Even to a Corporal , the Force Design 2030 didn’t look like a good idea. Clearheaded thinking should have stopped the disestablishment of our armor and artillery units and the weakening of our air support. Putting isolated and basically unsupported Marine units on supposedly uninhabited islands off of China’s coast was not great thinking as there are people living there that have cell phones. We would also be a one horse show without the capability to take care of other trouble spots, both for helping in emergency's and in combat situations. If I can see the shortcomings of Force Design 2030, I am amazed that it has gotten as far as it has.
Not to be impertinent, but might we add that there is a fifth and perhaps silent pillar, it is inherent in all Marines, but exemplified by the leadership of Generals Krulak, Zinni, Van Riper and McAbee, they don’t need this fight, (America doesn’t need a Marine Corps) but they have taken this fight on (along with several other General Officers and retired CMC’s) because America wants a Marine Corps, and America wants the best of the best of the best with no compromise. It would very understandable if they looked across their decades of service LEADING Marines, getting shot at, getting wounded, writing letters of condolences to the families of lost Marines, being so damn creative and changing the Corps for that better, that is is embarrassing to have to ask them back. But here they are, and that fifth silent pillar is imbued in all of us. It is this elusive element called Ethos and they can take our ships, our armor, artillery pieces, our engineers and swaths of the Wing, but they can’t take our Ethos. It’s why so many are lining behind them, ready to go. They just need to say which way and point. It is also why some in their “Managerial” roles at the top of government and sadly in the Marine Corps are so angry and frankly scared. They know the generals are right, they screwed up top to bottom and now see it going pear shaped and don’t have the intelligence, or Ethos to first apologize and second get on board and fix the mess they made; in any other time and place they would be forcefully retired. Well, guess what, no one here is going peaceably into that good night, not without a fight. So thank you four men, our generals, for kicking ass and taking names, we are right here with you. This is a Gung ho moment, all in.
“Working Together” w Chowder II we are making a difference. It is every American Citizen’s Duty to learn about and understand why we have a Constitutional Republic, what it includes especially the Bill of Rights. Sadly millions of Americans are ignorant of Our Unique and Precious Freedoms. Marines swore a life long oath to protect and defend the Constitution against all “enemies foreign and domestic” . MCCP knows that for Our Corps to continue to Make Marines and Win Battles we must take action to influence the politicians that serve us to get the Corps back on track. War is consuming the World, the Eagle, Globe and Anchor must return to the Global, Scaleable, Agile, Potent Force ready for any type conflict across the spectrum of conflict. This is the USMC’s Mission codified in Law. We cannot fail in this quest. Our existence and the existence of future generations of Americans depends upon it. We are not a One Trick Pony!
Today’s featured article can be seen as the “world class curricula” that could give the Nation the Marine Corps it needs. That said, serious shortfalls remain: Who will be the leaders (faculty) guiding/mentoring the staff (students) through Vision 2035? Will they be truly “world class” (see above), or will the Marine Corps have only the FD-indoctrinated officers and contractors working through Vision 2035?
Might we apply a version of Gary Anderson’s proposal to selecting the Officers to work through Vision 2035?
Challenge the contenders to design a game. Over many years of designing games, it became increasingly clear to me that the designers of games learn much more than the players of games. Designers choose what aspects of reality to represent in the game.
Watching someone design a “game” (thought exercise) can provide significant insights into how much of reality they see and how they value certain elements of reality.
Example: If a David Berger designed a game about PRC and included only the eastern coast of China, Taiwan, and the First island Chain as his map board, then all would see how narrow and parochial his thinking was. Moreover, it would show that despite tons of rhetoric, he did not “see” PRC as a “peer competitor” or a global power.
A better player might include Gwadar, east Africa, Aleutians, and even the west coast of US.
An even better player might include Polar Silk Road, Cuba, and so on.
Just as this simple example of what to include on the map provides significant insights into the breath of an Officer’s vision so too with time frames. An FD-indoctrinated contractor might reveal not just the narrowness of his thinking but also that he was quite short-sighted and incapable of thinking in time, e.g., the rapidly approaching obsolescence of some missiles, or PRC’s increasing use of “muscle” in gray zone operations to achieve strategic objectives.
