This was an excellent and blunt analysis of the problems the Corps has today. I was taught in the Corps to always be responsible for my screwups, admit them and learn from them. As a young Marine, I found that speaking out about problems that I saw was the way to go. take responsibility and point out the problem, even if the person I was speaking to was many grades above me. Often got chewed out, but also told not to stop thinking. I am still wondering if any of our senior leaders are reading these comments. To many sycophants in the house perhaps?
Great thought provoking questions, Greg. Very valid questions. They are questions we all have been grappling with.
A side note; every former military member providing commentary on the various news networks concerning the war between Israel and Iran are either Army, Navy and or Air Force (most are special operators).
The question I’ve been asking myself is, where are the Marines? Why aren’t the Marines being sought after to offer their military expertise on one of the most consequential war in the 21st century between the two middle eastern adversaries?
I doubt this President has any indication of what the Marines have lost in the quest toward irrelevance know as FD. He knows they look good opening the doors for him at the white house and standing beside Marine One when he flies to Andrews. Pretty much what I would consider his knowledge of the Marine Corps, other than the propaganda he has been fed by the Commandants sycophants.
Force Design wasn’t created in a vacuum—it was executed in alignment with the President’s first National Strategic Guidance, which prioritized the pacing threat and the need for a modernized, forward-deployed force. That’s public record.
It’s also customary—and again, publicly known—for the President to personally interview multiple candidates before selecting a Vice Chairman. So to suggest he’s unaware of what the Marine Corps has done or become is unserious.
And let’s not forget: General Van Riper himself recently stated that Chowder II recently met directly with “a very senior member of the administration.” Maybe that meeting didn’t go the way they hoped?
It was begun during COVID when everyone's attention was on something else. Commandant said "Hey, I wanna so this" and Congress said "Yeah sure....go ahead. We got to get back to this"
I am trying not to confuse you with facts as it appears your mind is made up, however . .
General Berger's Commandant's Planning Guidance was released in July 2019, specifically on July 12, the day after he assumed command of the Marine Corps.
CDC reports the first laboratory-confirmed case of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus in the U.S. from samples taken on January 18 in Washington state and on the same day activates its Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to respond to the emerging outbreak.
Greg’s comments could not have broken it down any better and particularly for the layman’s absorption, they were written in a way that most American’s can understand vis a vis the current status and plight of the Corps today. General Mahoney’s promotion to Vice Chair of the JCS leaves a void. Who will General Smith work to get into the postion of ACMC. Likely an FD acolyte. Additionally will General Mahoney take the view of the value of Divest to Invest and FD2030 with him, or perhaps in his new capacity at least ask the questions about the viability and capability of the Corps today. At $38B annually the Marine Corps is a relative defense budget bargain. It is also a rounding error on $1T annual defense budget. That cuts both ways. Too small to worry about and carry on, or who needs $38B more and ergo who needs the Marine Corps. In corporate America the Corps is toast. It’s gone tomorrow. It’s not even a hard decision. But, it is not corporate America so more is in play. The whole FD2030 effort is like the 25th floor at the old Enron building. A complete Potemkin Village of trading screens and TV screens that got turned on when the investment bankers and financial reporters showed up for a tour. Traders from other floors would dash down to 25 and sit looking at screens that did nothing chatting on phones to no one basically and sure as hell not doing any gas, oil or power trading. Sound familiar? SIF, MLR? If one is looking for a mark in the Boston Common for a go at the 3 card Monty Table, they look for the guys that think they are smarter than the “rubes” running the table from Southie. The geniuses never beat the “rubes.” The events of the past several years demonstrate that while China is indeed a problem the more likely and actual scenarios have been MEU/MEB built and the Corps has had a very hard time responding if able to respond at all. At some point the rubber has to hit the road. Kicking the FD can halfway down the road is not working and time is not on the Corps side. One can imagine in 20 years from now a youngster and his parents walking by the Iwo Jima monument in Arlington and the child asking “who are they”? Sadly his parents will reply “oh we don’t know, probably some Army guys somewhere from someplace a long time ago….”
