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thedrifter
01-05-03, 07:53 AM
GENERAL J.L. JONES USMC <br />
COMMANDANT OF THE MARINE CORPS <br />
SPEECH TO SMITHSONIAN ASSOCIATES &quot;SEMPER FIDELIS&quot; SEMINAR <br />
17 September 1999 <br />
Washington, D.C. <br />
<br />
INTRODUCTION <br />
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: <br />
·...

thedrifter
01-05-03, 07:56 AM
· IT SOUNDS LIKE IT IS A BIG MISSION -- AND IT IS -- BUT IT IS SURPRISING HOW MUCH OVERLAPPING EXPERIENCE THERE IS IN THE MARINE CORPS FROM ONE END OF THE EARTH TO THE OTHER.

40,000 RETURN TO SOCIETY
· AFTER SEVERAL YEARS OF HONORABLE SERVICE, MOST MARINES LEAVE ACTIVE DUTY—AROUND 40,000 A YEAR IN RECENT YEARS.
· IN FACT, THE MARINE CORPS—COMPARED TO THE OTHER SERVICES— NORMALLY RETAINS A RELATIVELY LOW PERCENTAGE OF ITS PERSONNEL BEYOND THEIR FIRST ENLISTMENT: AROUND 25 PERCENT COMPARED TO ABOUT 50 PERCENT FOR THE OTHER SERVICES.
· WE WOULD LIKE TO KEEP FAR MORE THAN WE DO, BUT OUR FORCE STRUCTURE AND PHILOSOPHY DICTATE A RELATIVELY LEAN LEADERSHIP CADRE FROM CORPORAL ON UP TO GENERAL.
· BECAUSE OF THIS, WE ARE CONSTANTLY REGENERATING OURSELVES, AND IN THE PROCESS, CONSTANTLY RETURNING TO AMERICAN SOCIETY PATRIOTIC YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN IMBUED WITH OUR CORE VALUES OF HONOR, COURAGE, AND COMMITMENT.
MOST ARE QUIET HEROES
· SOME FORMER MARINES GAIN PROMINENCE IN POLITICS, THE ARTS, ACADEMIA, AND THE MEDIA.
· THIS WEEKEND, YOU WILL MEET SOME OF THESE MARINES, AND WILL HEAR OF THEIR MOTIVATIONS FOR JOINING THE CORPS AND THEIR EXPERIENCES WHILE IN UNIFORM.
· OTHERS—AND HERE I AM TALKING ABOUT THE VAST MAJORITY—MERGE QUIETLY BACK INTO THE MAINSTREAM OF AMERICAN LIFE, BUT CONTINUE TO CONTRIBUTE PASSIONATELY TO THE NATION THEY LOVE.
· TYPICALLY, THEY JOIN THE CIVILIAN WORKFORCE, SOMETIMES AFTER ATTENDING COLLEGE OR A TRADE SCHOOL WITH THE HELP OF THE G.I. BILL.
· THEY GET MARRIED, AND THEY RAISE A FAMILY.
· SOMETIMES THEY STAY IN THE MARINE CORPS RESERVE, AND CONTINUE TO SERVE IN UNIFORM.
· THEY BECOME GOOD CITIZENS, THEY GET INVOLVED IN THEIR COMMUNITY, AND THEY MAKE A DIFFERENCE.


