Vision 2035
Global Response in the Age of Precision Munitions
National Interest - December 12, 13, & 14, 2022
Introductions and Excerpts:
I. December 12, 2022
-- Compass Points Introduction
-- National Interest Article Excerpt
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II. December 13, 2022
-- Compass Points Introduction
-- National Interest Article Excerpt
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III. December 14, 2022
-- Compass Points Introduction
-- National Interest Article Excerpt
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December 12, 2022
Compass Points – A Dunkirk Moment
Ordinary Citizens Must Come to the Rescue
In May and June of 1940, the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) was stranded on the coast of France at Dunkirk. With the German army advancing and the English Channel to their backs, the BEF was in danger of being destroyed. The BEF could not save itself. The Royal Navy could not come to the rescue. It seemed there was no way out. Yet, more than 300,000 BEF soldiers were rescued. How?
It took citizen action. It took massive citizen action. Ordinary citizens climbed into their own boats and came to the rescue. They formed a citizen flotilla that steamed across the English Channel to Dunkirk. Ordinary citizens saved the stranded BEF. Without citizen action, all would have been lost.
Today, the National Interest is publishing the first of three articles outlining Vision 2035, a better way forward for the Marine Corp.
Vision 2035
Global Response in the Age of Precision Munitions
Vision 2035 is not intended as the end of the discussion of a better way forward for the Marine Corps. It is the beginning of a discussion. But it is a discussion the Marine Corps and the Nation must have. The Marine Corps is too important to national security to remain on the path it is on now.
The Marine Corps is stranded along the island chain, trapped in a concept that has stripped away critical capabilities. The Marine Corps cannot rescue itself. The Navy is not coming to the rescue. There is only one solution to rescuing the Marine Corps and making sure it remains strong today and stronger tomorrow.
The solution? Citizen action. Ordinary citizens, leaders of Marines, and friends of the Corps, must come to the rescue.
When you read the articles about Vision 2035, you are coming to the rescue.
When you participate in the discussion on Compass Points, in the National Interest, and elsewhere, you are coming to the rescue.
When you write letters to editors, you are coming to the rescue.
When you contact your elected representatives, you are coming to the rescue.
We cannot leave Marines stranded. Stand up, speak up, and take citizen action today, so we still have a stronger Marine Corps tomorrow.
National Interest (nationalinterest.org) December 12, 2022
Former Marine Generals: ‘Our Concerns with Force Design 2030’
We believe the path currently charted by the Marine Corps poses a significant risk to national security.
By John J. Sheehan and James Amos
. . . What, exactly, are our concerns? They fall into five categories: (1) The myopic focus on one enemy in one geographical region employing one method with a defensive orientation; (2) The devastating reduction of operational capabilities for global response; (3) The loss of currently needed capabilities for two to seven or more years and the associated risk these reductions pose to national security, all incurred with the “divest to invest” approach to modernization; (4) The unusual way in which force structure decisions were made outside of the highly regarded combat development process; and (5) The adoption of personnel plans that are likely to destroy the culture and ethos of the Corps, attributes that have enabled Marines to fight and win some of the nation’s most difficult battles. . . .
General John J. Sheehan USMC (Ret) is a career infantry officer. His last assignment was Commander, United States Atlantic Command/Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic.
General James Amos USMC (Ret) is a career aviation officer. His last assignment was Commandant of the Marine Corps.
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December 13, 2022
Compass Points – Understand the Challenge
Understanding the Problem First, Leads to Better Solutions
The Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union lasted nearly half a century from 1945 to 1991. During all those decades, Soviet tanks never flooded the Fulda Gap and Soviet ICBM’s never launched. The military forces of the United States, primarily Air Force long range bombers, Army tanks, and Navy surface and sub-surface ships, held the Soviets in check. While the hot war with the Soviets never happened, crisis and conflict around the globe was constant and Marines responded to each one.
In the current contest with China, now and in the near future, the question once again is what forces will hold China in check and what forces will respond to constant crisis and conflict in the Pacific and around the globe?
In the second of the three articles in the National Interest introducing Vision 2035, author and Marine, John Schmitt, argues that any response to China must begin with a proper understanding of the problem. First understand the challenge, then craft a better response.
Vision 2035 is not intended as the end of the discussion of a better way forward for the Marine Corps. It is the beginning of a discussion. But it is a discussion the Marine Corps and the Nation must have. The Marine Corps is too important to national security to remain on the path it is on now.
National Interest (nationalinterest.org) December 13, 2022
Force Design 2030 Is Trying to Solve the Wrong Problem
The most valuable contribution the Marine Corps could make in preparing for future conflict is to focus its force design efforts on preserving or restoring the ability to maneuver in the age of precision weapons rather than on developing capabilities that are already core competencies of other services.
