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gunnyg
11-18-02, 04:47 PM
"The Marine Corps Today"
by Dick G
Dick G (Login Dick Gaines)
Forum Owner

The November issue of Sea Power Magazine includes an extensive interview by the magazine's Senior Editor, Gordon I. Peterson. The feature is entitled "The Marine Corps Today" and includes important information about the state of our Corps and the direction we as Marines are taking to further our role as the Nation's premier expeditionary force in readiness. The article covers the following:

§ Pride in the Corps' leadership, the performance of Marines, and the strong relationship the Corps enjoys with our Navy brethren.

§ How the contributions of the Navy and Marine Corps to Operation Enduring Freedom demonstrate that the "amphibious" designation of the Marine Corps is no longer an accurate description of a 21st Century capability-rather, the Corps has evolved into a true expeditionary force immediately usable and sustainable upon arrival, and capable of operations over a great distance from a sea base.

§ The four distinct pillars to the Corps' ongoing transformation: operational concepts, technological innovation, institutional reforms, and reform of our acquisition and business models.

§ The Corps' accomplishment in establishing a closer relationship with U.S Special Operations Command and the integration of Naval aviation.

§ An articulation of the Corps' success in maintaining military preparedness, thanks to the Corps' view of readiness as a function of "the Marine, his rifle, and his family."

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The feature article is shown here in its entirety:
The Marine Corps Today

Immediate and Persistent Combat Power

Interview With Gen. James L. Jones, Commandant of the Marine Corps
Senior Editor Gordon I. Peterson interviewed General Jones for this issue of Sea Power.

Sea Power: General, your time as commandant of the Marine Corps [CMC] is fast drawing to a close. What thoughts cross your mind as you reflect on your tour?

JONES: The last three and one-half years have certainly been the most fulfilling experience in my professional life, and I am very proud of all of the many things that the Navy and Marine Corps team has been able to do. I also am very proud of what the Marine Corps has achieved. I said at the outset that I took a Marine Corps from our 31st commandant [retired Gen. Charles C. Krulak] that was in very good shape. My goal was to make it better. The guidance I gave to commanders emphasized that the responsibility of command is to leave the Corps at least slightly better than you found it so that your successor can go on to make it even better.

I did not have a grandiose vision, but I think it was a good one. I tried to capture my thoughts in my original Commandant's Guidance that was published the day after the change of command in July 1999.

What were the key areas of emphasis in your Guidance?
JONES: I wanted to highlight some of our values--the fact that readiness is important but it is not a function of just the individual Marine and his rifle anymore; it is the Marine, his rifle, and his family. The All Volunteer Force is a different animal than a conscripted force. There were things that we critically needed to do on our bases and stations to improve the quality of life and service of our Marines by providing modern barracks, family housing, and other facilities.

I also wanted to signal that there were some areas where we needed to rededicate ourselves to improving our warfighting capabilities, our contributions to homeland defense, and our relationship with the Navy.

The enduring partnership between the Navy and Marine Corps is one of the most important factors in our ability to achieve operational excellence and victory on the battlefield--our reason for being. My relationship with Jay Johnson [former Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jay L. Johnson] and Vern Clark [the current chief of naval operations, Adm. Vern Clark] was not only a strong personal relationship but it also allowed us to move our two forces into a position where we can honestly say that the 21st century's naval force will be something that will make the nation very proud.

The Navy-Marine Corps team was heavily committed to combat operations in Afghanistan during phase one of the war on terrorism. What impressed you most about the Marine Corps' warfighting performance?

JONES: The role of the Navy and Marine Corps during Operation Enduring Freedom was a demonstration of what is to come in the future. It is very exciting, because much of what we achieved was accomplished with legacy systems and platforms--especially older aircraft and helicopters. Operation Enduring Freedom was the most tangible demonstration to date of what we are talking about when we say farewell to the "amphibious" designation of Marine Corps capabilities in the 21st century and describe ourselves as a true expeditionary force.

Everything that the Navy and Marine Corps are doing is merging toward that concept--expeditionary forces projected over a great distance from a sea base. For the Navy and Marine Corps the definition of expeditionary means a couple of things. One, it means forces that are immediately usable upon arrival. Two, it also means having a degree of sustainability upon arrival. Immediate, persistent combat power and long-term supportability are characteristics of the Navy-Marine Corps team's flexibility that are almost unique among the armed forces of the world.

Sovereignty issues are going to dominate the 21st century in ways that we have never seen. It is going to be very difficult to negotiate access ashore or for airspace overland. Our maritime nation's history allows us to do 21st-century sea-basing missions in new and exciting ways. Forces that come from the sea will be exponentially more valuable than they have been at perhaps any time in our history.

What key lessons did the Marine Corps learn--or relearn--during the past year's combat operations, and were you surprised by any developments?

JONES: Transformation for us is an important word, because it has four distinct pillars to it--operational concepts, technological innovation, institutional reforms, and reform of our acquisition and business models. The first two components of transformation really do apply to our performance in Afghanistan--the transformation of operational concepts and our technology.

When General Mattis [Brig. Gen. James N. Mattis] went into Afghanistan with a MEB [Marine expeditionary brigade] headquarters as a Fifth Fleet task force commander, he had roughly 60 people with him. Twenty years ago a MEB headquarters may have had 260 people assigned. Much of the intelligence that he received--in real time--was generated at Quantico [Va.]. Much of the logistical support he needed was generated with reach-back capability to Navy ships operating in the Arabian Sea.

Because of our advances in technology and the information that he was able to obtain about his local combat environment, he did not need to take many of the things that another commander would have taken with him as recently as 10 years ago. He was able to lighten his force and still be very effective, survivable, and poised to accomplish any mission.

This shaping characteristic is something that we would not have done 10 or 15 years ago, but this capability today was based on an absolute certainty that he would have an accurate battlefield awareness at all times. The use of unmanned aerial vehicles and the immediate integration of capabilities between Special Operations Forces [SOF] and Navy-Marine Corps forces associated with his brigade were transformational in terms of his efficiency and effectiveness.

Afghanistan proved to be a validation of concepts that are to come with the future increased use of technology and the replacement of aging systems like our legacy helicopters with tiltrotor aircraft. We will obviate the need for interim staging bases, forward arming and refueling sites, and facilities of that nature. We will truly be able to accomplish missions like [those in] Afghanistan without breaking a sweat. It is harder to do now owing to the technological limits of today's aircraft, but it was exciting to see it all unfold despite these limitations.

Did anything surprise you?
JONES: Whatever surprises I had...............................

Continued........
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