AN UNUSUAL BOND
· AN UNUSUAL BOND LINKS THOSE MILLIONS OF FORMER MARINES, WHO MAKE UP LESS THAN ONE PERCENT OF OUR NATION'S POPULATION.
· THIS BOND MANIFESTS ITSELF IN WAYS BOTH LARGE AND SMALL.
· DRIVE DOWN ANY INTERSTATE HIGHWAY FOR A HALF HOUR OR SO, AND YOU ARE LIKELY TO SEE A PHYSICAL MANIFESTATION OF THAT BOND.
· MOST OFTEN, IT WILL BE A SMALL STICKER ON THE CORNER OF A WINDSHIELD, AROUND FOUR INCHES IN DIAMETER, COLORED IN SCARLET, BLACK, AND GOLD, THAT SAYS "UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS".
· I THINK IF YOU CONDUCTED A SURVEY BASED SOLEY ON THE BUMPER STICKERS ON CARS IN THE UNITED STATES, YOU WOULD UNDOUBTEDLY COME AWAY WITH THE IMPRESSION THAT THE MARINE CORPS WAS THE LARGEST OF THE MILITARY SERVICES.
· THIS IS BECAUSE OF A SAYING WE VALUE: "ONCE A MARINE, ALWAYS A MARINE." EVEN AFTER A MARINE HANGS UP HIS UNIFORM, HE IS A PART OF THE CORPS FOR LIFE…AND THE CORPS IS A PART OF HIM OR HER!
· THAT SAME BOND MANIFESTS ITSELF IN WAYS THAT ARE LESS VISIBLE, BUT NONETHELESS POWERFUL.
· FOR YEARS, PUNDITS IN WASHINGTON HAVE NOTED WHAT HAS BEEN REFERRED TO AS A "MARINE MAFIA" ON CAPITOL HILL, WITH ITS MEMBERSHIP CUTTING ACROSS REGIONAL, AGE, AND EVEN POLITICAL PARTY DIFFERENCES.
· THEY ARE SAID TO BE UNITED IN THE BELIEF THAT THE MARINE CORPS IS THE EPITOME OF SOLDIERLY VIRTUE, AND THAT IT NEEDS AND DESERVES SPECIAL PROTECTION IN A MILITARY ESTABLISHMENT OTHERWISE DOMINATED BY THE "BIG THREE".
· MEMBERSHIP IN THIS SO-CALLED MAFIA IS NOT LIMITED TO FORMER MARINES, BUT FORMER MARINES ARE SAID TO BE AT THE CORE.
· PERHAPS THE PUNDITS ARE RIGHT—THE CORPS IS CERTAINLY WELL-REPRESENTED ON CAPITOL HILL.
· THE U.S. SENATE CURRENTLY HAS SIX MEMBERS WHO ARE FORMER MARINES, AND THE HOUSE HAS SEVEN. FOR ALL OF THE 1980'S, NINE SENATORS WERE FORMER MARINES.
· FOR THE SENATE IN PARTICULAR, IT IS A STUNNING OVER-REPRESENTATION OF MARINES, CONSIDERING LESS THAN ONE IN A HUNDRED AMERICANS HAS SERVED AS A MARINE.
· CLOSER TO HOME, IN STATES AND CITIES ACROSS AMERICA, EVEN IN THE LARGEST CORPORATIONS, FORMER MARINES INVARIABLY SEEM TO KNOW WHO THE OTHER MARINES ARE.
· THE MARINE EXPERIENCE LINKS CHAIRMEN OF THE BOARD AND CEOs WITH THEIR CUSTODIAL STAFF IN WAYS THAT SERVICE IN THE REST OF THE MILITARY DOES NOT.
A SENSE OF PURPOSE—AND STILL CONNECTED TO SOCIETY
· MARINES AS A GROUP ARE BOUND BY A SENSE OF PURPOSE.
· THE EXPERIENCE OF DECIDING TO BE A MARINE, OF UNDERGOING THE TRANSFORMATION FROM CIVILIAN TO MARINE THROUGH THE TRIAL OF BOOT CAMP OR OFFICER CANDIDATE SCHOOL, THE SOCIALIZATION DERIVED FROM SHARED EXPERIENCES, AND, IF THE NEED ARISES, THE ACID TEST OF COMBAT RESULT IN A SUSTAINED IDENTIFICATION WITH THE CORPS.
· THIS IDENTIFICATION WITH THE COLORS LASTS LONG AFTER THE UNIFORMS ARE PUT AWAY IN CEDAR CHESTS.
· MORE IMORTANTLY, THOUGH, IS THE SATISFACTION OF SERVICE TO THE NATION.
· RECENTLY, SEASONED OBSERVERS OF SOCIETY AND THE MILITARY HAVE EXPRESSED CONCERN ABOUT WHAT THEY SEE AS A GROWING GAP BETWEEN THE ALL-VOLUNTEER MILITARY OF TODAY AND CIVIL SOCIETY.
· SOME HAVE EVEN CALLED FOR A RETURN OF SOME FORM OF CONSCRIPTION OR AT LEAST A SYSTEM OF NATIONAL SERVICE.
· THEY BELIEVE THIS IS NECESSARY TO HEAD OFF WHAT THEY PERCEIVE AS A GROWING GAP BETWEEN THE NATION'S POLITICAL ELITES AND MILITARY LEADERS.
· IN PARTICULAR, SOME NOTE TENDENCIES TOWARD RIGHT WING ATTITUDES IN THE MILITARY.
· TOM RICKS, FROM WHOM YOU SHALL HEAR TOMORROW, POINTED IN HIS BOOK TO 1995 SURVEYS OF WEST POINT CADETS AND MARINE OFFICERS AT QUANTICO IN SUPPORT OF A PARTICULAR TREND.
· SPEAKING OF THAT SURVEY, HE NOTED THAT:
"… MARINES AREN'T THE MOST REPRESENTATIVE
EXAMPLE, BUT RATHER—BECAUSE THEY ARE THE
MOST TRADITION-BOUND AND UNABASHEDLY
CULTURALLY CONSERVATIVE OF THE SERVICES—
THE MOST DRAMATIC."