By John F. Schmitt
. . . We began by making the point that to devise an effective solution to a problem, you need to get the problem right because the way you frame the problem informs how you solve it. We have argued that Force Design 2030 frames the future operational problem in a way that will lead to a less versatile, less effective Marine Corps. We have proposed an alternative problem framing—preserving or restoring the ability to maneuver in an age of precision weapons—which we believe is both consistent with traditional Marine Corps roles and missions and responsive to the emerging security environment. Solving that problem will lead to a very different force design. Part III of this series, “Vision 2035: Global Response in the Age of Precision Munitions,” describes a vision of what that force would be . . . .
John F. Schmitt is a former Marine infantry officer and author of the Marine Corps’ capstone doctrinal manual, Warfighting
https://nationalinterest.org/feature/force-design-2030-trying-solve-wrong-problem-205991
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December 14, 2022
Vision 2035 – A Better Way Forward
Time to put the Combat Development Process to Work
In their article in the National Interest, Generals Krulak and Zinni outline Vision 2035, a better way forward for the Marine Corps. They provide a vision, the start of a discussion about the future of the Marine Corps. Vision 2035 proposes a broadly capable force that can quickly arrive worldwide at a conflict or crisis and take offensive action immediately.
Vision 2035 is the first step in a proven process - - the Marine Corps Combat Development Process - - that will lead to the development of validated capabilities and requirements for global response in the age of precision munitions.
Vision 2035 does not assume to know the capabilities and requirements needed to confront the threats of an increasingly uncertain world. Rather, it is the first step in a process that will lead to an operating concept or concepts that will spawn the development of the necessary doctrine, force structure, training and education, equipment, facilities, and support to ensure the Marine Corps remains the Nation’s premier 9-1-1 force.
The key to a better way forward for the Marine Corps is the Combat Development Process. By skipping large portions of the process, Force Design 2030 missed the opportunity to develop into a mature and useful concept. For example, the Combat Development Process would have exposed the logistics problems in Force Design 2030. Instead, it was long after the ‘divest to invest’ approach was underway before the logistics problems were widely evaluated. Now, Force Design 2030 must find logistics solutions to the Stand-in-Forces, solutions that should have been developed much earlier.
The Combat Development Process is critical. It begins with a scenario, a vision of how the future might look, then proceeds to a concept or multiple concepts. The initial concepts lead to gap analysis, experimentation, and then the requirements that build a new force design. The future capabilities of a stronger Marine Corps are a product of the rigor of the Combat Development Process. There is no substitute or shortcut.
It is past time for the Marine Corps to develop a mature operating concept, one tested and vetted through the Combat Development Process, that responds with a maneuver based solution to the challenges of the future. Vision 2035 is the start of that discussion. We invite our readers to help us begin the process by providing comments and recommendations about Vision 2035. Broad input can lead to revisions, which in turn will result in a better vision.
National Interest (nationalinterest.org) December 14, 2022
Vision 2035: Global Response in the Age of Precision Munitions
Unlike Force Design 2030, Vision 2035 is a roadmap for a better way forward for the U.S. Marine Corps.
By Charles Krulak and Anthony Zinni
. . . Retain Our Offensive Orientation. Maneuver warfare will remain our doctrinal approach to warfighting, whether sea-based or ashore. While continuing to embrace the three main elements of combat power—maneuver, fires (lethal and nonlethal) and information—we will continue to focus on maneuver, enabled by combined fires and information, as the dominant regime on the battlefield. Marine forces will continue to be defined as balanced air-ground-logistics task forces with appropriately sized command elements, specializing in combined arms and maneuver warfare to retain the initiative and defeat our adversaries with minimal casualties to ourselves. Our focus is on the “single battle,” an integrated deep, close, and rear fight in which each phase complements and supports the other. A balanced MAGTF must possess the capabilities (especially long-range precision fires) to shape the deep battle and the robust indirect fires needed to win the close and rear fight. Tactical aviation, rockets, and missiles are essential for shaping. Marine infantry, properly supported by fires—especially close air support and cannon artillery fires—and information, are dominant in the close and rear fight. Marine infantry is no less important today than in past wars and is an essential component for conducting decisive operations . . .
General Charles Krulak USMC (Ret) is a career infantry officer. His last assignment was as Commandant of the Marine Corps.
General Anthony Zinni USMC (Ret) is a career infantry officer. His last assignment was as Commander, United States Central Command.
https://nationalinterest.org/feature/vision-2035-global-response-age-precision-munitions-205995