Moreover, consider that decades of “dominance” have ill-prepared the Officer Corps for planning and executing successful operations in an era when all will have to fight just to gain temporary local superiority. Rather than “quit thinking, divest, and retreat to small,, single-purpose, defensive operations, truly “world class” officers would work to build offensive capabilities into their game design AND they would develop timing mechanisms for their games. In martial arts the difference between white and black belts is not so much the moves as it is timing and power. In football the difference between an interception and a completed touchdown pass is split seconds.
Many games do not support the importance of timing in combined arms: The challenge of gaining temporary superiority in a particular domain, e.g., air or EW, or even in multiple domains --- generally in order to move and to maneuver.
Skilled war fighters will work hard to get some sense of combined arms TIMING built into their games, especially with respect to battle damage assessment and maneuver. They are the “world class” officers needed to bring Vision 2035 to reality.
In reading your response and thoughts, one is reminded of the game of Risk, which was a big rainy day game played as teenagers decades ago. One wonders if the game was around for General Berger. It was a clever game requiring imagination, forethought, luck, and yes, the roll of the dice, literally. But, you bring up some even more important points, FD2030 lacked reality in the area of logistics, (we just magically materialize what is needed and have appropriate logistical reserves, which we bring forward uncontested) FD2030 lacked imagination. It lacked consequences, it wasn’t based in fact, and wasn’t tested..When one thinks of the best exercise they participated in, almost always the more realistic and interesting, the more, frankly spoken “fun” they got to take part in. What you have pointed out with a red laser pointer is the proponents of FD2030 are sadly rather dull people, they clearly lack imagination and ergo intellectual curiosity. Worse when confronted with simple basic inquiry about “how does this all work?” the answer back has been shut up and do as you’re told, and that’s an order. John Watkins mentioned “even a Corporal” could see the flaws in the whole FD2030 scheme. Well, we all know, thank God for Corporals, and of course they see it, because they are going to have to execute the orders and when it goes upside down, figure out, on the run, how to make it work. If the enlisted Marines and company grade officers can’t understand it, than it is too hard and too complicated. If too complicated, than it’s defeat in detail.
More to the point, many of the senior officers now at the top of the command chain have these very full educational pedigrees, and joint service ribbons (thank you Goldwater Nichols?? Has that helped anything?) liaison duties, etc., etc, and yet with all that pedigree, they are dumb. Not in the IQ way intelligence is measured, but lacking any imagination. Think about coming up with the Crucible for recruit training. Then convincing the Marine Corps, “yes sir this good me and good for you!” May “The Quigley” and Crucible live forever. But that took imagination!
For sure as the senior field grade officers are vetted for higher command any thing that is accretive to evaluation ought to be on the table. A month of intensive review and stress for that level sounds good. An advanced OCS! Maybe with a slightly less fulsome harassment package. What should not be on the table is who they know in the inner circles of Congress, the puzzle palace and State Department.
Best not to forget as the fight goes on, gallows humor, and pathological optimism reign supreme.
The model for this elite GO Corps could take lessons from Israel. How are their leaders selected? Not by racial or gender quotas but by merit. We are witnessing a small nation fight a 7 front war. Israel has been in constant combat for 75 years. It is surrounded by hundreds of millions Islamic Nazis, this time led by Iran,who have one goal the total elimination of Israel. The IDF has the means from rifles to nuclear missiles and the leadership to maintain its survival. It is not perfect but it has overcome the equivalent of 40,000 massacred in this latest chapter of its survival.
The Marine Corps simply must be a force in readiness able to respond globally in appropriate mission task organized units from a MEU to multiple MEFs.