· MR. RICKS WENT ON TO NOTE THAT:
"[THE MARINES] SHOULD BE VIEWED NOT AS AN
INDICATOR OF WHERE THE U.S. MILITARY IS TODAY,
BUT INSTEAD OF WHERE IT IS HEADING. THE CORPS
WAS LESS ALTERED BY THE COLD WAR THAN ANY OF
THE OTHER SERVICES. WITH THE END OF THE COLD
WAR, THE OTHER SERVICES ARE BECOMING MORE
LIKE THE MARINES AS THEY TOO BECOME SMALLER,
INSULAR, AND EXPEDITIONARY."

· WHILE I HAVE GREAT RESPECT FOR MR RICKS' SCHOLARSHIP, AND I APPALUD MANY OF HIS CONCLUSIONS, I DON'T AGREE WITH HIS ASSESSMENT OF THE MARINE CORPS' DECLINING CONNECTION TO SOCIETY, AND I FERVENTLY HOPE THAT THE FUTURE WILL PROVE ME TO BE RIGHT.
· I SAY THIS FOR SEVERAL REASONS:
· FIRST, I SEE THIS GENERATION OF MARINES RETURNING TO THE AMERICAN MAINSTREAM IN MUCH BETTER SHAPE THAN THOSE OF MY GENERATION DID.
· MY GENERATION, I THINK, SUFFERED GREAT DISAFFECTION FROM SOCIETY DUE TO THE HANGOVER OF VIETNAM…A HANGOVER WHICH STILL LINGERS.
· MANY SHED ANY VESTIGE OF THEIR IDENTITY AS VETERANS AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE, ONLY TO REALIZE, OVER TIME, THAT THEIR SERVICE, WHILE RENDERED AT A DIFFICULT TIME IN OUR NATION'S HISTORY, WAS HONORABLE AND WAS SOMETHING TO BE CELEBRATED.
· TODAY'S MARINES FAITHFULLY CARRY THE CREDO OF "HONOR, COURAGE, AND COMMITMENT" BACK OUT INTO OUR SOCIETY.
· THEY UNDERSTAND THAT THEY ARE A DISTINCT SUB-SET OF SOCIETY, BUT THEY KNOW THAT SOCIETY WOULDN'T HAVE IT ANY OTHER WAY.
· SECOND, THOSE WHO REMAIN IN THE MARINE UNIFORM, WHILE CERTAINLY MORE CONSERVATIVE AS A GROUP THAN THEIR CIVILIAN PEERS, UNDERSTAND VERY WELL THEIR CONSTITUTIONAL ROLE.
· IN THE POST COLD WAR WORLD, THEY ARE FACED WITH EXECUTING DIFFICULT MISSIONS LIKE SOMALIA, HAITI, BOSNIA, AND KOSOVO, AND THEY DO IT WELL.
· SUCH MISSIONS JUST WEREN'T EVEN CONSIDERED A DECADE AGO BY OUR POLITICAL LEADERS.
· THERE ARE NO SIMPLE ANSWERS TO THE CHALLENGES OF IRAQ OR NORTH KOREA, LET ALONE KOSOVO OR EAST TIMOR.
· IN A SMALLER MILITARY, WITH NO READY DRAFT CALL TO MAKE UP FOR UNEXPECTED CASUALTIES, THE PROFESSIONAL MILITARY MUST BE A MISSION'S GREATEST SKEPTIC.
· THIS MAY PLACE SENIOR OFFICERS AT ODDS WITH CIVILIAN LEADERS FOR A TIME IN TERMS OF PHILOSOPHY, BUT IN THE END I THINK IT RESULTS IN A POLICY THAT CAN BETTER STAND THE TEST OF FIRE.
