Compass Points - Magnificent Majors
Leaders of the next war
Compass Points - Magnificent Majors
Leaders of the next war
March 30, 2024
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It is fortunate we have magnificent Majors.
Dwight D. Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States. He was President for most of the 1950's. Under his leadership, the United States enjoyed years of peace and prosperity. But that was then. Years before, Eisenhower was an unheralded Major in the US Army. Eisenhower was promoted to Major in the regular Army in 1920. He was a Major for the next 16 years. Those must have been long years for Eisenhower, but good years too, years of learning, growing, questioning, and preparing for the unknown challenges ahead. There were setbacks. Things did not always go the way he wanted. In fact, during the 1920's the Army was reduced in size so much that many Majors, including Eisenhower, were reverted to the rank of Captain and Eisenhower had to work his way back to Major. On June 6, 1936, Eisenhower was still a Major. Just eight years later, in 1944, the year the allies stormed ashore at Normandy to retake the continent of Europe, Eisenhower became a 5 star General.
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The US Marine Corps today has roughly 3,000 Majors on active duty. These Majors are in crucial positions across the Marine Corps, including billets in the fleet, on independent and joint duty, and in schools at Quantico and elsewhere. These Majors will be the leaders of the next war. The Marine Corps and indeed the United States needs each one of these Majors to be spending their years as Majors as productively as possible. These Majors must be, like Eisenhower, "learning, growing, questioning, and preparing for the unknown challenges ahead."
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It has been reported that the current Commandant told a group of Majors in school at Quantico words to the effect that since he was paying their tuition, he wanted them to support what he was doing. What? Why would any leader tell young Majors to "shut up and eat your peas”?
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The Marine Corps cannot afford to make Majors smaller, to shove them into a box, to have them learn less and question less. The Marine Corps needs Majors to grow themselves bigger, to climb out of the box, to learn more and to question more. Today's Majors must prepare themselves for the challenges ahead, challenges that will arrive in unexpected places and require new thinking. In a few short years, when the future challenges arrive, where will the current leaders be who are encouraging the Majors of today to think less? They will be gone. The Majors will be on their own.
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Majors today must study the battles of the past and learn the lessons of those battles, while, at the same time, understanding that the next battle will be in some crucial ways very different.
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Yesterday was National Vietnam War Veterans Day. Many of the retired Marines who were in Vietnam place a high importance on combined arms. Why? Their focus on combined arms comes from both study and experience. In Vietnam, contrary to what many civilians think, Marines were often faced with the powerful combined armed forces of the NVA (North Vietnamese Army). On Easter morning 1972, John Ripley did not risk his life again and again to blow up the Dong Ha bridge because a few barefoot, pajama clad, guerillas, might cross into the South. Ripley blew up the bridge because a miles long column of NVA tanks was headed for the bridge.
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During the long years of fighting in and around the Middle East, the Marines once again fought with distinction. But in much of the fighting the enemy forces were irregular forces, not combined arms forces. The enemy forces often had little air, armor, or artillery. Perhaps this is why some Marine leaders today with experience in the desert minimize the importance of combined arms.
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For the Majors of today, however, the challenges of the future war will not be the same as the fighting in Vietnam and it will not be the same as the fighting in the deserts of the Middle East. Today's Majors will face new and different challenges. The best example of war in the future is the fighting going on now in Ukraine and Gaza. Drones, rockets, and missiles are powerful new tools. Yet, the importance of combined arms maneuver forces is on display once again. There is little evidence today that air, armor, and artillery are disappearing. All those tools are adjusting to new threats and continuing to perform.
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To prepare themselves for future challenges, the Majors of today must ask questions, stretch their thinking, and study thoroughly. One of the foundations of their study must continue to be the maneuver philosophy that has been so deeply a part of the Marine Corps from its earliest years. The Marine maneuver philosophy was summarized in the small book, FMFM-1 Warfighting. Some reports say that in the schools of Quantico today, Majors are taught more international relations and other secondary subjects instead of focusing again and again on maneuver warfare.
