SEAPOWER/Marine Corps

The Marine Corps continues to take justifiable pride in its reputation of being the finest fighting force in the world and America's 9-1-1 force. The Corps also has been, throughout much of its history, the most innovative and forward-thinking service. The amphibious doctrine and tactics that led to victory in World War II in the Pacific had their genesis in the classrooms of Quantico, Va., in the 1930s. In the 1940s the Marines perfected the close-air support capabilities that have become a cornerstone of Marine Corps operations ever since. The Marine Corps also blazed the trail, in the post-WWII era, in the use of helicopters to enhance battlefield mobility and in the overseas prepositioning of ships loaded with the supplies and equipment needed for a large-scale rapid-response capability in the "come as you are" wars of tomorrow.

Gen. James L. Jones Jr., the 32nd commandant, assumed the leadership of the Corps on 30 June 1999, succeeding Gen. Charles C. Krulak, whose programs endeavored to "steal a march" on the 21st century by "institutionalizing innovation." Krulak implemented initiatives to improve team integrity and unit cohesion. He established the Marine Corps Material Command and the Marine Corps War-fighting Laboratory, which is specifically responsible for "investigating new and potential technologies and evaluating their impact on how [the Marine Corps] organizes, equips, educates, and trains to fight in the future."

In the equipment area, the Marine Corps has told Congress it needs a minimum of $1.2 billion annually in "green" (Marine Corps) dollars for procurement--that funding is in addition to "blue" (Navy) dollars used for the acquisition of amphibious ships and landing craft. Whether the Marine Corps will receive all the funding it needs is debatable, though significant relief has come with the signing of the fiscal year 2000 defense budget. The Marine Corps continues to maintain excellent credibility with Congress, fortunately, and its record of frugality is unmatched by any of the other services. A few specifics:

The Marine Corps "consumes" only six percent of the overall Department of Defense budget, but provides 12 percent of the nation's active forces, 23 percent of the active ground-forces divisions, and 14 percent of the U.S. tactical aviation capability.

The Corps has, by far, the lowest officer-to-enlisted ratio of any of the nation's armed services--one officer to nine enlisted personnel. The ratios for the other services: Air Force, one-to-four; Army and Navy, one-to-five.

The Corps has an even leaner ratio in terms of civilian support personnel--one civilian employee per 10 Marines. The ratios for the Army, Navy, and Air Force all hover at about the one-to-two level--i.e., one civilian employee for every two active-duty personnel.

The Corps is reducing, or "necking down," the number of different types and models of aircraft that are needed to execute the still-evolving OMFTS (Operational Maneuver From the Sea) doctrine developed to complement the post-Cold War Navy/USMC "Forward ... From the Sea" strategy that shifted emphasis from blue water operations to near-shore or littoral missions.

Training has begun in the MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft, which is going through operational evaluation. The prototype of the Advanced Amphibious Assault Vehicle (AAAV) was delivered in 1999 and is going through initial testing. When they reach their initial operational capability, the MV-22B and the AAAV will, along with the Navy's LCAC (landing craft, air cushion), form the "mobility triad" that will enable the Corps to implement its OMFTS warfighting doctrine. Late in the next decade they will be joined by the STOVL (short takeoff/vertical landing) Joint Strike Fighter now being developed. Remanufacture of the AV-8B V/STOL attack aircraft continues, new KC-130J tanker/transports are being procured, and upgraded versions of light helicopters--the UH-1Y and AH-1Z--are being developed.

New weapons are being introduced to the Marine Corps' divisions. The Javelin anti-armor weapon entered the Corps' inventory in 1999 to begin replacing the Dragon missile. Development continues on the prototypes of the XM777 lightweight howitzer, which is programmed to replace the heavy M198.

The "individual Marine" always has been, and will continue to be, the Corps' most important combat weapon, though, and in the Corps' short- and long-term budget plans is not neglected in favor of high-cost platforms and advanced technologies. Individual warfighting equipment--from a new infantry combat boot to Gortex parkas, new combat tents, and modular body armor--soon will be standard issue for all Marines.

In the personnel area, the Marine Corps entered FY 2000 with 172,628 active-duty Marines--17,884 officers and 154,744 enlisted personnel. This was slightly under the force level of 174,000 established by the 1993 Department of Defense Bottom-up Review and subsequently approved by Congress. A force level of 172,800 active-duty Marines was established by the Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) in 1997 for fiscal years 1998­2003. The active-duty force level will stabilize at 172,570 Marines in FY 2000.

Of the Corps' active Marines, approximately 106,017 are assigned to the operating forces and another 4,198 serve in external security assignments. Approximately 32,000 are assigned to non-FMF units. Another 3,720 are assigned to various joint duties, and 30,000 are in the "trainees and transients" category. The end strength of the selected Marine Corps Reserve will drop to 39,966 in FY 2000.

The Corps continues to be the most youthful of the military services. It also has the highest percentage of enlisted personnel in the grades of E-3 and below--47.8 percent, compared to 26 percent for the Army, 25 percent for the Air Force, and 22 percent for the Navy. The average age of Marine privates through lance corporals is 20.7 years, and 95 percent of them are high school graduates. The Corps plans to recruit 31,337 men and 2,250 women for the active forces in FY 2000.