· THIRD, AND I THINK , MOST IMPORTANTLY, THE MARINE CORPS CAN NEVER BE TOO FAR REMOVED FROM SOCIETY.
· AS WAS NOTED EARLIER, THE CORPS HAS NO 'NATURAL' CONSTITUENCY IN THE WAY THAT THE ARMY, NAVY, AND AIR FORCE DO.
· SOCIETY'S SENIOR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES ENSURE THAT THE CORPS REMAINS A DISTINCT SUB-SET OF SOCIETY AND THAT IT REFLECTS THE BEST OF THAT SOCIETY.
· OTHERWISE, IT WOULD UNDOUBTEDLY BE LESS EXPENSIVE AND POLITICALLY LESS RISKY TO CREATE A FORCE MORE LIKE THE FRENCH FOREIGN LEGION: SMALLER, VERY INSULAR, AND—MOST IMPORTANTLY—NEATLY ANONYMOUS WHEN CAPTURED OR KILLED ON EXPEDITIONARY DUTIES OR INTERVENTIONS.
· IT IS FOR THAT REASON MORE THAN ANY OTHER THAT I BELIEVE THE MARINE CORPS WILL REMAIN STONGLY CONNECTED TO SOCIETY AT LARGE.
SUMMARY
· THE MARINE CORPS IS AN INSTITUTION THAT TAKES WHAT ARE, AS A WHOLE, VERY TYPICAL YOUNG AMERICANS, MOLDS THEM INTO AN EXTRAORDINARY FIGHTING FORCE, AND RETURNS THEM TO SOCIETY AS GOOD CITIZENS.
· FOR ALL OF THE IDLE TALK AND ALL-TO-FREQUENT HOLLYWOOD CHARACTERIZATIONS OF MINDLESS MILITARY SUBORDINATION, AMERICANS WALK AWAY FROM THEIR TIME IN THE CORPS MORE SELF-ASSURED AND MORE EXPERIENCED WITH MEETING LIFE'S CHALLENGES.
· IN THE END, THE EXCEPTIONAL BATTLEFIELD PERFORMANCE OF MARINES, AND THE EXCEPTIONAL QUALITY OF THEIR CHARACTER, IS WHAT HAS PRODUCED THE CORPS THAT WE HAVE TODAY.
· MAYBE YOUR SON, YOUR DAUGHTER, A BROTHER, SISTER, RELATIVE, OR FAMILY FRIEND HAS CHOSEN THIS UNIQUE AND DEMANDING PATH IN LIFE.
· HOWEVER YOU KNOW THEM, I HAVE SEEN THEM PERFORM ACTS OF GREAT HEROISM, DEEDS OF GREAT COMPASSION, AND—MOST OFTEN—LOYAL AND DEDICATED PEACETIME SERVICE IN SUPPORT OF OUR NATION'S INTERESTS AROUND THE GLOBE.
· IN CLOSING, I WOULD JUST LIKE TO TELL YOU WHAT AN EXTRAORDINARY PRIVLEGE IT IS TO LEAD AND SERVE WITH THESE SUPERB YOUNG AMERICANS.
· THEY ARE TO BE COMMENDED FOR THEIR SENSE OF HONOR, COURAGE AND COMMITMENT, AND WE CAN ALL SLEEP BETTER AT NIGHT KNOWING THAT THEY ARE ON DUTY AROUND THE GLOBE, CONTRIBUTING TO THE NATION'S GOALS AND OBJECTIVES IN A UNIQUELY CAPABLE MANNER.
· THANK YOU AND: SEMPER FIDELIS.