In some cases it must be held ready to strike as the situation dictates. In the case of conflict with China Marines afloat or ready to deploy by multiple other means present a serious dilemma for China from N. Japan to Indonesia. The CINC would have many ways to use the Corps’ versatility and hitting power at the right time and right place. The Corps as envisioned in FD20XX gives away this tremendous versatility for a narrowly focused mission that might not be needed and most question if it could even be successful under ideal circumstances. If I were the Chinese military leadership a Marine Corps as envisioned by FD-20XX would not worry me. Marines able to strike from N Japan to Indonesia would keep me awake at night. I am sure our Pacific allies would prefer the later also.
Thanks Randy. The task organized MAGTF that can deploy globally is unique to the US Marines. Not only that, but the Corps can deploy those forces to different places at the same time. We should keep that in mind when N Korea attacks South Korea at the same time China attacks Taiwan, threatens Pacific Ocean Choke Points , while Iran threatens Hormuz and Russia threatens Norway. Who would give that capability away?
Saved alibi round for a fifth pillar: "USMC, as the singular inherently Joint Service, provides the seed Task Force around which follow on Joint Forces are formed.". The NDS 2018 had the following guidance, and I've always wondered why the USMC of 2019-2020 did not lean into this more since it was tailor made for the robust modern MAGTF:
"...Develop a lethal, agile, and resilient force posture and employment. Force posture and employment must be adaptable to account for the uncertainty that exists in the changing global strategic environment. Much of our force employment models and posture date to the immediate post-Cold War era, when our military advantage was unchallenged and the primary threats were rogue regimes.
Dynamic Force Employment. Dynamic Force Employment will prioritize maintaining the capacity and capabilities for major combat, while providing options for proactive and scalable employment of the Joint Force. A modernized Global Operating Model of combat-credible, flexible theater postures will enhance our ability to compete and provide freedom of maneuver during conflict, providing national decision-makers with better military options.
The global strategic environment demands increased strategic flexibility and freedom of action. The Dynamic Force Employment concept will change the way the Department uses the Joint Force to provide proactive and scalable options for priority missions. Dynamic Force Employment will more flexibly use ready forces to shape proactively the strategic environment while maintaining readiness to respond to contingencies and ensure long-term warfighting readiness.
Global Operating Model. The Global Operating Model describes how the Joint Force will be postured and employed to achieve its competition and wartime missions. Foundational capabilities include: nuclear; cyber; space; C4ISR; strategic mobility, and counter WMD proliferation. It comprises four layers: contact, blunt, surge, and homeland. These are, respectively, designed to help us compete more effectively below the level of armed conflict; delay, degrade, or deny adversary aggression; surge war-winning forces and manage conflict escalation; and defend the U.S. homeland." -NDS 2018 https://dod.defense.gov/Portals/1/Documents/pubs/2018-National-Defense-Strategy-Summary.pdf)
It still makes sense as a unique mission to the capability set of the modern USMC.
Easy to answer Travis, Force Design 2030. I would have thought you read it by now. Some folks claim that the former commandant had to divest to invest based on the National Defense Strategy. Not true. The former Marine who signed that strategy told me he never envisioned the Corps would do what it has done. I'm ready for more questions.
In reference to requirement II sustainability on the battlefield after the first 90 days must be properly budgeted for in the 5 year budget plan. Once the USMC is ashore they end up staying through the entire conflict. This has always been in our combat history a problem. I am familiar with the Air side of the issue being Navy funded (blue money). If the Navy gets a funding cut they don’t split the cut equally. Of a 100% cut the Navy takes 80% of the funding and gives the Marines 20% instead of 50%. At least the Marine funding (red money) is controlled by the Marines. Again we need to insure out year funding is there to support the troops over the long haul.
Even to a Corporal , the Force Design 2030 didn’t look like a good idea. Clearheaded thinking should have stopped the disestablishment of our armor and artillery units and the weakening of our air support. Putting isolated and basically unsupported Marine units on supposedly uninhabited islands off of China’s coast was not great thinking as there are people living there that have cell phones. We would also be a one horse show without the capability to take care of other trouble spots, both for helping in emergency's and in combat situations. If I can see the shortcomings of Force Design 2030, I am amazed that it has gotten as far as it has.