Greg’s questions are spot on. Penetrating. As an unsettling question, is it possible that Marines could be committed to battle in a TF SMITH circumstance? Good troops & good leadership, but in an impossible situation? It has happened to US forces before.
Yes, Sir! With the exception of the Gulf War and Iraqi Freedom, the Nation has been unprepared. Now the Marine Corps is unprepared, when it should be the most ready (sound familiar?). HQMC got us into a mess by recklessly diving into a mission it was not prepared to implement.
Well, Sports Fans, the US may well now be at war with the strike on Fordow just now being announced. We presently may see the Corps’ robustness of which its leadership boasts. It is robust, isn’t it?
Of this I have no doubt....but that learning curve is a royal bitch. Ridding themselves of that which does not work or is wrong for the job and getting gear that does.
Just read on NBC News that the Houthis have said that they will attack US ships in the Red Sea if we attack Iran. Apparently that was posted about 6 hours ago. Would be great if we had those LHAs with the F-35Bs on them rather than super carriers in the Red Sea. Also of course the MAGTF units to take out those near the beach missile launchers and perhaps do some work on the port where the missile parts from Iran are landed. Unfortunately we can't do anything about the Houthis because we don't have the resources anymore.
I agree that the big carriers have a lot more punch than the LHA, and the F-35 C has better range. The Red sea though isn't all that big though and the LHA carries 16 aircraft per ship. it is also a smaller target. the LHA would need some extra escorts though. Kinda a moot point anyway as none are available right now.
I read all comments. Interesting dialogue. My observation is that should we get involved in Iran, I worry about our leadership at the national level. Sorry, I have zero confidence in Sec Def and our Commander In Chief. On top of that, I am concerned about the nation's ability to rapidly shift our industrial base to meet the pressing demands of our nation at war! The nation's airlines will be quickly be called to support USAF airlift augmentation under the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF). But, how rapidly can we retool factories to manufacture weapons, ammunition, ships, aircraft, etc? Keep in mind that should we enter this conflict, our nation will be vulnerable to missile attacks by Iran! And, they will prosecute!
With regards to the employment of the Marine Corps, the Corps will be hampered by amphibious lift! Without armor and heavy artillery what kind of bite will the Corps present in this conflict? I guess these are the musings of an 82 year old Marine. What the hell do I know?
The Marine Corps is ready to fight in any clime and place. It remains heavily deployed in the Pacific, aligned with national strategy and under direct guidance from the Secretary of Defense. Far from sitting on the bench, Marines are forward, inside contested spaces, doing exactly what the Nation asks of them.
Yes, the Navy must improve amphibious ship readiness—and both the Commandant and Congress have acknowledged this. That’s a naval service challenge, not a Marine Corps shortfall. As ship maintenance improves—and potentially their overall numbers—the Corps will embark upon them. Guaranteed.
While the Marine Corps is deployed in the Pacific, is it ready to fight in the Pacific? It is no longer a combined-arms naval expeditionary force. It lacks artillery, armor, and other assets to make it a robust offensive fighting force. As much as many want to believe that the tank is dead, that is not the case. Would you rather be in a tank or a JLTV armed with an ATGM? You could say that the Marine Corps has a new mission now with FD. You could say that, but after 5 years or so, it still does not have an anti-ship missile battery. They are still years away. So the Marine Corps is no longer a combined-arms naval expeditionary force and it does not have its anti-ship capability. So, in a future/current conflict, what will it do?
Regarding the statement “The Marine Corps is ready to fight in any clime or place”. Please explain the current “ways and means” that the cannibalized Marine Corps Divisions, Marine Air Wings, Marine Force Service Support Groups, non existent Maritime PrePositioned Shipping, rusted and rusting Naval Amphibious Shipping will instantaneously and magically materialize, and be operationally ready to be employed to accomplish global amphibious, expeditionary missions simultaneously for numerous US Combatant Commanders?