Sempers,

Roger

thedrifter
01-05-03, 08:01 AM
Out Call With the Commandant

By Arthur P. Brill Jr.


As the 32nd Commandant, General James L. Jones Jr., prepared to give up the reins to the 33rd Commandant, Gen Michael W. Hagee, he sat down with Leatherneck during one of his recent West Coast trips to talk about the Corps.

Leatherneck: What comes to mind when you think about today's Marines?

Gen Jones: First of all, they are incredibly smart. Because they are so capable, intelligent and educated, today's Marines expect to have a say in what happens to them. They have options elsewhere in society. The old "my way or the highway" mentality of running the Corps is no longer applicable in my judgment.

The health of a military organization is measured not only by recruiting but also by how many you retain and what quality. Our recruiters are getting good people, and Marines are lining up three deep to stay with us. We also have an 18-year high in officer retention. Virtually, there is no serious attrition in any occupational field. Our leaders must be managing the force well or they wouldn't stay. There's really a simple test: look at your exit polls.

Leatherneck: On your first trip as Commandant to Okinawa, Japan, I remember you telling a group of young Marines that they should enjoy their time in the Marine Corps. Are Marines having more fun today?

Gen Jones: I think so. When I come around, they know what I want to see, so it materializes. It's what they do when I'm not around that I'd be curious about. At Quantico [Virginia] for example, they have "First Friday" when all the colonels get together for happy hour. It's something that's caught on. Commanders are encouraging Marines to stay on base to have fun as opposed to the zero-defects mentality that forced people off the base. I would have to defer to your investigative skills. Since Marines are staying with us in record numbers, I assume they like what they're doing. Part of that is having fun. I hope we succeeded.

Leatherneck: The direction seems to be solid in human terms. How are the Corps' acquisition programs faring?

Gen Jones: All of our programs have been well scrutinized. There isn't any major ground, aviation or combat service support program in the Marine Corps that is right now at risk. I don't take anything for granted, but they're all doing just fine.

Leatherneck: Is 2008 still the magic year when Marines will receive these new weapons systems, vehicles and
aircraft?

Gen Jones: The whole layout of Marine Corps transformation is headed for convergence in 2008 and a few years thereafter. It's going to be absolutely terrific. We're talking about such things as the Joint Strike Fighter, the V-22 Osprey, the lightweight 155 mm howitzer, the advanced amphibious assault vehicle, the KC-130J Hercules, some of the Navy's amphibious ship modernization and maybe even some of its extended-range munitions.

One-half of our houses will be rebuilt by 2007. I predict that within 10 years, the private-public venture program will sweep the Marine Corps to where we'll have almost 100-percent modernized [family] housing. Yes, if everything stays the way it is right now, convergence will occur.

Leatherneck: The Navy-Marines are producing a number of vision documents lately that contain familiar terms. What is the difference between the "Force-in-Readiness" days of the 1970s and today?

Gen Jones: The Marine Corps is truly moving into the expeditionary century. The 20th century was the amphibious century for us, centered around the concept of mass and firepower. The battles of World War II were very much force on force, fix the enemy, assault into their strong defense points and capture the island. They were very manpower and fire intensive. The combat was fierce with great sacrifice and heroism. Our history is anchored around those battles.

Technology is about to give us the capability to be expeditionary from the sea base, vice amphibious in the classic sense. We're choosing the word expeditionary very precisely. As opposed to the past, we'll go where the enemy isn't. Rather than hitting him at his strongest point, we attack his infrastructure. By disrupting his thinking, he degenerates into chaos. Speed, agility, lethality, precision and the rapid build-up of forces at strategic points is what the expeditionary force will do.