Not to be impertinent, but might we add that there is a fifth and perhaps silent pillar, it is inherent in all Marines, but exemplified by the leadership of Generals Krulak, Zinni, Van Riper and McAbee, they don’t need this fight, (America doesn’t need a Marine Corps) but they have taken this fight on (along with several other General Officers and retired CMC’s) because America wants a Marine Corps, and America wants the best of the best of the best with no compromise. It would very understandable if they looked across their decades of service LEADING Marines, getting shot at, getting wounded, writing letters of condolences to the families of lost Marines, being so damn creative and changing the Corps for that better, that is is embarrassing to have to ask them back. But here they are, and that fifth silent pillar is imbued in all of us. It is this elusive element called Ethos and they can take our ships, our armor, artillery pieces, our engineers and swaths of the Wing, but they can’t take our Ethos. It’s why so many are lining behind them, ready to go. They just need to say which way and point. It is also why some in their “Managerial” roles at the top of government and sadly in the Marine Corps are so angry and frankly scared. They know the generals are right, they screwed up top to bottom and now see it going pear shaped and don’t have the intelligence, or Ethos to first apologize and second get on board and fix the mess they made; in any other time and place they would be forcefully retired. Well, guess what, no one here is going peaceably into that good night, not without a fight. So thank you four men, our generals, for kicking ass and taking names, we are right here with you. This is a Gung ho moment, all in.
“Working Together” w Chowder II we are making a difference. It is every American Citizen’s Duty to learn about and understand why we have a Constitutional Republic, what it includes especially the Bill of Rights. Sadly millions of Americans are ignorant of Our Unique and Precious Freedoms. Marines swore a life long oath to protect and defend the Constitution against all “enemies foreign and domestic” . MCCP knows that for Our Corps to continue to Make Marines and Win Battles we must take action to influence the politicians that serve us to get the Corps back on track. War is consuming the World, the Eagle, Globe and Anchor must return to the Global, Scaleable, Agile, Potent Force ready for any type conflict across the spectrum of conflict. This is the USMC’s Mission codified in Law. We cannot fail in this quest. Our existence and the existence of future generations of Americans depends upon it. We are not a One Trick Pony!
General Charles Wilhelm chaired the USMC Officer PME 2006 Study and Findings: https://www.usmcu.edu/Portals/218/PME%20Info/U.S.%20Marine%20Corps%20Officer%20Professional%20Military%20Education%202006%20Study%20and%20Findings%20(Wilhelm%20Study).pdf?ver=2018-10-02-102721-700. From the cover letter: “a truly world class Professional Military Education program must have a number of attributes. Foremost among these are a world class faculty, world class students, world class curricula, and world class facilities.”
Colonel Gary Anderson recently proposed that those Officers aspiring to General Officer undergo a month of intensive command screening that included playing war games: https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2024/06/12/selecting_generals_and_admirals_who_can_fight_and_stay_out_of_jail_1037579.html.
Today’s featured article can be seen as the “world class curricula” that could give the Nation the Marine Corps it needs. That said, serious shortfalls remain: Who will be the leaders (faculty) guiding/mentoring the staff (students) through Vision 2035? Will they be truly “world class” (see above), or will the Marine Corps have only the FD-indoctrinated officers and contractors working through Vision 2035?
Might we apply a version of Gary Anderson’s proposal to selecting the Officers to work through Vision 2035?
Challenge the contenders to design a game. Over many years of designing games, it became increasingly clear to me that the designers of games learn much more than the players of games. Designers choose what aspects of reality to represent in the game.
Watching someone design a “game” (thought exercise) can provide significant insights into how much of reality they see and how they value certain elements of reality.
Example: If a David Berger designed a game about PRC and included only the eastern coast of China, Taiwan, and the First island Chain as his map board, then all would see how narrow and parochial his thinking was. Moreover, it would show that despite tons of rhetoric, he did not “see” PRC as a “peer competitor” or a global power.
A better player might include Gwadar, east Africa, Aleutians, and even the west coast of US.
An even better player might include Polar Silk Road, Cuba, and so on.