We will fight as part of the Joint Force, as Goldwater-Nichols demands—and that’s our greatest military strength as a nation.
No, we’re not going to build an Iron Mountain in theater and take six months to spool up like we did in 1991 or 2003. That model doesn’t work in a pacing threat environment.
Really? How many MEUs are currently constituted? How many are “on alert”? You keep turning to WESTPAC and your static SIF “targets”. You fail to delve into the Corps’s true problem of inability to project and SUSTAIN combat power anywhere in the world.
The biggest future area of contention will be the Arctic. Where is the Corps in developing technologies, techniques, and strategies for that AOR? Yea, I know we have POMCUS in Norway for a MEB, but the area of contention will be centered on the SLOCS exiting the Arctic east from Greenland, the reason for the President’s persistence on securing a greater presence in Greenland. Now in that AOR a COMBINED ARMS MEB REINFORCED with NAMS, or better yet HIMARS, given the time of year, might well be able to contribute to the control of SLOCS.
West Coast will have two heal to toe MEUs out soon.
I’ve addressed the Amphib readiness issues multiple times (something we can agree on).
Second. . .
Your portrayal of SIFs as “static targets” is misinformed. These units are deliberately designed to be agile, dispersed, and persistent inside contested zones. They’re low-signature, mobile, and integrated into joint kill chains. If you’re calling them “static,” you’re either not tracking current operational concepts like EABO or haven’t looked closely at how these units operate in exercises like Balikatan or Talisman Sabre. They’re not meant to project power like a MEB—they’re designed to enable the joint force to do that, while complicating enemy targeting and extending reach.
Yes, it’s an increasingly contested region, but your claim that the Marine Corps isn’t addressing it doesn’t hold up. Just look at Exercise Nordic Response 2024—the largest NATO Arctic exercise in decades. Marines operated in extreme cold alongside Norwegian, Finnish, and other allied forces, testing interoperability, mobility, and sustainment in precisely the kinds of environments you’re concerned about.
Ship maintenance improves.....HA! These ships are so run hard and put away wet, it takes years to get them back deployable. One LHD was in for almost two years and is still pier side in NOB because of issues that were not resolved during her two years in plant. It will almost be three years since that ship has sailed under her own power when she finally starts back up.
And she is representative of the class as a whole. When the former Commandant said we were backing off the 2.0 MEBS afloat requirement, the Navy jumped up and down for joy! The amphib fleet has always been a back burner issue for them and he made it easy on them.
The Navy is not in the clear on this. When the LCS came out the Navy stated that no one under the rank of E5 would be sent to those vessels as they were "operators, not maintainers" All maintenance would be performed by contractors. This attitude has infected the fleet on the whole.
This was an excellent and blunt analysis of the problems the Corps has today. I was taught in the Corps to always be responsible for my screwups, admit them and learn from them. As a young Marine, I found that speaking out about problems that I saw was the way to go. take responsibility and point out the problem, even if the person I was speaking to was many grades above me. Often got chewed out, but also told not to stop thinking. I am still wondering if any of our senior leaders are reading these comments. To many sycophants in the house perhaps?
Unlike the Marine Corps that led the way during Desert Storm, this new version will sit on the bench during future conflicts.
Great thought provoking questions, Greg. Very valid questions. They are questions we all have been grappling with.
A side note; every former military member providing commentary on the various news networks concerning the war between Israel and Iran are either Army, Navy and or Air Force (most are special operators).
The question I’ve been asking myself is, where are the Marines? Why aren’t the Marines being sought after to offer their military expertise on one of the most consequential war in the 21st century between the two middle eastern adversaries?
You do realize the ACMC was just nominated to be the next Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, right?
He won’t be giving his military advice to a news outlet—but directly to the President and Secretary of Defense.