Leatherneck: Was the Corps' landing in Afghanistan last year (2001) an example of things to come?

Gen Jones: A view of that was given in Operation Enduring Freedom with two Marine expeditionary units [MEUs] landing simultaneously, seizing two objectives deep inland in a landlocked country over 400 miles from the ships. The Marines used legacy systems, including old helicopters, cargo planes and overland transportation. If we had the future technologies that are coming on line, we could have done that without using many intermediate staging bases or refueling points. That's where we're going and it's exciting.

Leatherneck: What will sea basing be like in the future?

Gen Jones: Today, sea basing is big ships arriving offshore. While that's important, I predict it will expand well beyond that. The future may include man-made sea bases like oil platforms that are self-deployable and linked up by high-speed vessels. The bases will enable the United States to project power and to make a statement. Often, just being there has a calming effect on a region.

Leatherneck: Four Marine F/A-18C fighter/attack squadrons deploy aboard Navy carriers each year, and by 2012 that will increase to 10. Will Marines still receive good close air support (CAS) from Marine air?

Gen Jones: Not to criticize anybody else, but we pioneered CAS, and we do that better than anybody. Marines will continue to get the best. I maintain that CAS is the most important core competency the Marine Corps has on the joint battlefield.


When it comes to joint matters, Marines have changed their theology from being hard to work with to being easy to work with. We have six Harriers in Bagram, Afghanistan, now. They are there to support the joint warfighter. A Marine is also heading up a joint task force focusing on the Horn of Africa in the global war on terrorism.

Leatherneck: The recent tactical air integration decision is part of a closer Navy-Marine relationship, isn't it?

Gen Jones: The Marine Corps' change of command will be at the Naval Academy January 13 to celebrate this coming together, not just intellectually, but culturally. We're joined at the hip at the top, and we built the bridges between the OpNav [Navy headquarters] staff and the Headquarters Marine Corps staff. We'll see more staff integration, so these bonds become impossible to tear apart.

I think that Vern Clark [Admiral Vern Clark, Chief of Naval Operations] is taking the Navy exactly in the right direction for the 21st century. By concluding that there is no blue water challenge, the Navy is shifting its focus more to the brown water and its expeditionary mission with the Marines. Look at Task Force 58, commanded by a Marine general in the North Arabian Sea last fall [2001]. The Navy didn't have to do that. The expeditionary strike groups are some of the exciting things happening in the future. The Navy-Marines are more powerful by this unification and offer more to the combatant commanders. Because sovereignty issues will dominate the globe in the 21st century, in my opinion, naval forces will be used often.

Leatherneck: Is U.S. cooperative engagement with foreign nations still important?

Gen Jones: It is very important. I firmly believe that we invest in the armed forces to win wars if we have to, but most of the things we do are to prevent wars and to stabilize regions so our economy and that of our allies continue to grow. As cultures get more comfortable with each other, there's more dialogue and more exchanges. Hopefully, we'll continue to teach, by our examples around the world, how a military operates in a free society, subordinate to civilian rule. This is very important for the future.

Leatherneck: Has the Corps changed because of 9/11 and the war against terrorism?

Gen Jones: I think it has a little bit. September 11 made us focus on creating the 4th Marine Expeditionary Brigade (Antiterrorism), which was more of a reorganization of our antiterrorism capabilities rather than creating anything really new. The protection of our bases and stations is now a long-standing and a very manpower-intensive requirement. To do that, we may have to create another battalion of Marine MPs [military police]. We're also growing, in all of our deployable infantry battalions, a capability to do certain AT missions.

Leatherneck: Marines worked closely with special operations forces (SOFs) in Afghanistan, and the Corps has gotten closer to the Special Operations Command (SOCOM) since. Since Marine expeditionary units can perform some SOF-type missions, could it be tasked to do one?

Gen Jones: Right. We are establishing a relationship or a cultural line with SOCOM. If the Secretary of Defense decides that this is a useful thing to do, he'll get our reaction and we'll all move in the same direction. This won't be hard.

http://www.mca-marines.org/Leatherneck/CMCoutcall.htm


Sempers,

Roger