Just as this simple example of what to include on the map provides significant insights into the breath of an Officer’s vision so too with time frames. An FD-indoctrinated contractor might reveal not just the narrowness of his thinking but also that he was quite short-sighted and incapable of thinking in time, e.g., the rapidly approaching obsolescence of some missiles, or PRC’s increasing use of “muscle” in gray zone operations to achieve strategic objectives.
Moreover, consider that decades of “dominance” have ill-prepared the Officer Corps for planning and executing successful operations in an era when all will have to fight just to gain temporary local superiority. Rather than “quit thinking, divest, and retreat to small,, single-purpose, defensive operations, truly “world class” officers would work to build offensive capabilities into their game design AND they would develop timing mechanisms for their games. In martial arts the difference between white and black belts is not so much the moves as it is timing and power. In football the difference between an interception and a completed touchdown pass is split seconds.
Many games do not support the importance of timing in combined arms: The challenge of gaining temporary superiority in a particular domain, e.g., air or EW, or even in multiple domains --- generally in order to move and to maneuver.
Skilled war fighters will work hard to get some sense of combined arms TIMING built into their games, especially with respect to battle damage assessment and maneuver. They are the “world class” officers needed to bring Vision 2035 to reality.
In reading your response and thoughts, one is reminded of the game of Risk, which was a big rainy day game played as teenagers decades ago. One wonders if the game was around for General Berger. It was a clever game requiring imagination, forethought, luck, and yes, the roll of the dice, literally. But, you bring up some even more important points, FD2030 lacked reality in the area of logistics, (we just magically materialize what is needed and have appropriate logistical reserves, which we bring forward uncontested) FD2030 lacked imagination. It lacked consequences, it wasn’t based in fact, and wasn’t tested..When one thinks of the best exercise they participated in, almost always the more realistic and interesting, the more, frankly spoken “fun” they got to take part in. What you have pointed out with a red laser pointer is the proponents of FD2030 are sadly rather dull people, they clearly lack imagination and ergo intellectual curiosity. Worse when confronted with simple basic inquiry about “how does this all work?” the answer back has been shut up and do as you’re told, and that’s an order. John Watkins mentioned “even a Corporal” could see the flaws in the whole FD2030 scheme. Well, we all know, thank God for Corporals, and of course they see it, because they are going to have to execute the orders and when it goes upside down, figure out, on the run, how to make it work. If the enlisted Marines and company grade officers can’t understand it, than it is too hard and too complicated. If too complicated, than it’s defeat in detail.
More to the point, many of the senior officers now at the top of the command chain have these very full educational pedigrees, and joint service ribbons (thank you Goldwater Nichols?? Has that helped anything?) liaison duties, etc., etc, and yet with all that pedigree, they are dumb. Not in the IQ way intelligence is measured, but lacking any imagination. Think about coming up with the Crucible for recruit training. Then convincing the Marine Corps, “yes sir this good me and good for you!” May “The Quigley” and Crucible live forever. But that took imagination!
For sure as the senior field grade officers are vetted for higher command any thing that is accretive to evaluation ought to be on the table. A month of intensive review and stress for that level sounds good. An advanced OCS! Maybe with a slightly less fulsome harassment package. What should not be on the table is who they know in the inner circles of Congress, the puzzle palace and State Department.
Best not to forget as the fight goes on, gallows humor, and pathological optimism reign supreme.
The model for this elite GO Corps could take lessons from Israel. How are their leaders selected? Not by racial or gender quotas but by merit. We are witnessing a small nation fight a 7 front war. Israel has been in constant combat for 75 years. It is surrounded by hundreds of millions Islamic Nazis, this time led by Iran,who have one goal the total elimination of Israel. The IDF has the means from rifles to nuclear missiles and the leadership to maintain its survival. It is not perfect but it has overcome the equivalent of 40,000 massacred in this latest chapter of its survival.
The Marine Corps simply must be a force in readiness able to respond globally in appropriate mission task organized units from a MEU to multiple MEFs.