Strange that the Commander-in-Chief would choose a Marine so closely tied to Force Design… almost like it has strategic value. Weird.
I doubt this President has any indication of what the Marines have lost in the quest toward irrelevance know as FD. He knows they look good opening the doors for him at the white house and standing beside Marine One when he flies to Andrews. Pretty much what I would consider his knowledge of the Marine Corps, other than the propaganda he has been fed by the Commandants sycophants.
Please…
Force Design wasn’t created in a vacuum—it was executed in alignment with the President’s first National Strategic Guidance, which prioritized the pacing threat and the need for a modernized, forward-deployed force. That’s public record.
It’s also customary—and again, publicly known—for the President to personally interview multiple candidates before selecting a Vice Chairman. So to suggest he’s unaware of what the Marine Corps has done or become is unserious.
And let’s not forget: General Van Riper himself recently stated that Chowder II recently met directly with “a very senior member of the administration.” Maybe that meeting didn’t go the way they hoped?
It was begun during COVID when everyone's attention was on something else. Commandant said "Hey, I wanna so this" and Congress said "Yeah sure....go ahead. We got to get back to this"
I am trying not to confuse you with facts as it appears your mind is made up, however . .
General Berger's Commandant's Planning Guidance was released in July 2019, specifically on July 12, the day after he assumed command of the Marine Corps.
CDC reports the first laboratory-confirmed case of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus in the U.S. from samples taken on January 18 in Washington state and on the same day activates its Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to respond to the emerging outbreak.
Greg’s comments could not have broken it down any better and particularly for the layman’s absorption, they were written in a way that most American’s can understand vis a vis the current status and plight of the Corps today. General Mahoney’s promotion to Vice Chair of the JCS leaves a void. Who will General Smith work to get into the postion of ACMC. Likely an FD acolyte. Additionally will General Mahoney take the view of the value of Divest to Invest and FD2030 with him, or perhaps in his new capacity at least ask the questions about the viability and capability of the Corps today. At $38B annually the Marine Corps is a relative defense budget bargain. It is also a rounding error on $1T annual defense budget. That cuts both ways. Too small to worry about and carry on, or who needs $38B more and ergo who needs the Marine Corps. In corporate America the Corps is toast. It’s gone tomorrow. It’s not even a hard decision. But, it is not corporate America so more is in play. The whole FD2030 effort is like the 25th floor at the old Enron building. A complete Potemkin Village of trading screens and TV screens that got turned on when the investment bankers and financial reporters showed up for a tour. Traders from other floors would dash down to 25 and sit looking at screens that did nothing chatting on phones to no one basically and sure as hell not doing any gas, oil or power trading. Sound familiar? SIF, MLR? If one is looking for a mark in the Boston Common for a go at the 3 card Monty Table, they look for the guys that think they are smarter than the “rubes” running the table from Southie. The geniuses never beat the “rubes.” The events of the past several years demonstrate that while China is indeed a problem the more likely and actual scenarios have been MEU/MEB built and the Corps has had a very hard time responding if able to respond at all. At some point the rubber has to hit the road. Kicking the FD can halfway down the road is not working and time is not on the Corps side. One can imagine in 20 years from now a youngster and his parents walking by the Iwo Jima monument in Arlington and the child asking “who are they”? Sadly his parents will reply “oh we don’t know, probably some Army guys somewhere from someplace a long time ago….”
Hey Greg, great comments welcome to the party. Semper Fi Brother.
"Force Disaster" -- what a great description. I hope it becomes a popular meme.
General, it looks like the Army is capitalizing on fire and maneuver, while we are chasing a dead-end.
Greg’s questions are spot on. Penetrating. As an unsettling question, is it possible that Marines could be committed to battle in a TF SMITH circumstance? Good troops & good leadership, but in an impossible situation? It has happened to US forces before.
Yes, Sir! With the exception of the Gulf War and Iraqi Freedom, the Nation has been unprepared. Now the Marine Corps is unprepared, when it should be the most ready (sound familiar?). HQMC got us into a mess by recklessly diving into a mission it was not prepared to implement.