The Marine Corps' combat forces are organized into three Marine Exped-itionary Forces (MEFs), each totaling approximately 46,000 Marines and Sailors and composed of a Marine Division, a Marine Aircraft Wing, and a Force Service Support Group (see table page 188). Four Marine fighter-attack squadrons--which fly F/A-18 Hornet strike fighters--are permanently assigned to four Navy carrier air wings. Marine tactical electronic warfare squadrons--which fly EA-6B Prowlers--regularly deploy overseas to Japan, Italy, and Turkey in support of joint forces.

More than 1,100 Marines will continue to serve as security guards at approximately 140 U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide. The heroic performance of the MSG (Marine Security Guard) detachments assigned to the U.S. embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya, following the terrorist bombings in 1998 confirmed the value of a Marine Corps presence at the embassies--and led to State Department requests for the formation of 37 additional MSG detachments, requiring about 300 more Marines, to be phased in over the next five-to-six years.

The Corps' leaders have expressed continuing concern about the operational demands placed on Marine Corps personnel. On average, 26 percent of the Marine Corps is deployed at any given time, and Marines assigned to the operating forces spend about 41 percent of their time deployed. With myriad missions performed throughout 1999 and the additional requirements for Marines in support of operations in Kosovo and East Timor, the need for forward-deployed ARGs and carrier battle groups--on short tethers in the Mediterranean, Western Pacific, and Persian Gulf--seems likely to continue well into the 21st century.

Perhaps the Corps' proudest boast, though--particularly important in an era when forward-deployed Navy carrier battle groups and Navy/Marine Corps ARGs are, in many areas of the world, the only combat-ready U.S. forces on or near the scene of a crisis area overseas--are the flexibility, mobility, and versatility of both the legendary "individual Marine" and the Corps' highly trained MEU(SOCs)--Marine Expeditionary Units (Special Operations Capable).

The MEU(SOC)--pronounced "mew-sock"--is a relatively compact MAGTF (Marine air-ground task force) trained to carry out any of a long list of complex and highly demanding missions ranging from conventional amphibious operations to peacekeeping to the rescue of American citizens and other civilians endangered by civil insurrections. The typical MEU, commanded by a colonel, usually deploys with 15 days of supplies for sustained combat.

Examples of MEU(SOC) versatility include:

24th MEU(SOC)--After assisting displaced Kosovar refugees by erecting tent cities and distributing supplies in Macedonia in March 1999, Marines of the 24th MEU(SOC) reboarded the Tarawa-class amphibious assault ship USS Nassau and sailed to waters in the Adriatic to participate in air strikes against Serb forces in Kosovo in support of Operation Allied Force, NATO's air operation against Serbian forces in Albania and Yugoslavia.

26th MEU(SOC)--Upon relieving the 24th MEU(SOC), Marines of the 26th MEU joined NATO forces again. This time, elements of the MEU also developed refugee camps in Albania and later were used to patrol Kosovo as part of the enabling force that allowed implementation of the peace agreement brokered between the Serbs and the Kosovars in June 1999. The Marines were among the first U.S. troops on the ground after the bombing campaign had ended. Upon relief by follow-on forces of the U.S. Army, Marines reboarded the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge and provided timely humanitarian relief to Turkish citizens who were devastated by a powerful earthquake in August. Marines erected tent cities and shuttled supplies to those areas that were hardest hit.

31st MEU(SOC)--Marines aboard the Tarawa-class amphibious assault ship USS Belleau Wood were called to action in October 1999 to assist the U.S component of the international forces in East Timor in Operation Stabilise. Marine CH-53E heavy-lift helicopters flew 55 sorties and lifted more than one million tons of cargo in support of the Australian-led peacekeeping mission. On 26 October, the 31st MEU(SOC) was replaced by the 11th MEU(SOC) to continue the support.

In 1952, when the 82nd Congress was writing into law the Marine Corps' role in the national-security infrastructure, it had much more than cost-effectiveness in mind, of course. What Congress wanted--with the near disasters of the first years of the Korean War still fresh in mind--was to create a national "force in readiness." And it had the Marine Corps specifically in mind: "American history, recent as well as remote," the 82nd Congress said, "has fully demonstrated the vital need for the existence of a strong force in readiness. Such a force, versatile, fast-moving and hard-hitting ... can prevent the growth of potentially large conflagrations by prompt and vigorous action during their incipient stages. The nation's shock troops must be the most ready when the nation is least ready ... to provide a balanced force in readiness for a naval campaign and, at the same time, a ground and air striking force ready to suppress or contain international disturbances short of large-scale war."

Acting on that precept, Congress passed legislation to ensure "the maintenance of a Marine force in readiness for the purposes of: (1) conducting land operations essential to a naval campaign; (2) suppressing minor international disturbances; and (3) such other duties as the President may prescribe."

"The need for Marines as a ready force is paramount," the Congress also stated.

The continued emphasis on readiness that is the hallmark of today's Marine Corps--as Marines are quick to point out--is much more than just the law. It is the expectation of the American people. The Marine Corps is dedicated to meeting that expectation.