In some cases it must be held ready to strike as the situation dictates. In the case of conflict with China Marines afloat or ready to deploy by multiple other means present a serious dilemma for China from N. Japan to Indonesia. The CINC would have many ways to use the Corps’ versatility and hitting power at the right time and right place. The Corps as envisioned in FD20XX gives away this tremendous versatility for a narrowly focused mission that might not be needed and most question if it could even be successful under ideal circumstances. If I were the Chinese military leadership a Marine Corps as envisioned by FD-20XX would not worry me. Marines able to strike from N Japan to Indonesia would keep me awake at night. I am sure our Pacific allies would prefer the later also.
Sir, your first paragraph sums up the mission of the Marine Corps perfectly: a force in readiness, able to respond globally....
Thanks Randy. The task organized MAGTF that can deploy globally is unique to the US Marines. Not only that, but the Corps can deploy those forces to different places at the same time. We should keep that in mind when N Korea attacks South Korea at the same time China attacks Taiwan, threatens Pacific Ocean Choke Points , while Iran threatens Hormuz and Russia threatens Norway. Who would give that capability away?
Saved alibi round for a fifth pillar: "USMC, as the singular inherently Joint Service, provides the seed Task Force around which follow on Joint Forces are formed.". The NDS 2018 had the following guidance, and I've always wondered why the USMC of 2019-2020 did not lean into this more since it was tailor made for the robust modern MAGTF:
"...Develop a lethal, agile, and resilient force posture and employment. Force posture and employment must be adaptable to account for the uncertainty that exists in the changing global strategic environment. Much of our force employment models and posture date to the immediate post-Cold War era, when our military advantage was unchallenged and the primary threats were rogue regimes.
Dynamic Force Employment. Dynamic Force Employment will prioritize maintaining the capacity and capabilities for major combat, while providing options for proactive and scalable employment of the Joint Force. A modernized Global Operating Model of combat-credible, flexible theater postures will enhance our ability to compete and provide freedom of maneuver during conflict, providing national decision-makers with better military options.
The global strategic environment demands increased strategic flexibility and freedom of action. The Dynamic Force Employment concept will change the way the Department uses the Joint Force to provide proactive and scalable options for priority missions. Dynamic Force Employment will more flexibly use ready forces to shape proactively the strategic environment while maintaining readiness to respond to contingencies and ensure long-term warfighting readiness.
Global Operating Model. The Global Operating Model describes how the Joint Force will be postured and employed to achieve its competition and wartime missions. Foundational capabilities include: nuclear; cyber; space; C4ISR; strategic mobility, and counter WMD proliferation. It comprises four layers: contact, blunt, surge, and homeland. These are, respectively, designed to help us compete more effectively below the level of armed conflict; delay, degrade, or deny adversary aggression; surge war-winning forces and manage conflict escalation; and defend the U.S. homeland." -NDS 2018 https://dod.defense.gov/Portals/1/Documents/pubs/2018-National-Defense-Strategy-Summary.pdf)
It still makes sense as a unique mission to the capability set of the modern USMC.
What source was the below taken from?
“1. Precision munitions require the Marine Corps to become a defensive force.
2. The threat from China requires the Marine Corps to become a narrow, regional force.
3. The Marine Corps no longer needs to be a fully equipped and capable combined arms force.”
Easy to answer Travis, Force Design 2030. I would have thought you read it by now. Some folks claim that the former commandant had to divest to invest based on the National Defense Strategy. Not true. The former Marine who signed that strategy told me he never envisioned the Corps would do what it has done. I'm ready for more questions.
With all my heart, please let’s connect over a phone call tomorrow- my email is Travis.l.hord@gmail.com
-standing by
In reference to requirement II sustainability on the battlefield after the first 90 days must be properly budgeted for in the 5 year budget plan. Once the USMC is ashore they end up staying through the entire conflict. This has always been in our combat history a problem. I am familiar with the Air side of the issue being Navy funded (blue money). If the Navy gets a funding cut they don’t split the cut equally. Of a 100% cut the Navy takes 80% of the funding and gives the Marines 20% instead of 50%. At least the Marine funding (red money) is controlled by the Marines. Again we need to insure out year funding is there to support the troops over the long haul.