Well, Sports Fans, the US may well now be at war with the strike on Fordow just now being announced. We presently may see the Corps’ robustness of which its leadership boasts. It is robust, isn’t it?
Well, now for the proverbial question: what now Lt?
If war comes, your Marines will fight and win. Like they always do.
Of this I have no doubt....but that learning curve is a royal bitch. Ridding themselves of that which does not work or is wrong for the job and getting gear that does.
Just read on NBC News that the Houthis have said that they will attack US ships in the Red Sea if we attack Iran. Apparently that was posted about 6 hours ago. Would be great if we had those LHAs with the F-35Bs on them rather than super carriers in the Red Sea. Also of course the MAGTF units to take out those near the beach missile launchers and perhaps do some work on the port where the missile parts from Iran are landed. Unfortunately we can't do anything about the Houthis because we don't have the resources anymore.
Why would we put an LHA in contested waters with a limited number of F35Bs (as compared to a Carrier) with limited range (as compared to a F35C)?
I agree that the big carriers have a lot more punch than the LHA, and the F-35 C has better range. The Red sea though isn't all that big though and the LHA carries 16 aircraft per ship. it is also a smaller target. the LHA would need some extra escorts though. Kinda a moot point anyway as none are available right now.
Not accurate about LHA/LHDs not being available—**USS America is currently underway.
22nd MEU could be rerouted early if needed, but right now there’s no requirement.
That said, I agree—we all wish more were ready. Let’s support the Commandant as he works to make that a reality.
I read all comments. Interesting dialogue. My observation is that should we get involved in Iran, I worry about our leadership at the national level. Sorry, I have zero confidence in Sec Def and our Commander In Chief. On top of that, I am concerned about the nation's ability to rapidly shift our industrial base to meet the pressing demands of our nation at war! The nation's airlines will be quickly be called to support USAF airlift augmentation under the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF). But, how rapidly can we retool factories to manufacture weapons, ammunition, ships, aircraft, etc? Keep in mind that should we enter this conflict, our nation will be vulnerable to missile attacks by Iran! And, they will prosecute!
With regards to the employment of the Marine Corps, the Corps will be hampered by amphibious lift! Without armor and heavy artillery what kind of bite will the Corps present in this conflict? I guess these are the musings of an 82 year old Marine. What the hell do I know?
TF Smith should be kept in mind. Its possibility must not paralyze us, but it should inform our judgment.
The Marine Corps is ready to fight in any clime and place. It remains heavily deployed in the Pacific, aligned with national strategy and under direct guidance from the Secretary of Defense. Far from sitting on the bench, Marines are forward, inside contested spaces, doing exactly what the Nation asks of them.
Yes, the Navy must improve amphibious ship readiness—and both the Commandant and Congress have acknowledged this. That’s a naval service challenge, not a Marine Corps shortfall. As ship maintenance improves—and potentially their overall numbers—the Corps will embark upon them. Guaranteed.
While the Marine Corps is deployed in the Pacific, is it ready to fight in the Pacific? It is no longer a combined-arms naval expeditionary force. It lacks artillery, armor, and other assets to make it a robust offensive fighting force. As much as many want to believe that the tank is dead, that is not the case. Would you rather be in a tank or a JLTV armed with an ATGM? You could say that the Marine Corps has a new mission now with FD. You could say that, but after 5 years or so, it still does not have an anti-ship missile battery. They are still years away. So the Marine Corps is no longer a combined-arms naval expeditionary force and it does not have its anti-ship capability. So, in a future/current conflict, what will it do?
Regarding the statement “The Marine Corps is ready to fight in any clime or place”. Please explain the current “ways and means” that the cannibalized Marine Corps Divisions, Marine Air Wings, Marine Force Service Support Groups, non existent Maritime PrePositioned Shipping, rusted and rusting Naval Amphibious Shipping will instantaneously and magically materialize, and be operationally ready to be employed to accomplish global amphibious, expeditionary missions simultaneously for numerous US Combatant Commanders?
