as a Theory of Victory

Deploying all elements of national defense Vignette On 1 August 2027—the 100th anniversary of the People’s Liberation Army—the Chinese Communist Party launches a preplanned invasion of Taiwan. The operation begins

Mobilizing the Marine Corps

Why the Service is incapable of repeating June 1950 When the Korea People’s Army stormed across the 38th parallel on 25 June 1950, the Republic of Korea Army and the