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That is not what Marine Majors should be studying. Marine Majors should be studying the power and flexibility of a combined arms force employing the principles of maneuver warfare. As General Gray said,
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You will notice that this book does not contain specific techniques
and procedures for conduct. Rather, it provides broad guidance in the
form of concepts and values. It requires judgment in application.
I expect every officer to read and reread this book, understand it, and
take its message to heart. The thoughts contained here represent not
just guidance for actions in combat, but a way of thinking in general.
This manual thus describes a philosophy for action which, in war and in
peace, in the field and in the rear, dictates our approach to duty.
-- General A.M. Gray, Foreword, FMF-1 Warfighting
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Are the Marine Majors of today studying and growing? Are they standing up and asking the questions that need to be asked? Recently, some senior Marine leaders came to Quantico to brief the Majors in school there on the latest developments with Force Design. As is often the case, the briefing provided few answers to pressing issues regarding air, infantry, armor, and logistics.
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Finally, one Major stood up and asked about armor. He asked, in effect, if the Marine Corps is going to get Army tanks when they need them in the future, has there been any exercises so far when Army tank units were attached to Marine units? The senior leaders conferred and admitted Army tanks had not been assigned to Marine units but, they quickly added, it was likely at some time recently some Army tanks were in the vicinity of Marines.
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The Marine Major who stood up and asked the hard question is just one example of the magnificent Marine Majors who are standing up and asking questions all across the Marine Corps today. These are the Majors who will lead Marines to victory in the future. Eisenhower was a Major for 16 years. He spent those long years, "learning, growing, questioning, and preparing for the unknown challenges ahead." On June 6, 1936, Eisenhower was still a Major. Just eight years later, on June 6, 1944, when the allies stormed ashore at Normandy to retake the continent of Europe, Eisenhower was a 5 star General.
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The US Marine Corps today has roughly 3,000 Majors on active duty. Compass Points salutes the Marine Major at Quantico who stood up and asked the hard question and salutes all the magnificent Marine Majors who are learning, growing, questioning, and preparing today so they will be ready for the unknown challenges ahead. Leadership is crucial in the Marine Corps. Throughout the storied history of the Marine Corps, it has always been Marines led by fellow Marines of every rank who have brought honor and renown to the Corps. The leaders of tomorrow will do the same.
Two ranks in the Corps wear gold on their collar. Second Lieutenant’s and Major’s. Both are at the beginning phase of a specific point in their careers. Assume for a moment that the difference in the two staring points is experience aka time and grade, both ought to enjoy a period of learning that will enhance their competence as they progress. A Second Lieutenant progresses to Captain, rifle platoon, weapons platoon, command of a company as example of a company grade route to Major. The Majors have learned the basics of the war fighting craft and are learning how to pull all the threads together and prepare for battalion and further regimental command. This current commandant is a jerk. Statements like “being a Marine is bonus enough” and if he said it “I am paying your tuition so support my policies”. The blind arrogance of this general officer is stunning. His predecessor equally bad. One can only hope the Majors in that room walked out of that class with their intellectual curiosity intact, so they could use their own brains to think through complex issues that might be set before them in whatever command they go to next. General Berger and General Smith in the world of the public equity markets as CEO’s would last about a year. The stock price would plummet, the investors voting with their feet. Their company bought by a competitor at bargain basement prices. They are attempting the same thing here with the Corps and FD2030. They think they have a captive audience, you will do it because I said so and pay your salary. Really General Smith? Silly me, I thought the the American taxpayer paid your salary and all the others in the Federal government. When did the USMC IPO get launched and who were the lead banks. One can imagine the knee slapping laughter from the I Bankers as General Smith and his public offering pitch book trundled out of their conference room. “Sure Buddy we love the FD2030 idea! Come back when you have the first one built.” “What’s that, you don’t have the first one built, but you sold all the parts of the current enterprise to pay for the first one you are going to build?” Wow, Harvard Business School has new case study! Let’s hope that there are many majors out there asking some hard questions of their leadership and can help shape a Corps that can meet forward missions with a revitalized MAGTFT structure in place.
And a few wise-cracking, over confident captains are also important … provided that when they make major, he have learned that good looks and bad jokes do not make for a successful and professional career. :)