We will fight as part of the Joint Force, as Goldwater-Nichols demands—and that’s our greatest military strength as a nation.
No, we’re not going to build an Iron Mountain in theater and take six months to spool up like we did in 1991 or 2003. That model doesn’t work in a pacing threat environment.
Really? How many MEUs are currently constituted? How many are “on alert”? You keep turning to WESTPAC and your static SIF “targets”. You fail to delve into the Corps’s true problem of inability to project and SUSTAIN combat power anywhere in the world.
The biggest future area of contention will be the Arctic. Where is the Corps in developing technologies, techniques, and strategies for that AOR? Yea, I know we have POMCUS in Norway for a MEB, but the area of contention will be centered on the SLOCS exiting the Arctic east from Greenland, the reason for the President’s persistence on securing a greater presence in Greenland. Now in that AOR a COMBINED ARMS MEB REINFORCED with NAMS, or better yet HIMARS, given the time of year, might well be able to contribute to the control of SLOCS.
Sustain-key word in this equation.
Exactly! MLR s/SIFs are not sustainable given first their current T/O and T/E, and second the lack of amphibious support.
First . . . The 31st MEU is afloat and actively competing. You can google that right now. https://sldinfo.com/2025/06/u-s-marines-in-iron-fist-2025-strengthening-pacific-partnerships-through-bilateral-amphibious-operations/
22d MEU is working up. Headed out soon. https://www.marines.mil/News/News-Display/Article/4217515/beyond-the-horizon-jump-20-extends-the-22nd-meus-maritime-dominance/
West Coast will have two heal to toe MEUs out soon.
I’ve addressed the Amphib readiness issues multiple times (something we can agree on).
Second. . .
Your portrayal of SIFs as “static targets” is misinformed. These units are deliberately designed to be agile, dispersed, and persistent inside contested zones. They’re low-signature, mobile, and integrated into joint kill chains. If you’re calling them “static,” you’re either not tracking current operational concepts like EABO or haven’t looked closely at how these units operate in exercises like Balikatan or Talisman Sabre. They’re not meant to project power like a MEB—they’re designed to enable the joint force to do that, while complicating enemy targeting and extending reach.
https://www.marines.mil/Portals/1/Docs/230509-Tentative-Manual-For-Expeditionary-Advanced-Base-Operations-2nd-Edition.pdf?ver=05KvG8wWlhI7uE0amD5uYg%3D%3D
Third. . .
As for Arctic, all you had to do is Google it.
https://www.dvidshub.net/news/463846/us-sends-ii-mef-three-star-command-lands-norway-exercise-nordic-response-24
Yes, it’s an increasingly contested region, but your claim that the Marine Corps isn’t addressing it doesn’t hold up. Just look at Exercise Nordic Response 2024—the largest NATO Arctic exercise in decades. Marines operated in extreme cold alongside Norwegian, Finnish, and other allied forces, testing interoperability, mobility, and sustainment in precisely the kinds of environments you’re concerned about.
Ship maintenance improves.....HA! These ships are so run hard and put away wet, it takes years to get them back deployable. One LHD was in for almost two years and is still pier side in NOB because of issues that were not resolved during her two years in plant. It will almost be three years since that ship has sailed under her own power when she finally starts back up.
And she is representative of the class as a whole. When the former Commandant said we were backing off the 2.0 MEBS afloat requirement, the Navy jumped up and down for joy! The amphib fleet has always been a back burner issue for them and he made it easy on them.
The Navy is not in the clear on this. When the LCS came out the Navy stated that no one under the rank of E5 would be sent to those vessels as they were "operators, not maintainers" All maintenance would be performed by contractors. This attitude has infected the fleet on the whole.
Excellent piece, Greg. A very sad state of affairs, which was self inflicted.