thedrifter
02-13-07, 06:23 AM
From First to Fight to Every Marine into the Fight
By Matthew Dodd
On January 19, 2007, General James T. Conway, 34th Commandant of the Marine Corps, issued his intent on a new personnel policy in an "All Marine" (ALMAR) message that will affect thousands of Marines now and in the foreseeable future:
"...Marines, by their performance in Iraq and Afghanistan, have added notably to the legacy of our colors. Frequent deployments and short [at-home] dwell periods have been the norm, yet our Marines have responded magnificently with unwavering determination and commitment...When they join our Corps, Marines expect to train, deploy and fight. That's who we are; that's what we do; and we must allow every Marine that opportunity...I want our Corps leadership to initiate policies to ensure all Marines, first-termers and career Marines alike, are provided the ability to deploy to a combat zone."
According to the January 29, 2007 Marine Corps Times, the problem was not that too many Marines were trying to avoid combat, but just the opposite:
"The new policy...was based directly on the feedback Conway heard during recent town hall meetings with Marines who complained that they weren't able to deploy...[A Conway spokesman said,] 'It was a constant theme. Marines want to go. The ones who've been turned down, they're not happy about it.'"
Conway's clear and concise thirty-eight line "Every Marine into the Fight" message contained specific actions for his deputy commandant for manpower and reserve affairs, and commanders at all levels:
"Review current personnel assignment policies to ensure maximum assignment flexibility with an orientation towards getting all Marines to the fight...As feasible, reassign Marines that have yet to deploy to rotational units...Increased time-on-station waivers are authorized...[I]dentify Marines who have not yet deployed to a combat zone and facilitate their reassignment to rotational units...Coordinate, as necessary, with [Manpower] to ensure deployment assignment equity among all Marines...Support a Marine's request to deploy."
As a retired career Marine officer, I read Conway's intent with great interest, and with great admiration for a warrior-general already making a great difference less than 90 days into his tenure as Commandant of the Marine Corps.
After reading Conway's message, I immediately thought about two themes that were constantly reinforced to me throughout my career that go straight to the ethos of being a Marine. The first theme was that Marines are warriors. The second theme was that Marines exist only because the Nation wants Marines, and a big part of wanting Marines is that Marines provide the 'most bang for the buck.'
As mentioned in the Marine's Hymn, Marines are the "first to fight for right and freedom...." In recent years, the Marine Corps has become known as 'America's 9-1-1 Force.' That moniker can be traced back to the words of the 82nd Congress in 1952 when it mandated that the Marine Corps be:
"The Nation's shock troops…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."
A phrase I remember from my earliest days as a Marine goes right to the heart of the second theme: "We have done so much with so little for so long, that we believe we can do anything with nothing forever." Providing the 'most bang for the buck' was never glamorous, and often frustrating, but as a Marine I took great pride in being able to always do more with less resources than any of the other Services. It was not until the latter years of my career that I came to fully appreciate how inextricably linked those two themes were, as described in the following excerpt from a January 2004 "Sea Power" article:
"The Marine Corps' share of the Department of Defense budget is about 6 percent overall, funding 12 percent of the nation's active forces, including 23 percent of the active ground-forces divisions and 20 percent of all active U.S. ground-maneuver battalions. The Marine Corps also maintains 14 percent of the military's overall tactical aviation capability, including 20 percent of active fighter and attack aircraft squadrons, and 17 percent of the DoD's attack helicopters. The Marine Corps provides about one-third of the DoD's active ground combat service support capabilities."
Reflecting on Conway's message, it was obvious that he was heavily influenced by those linked themes. According to the Times article, at a December 26, 2006 town hall meeting with 1st Battalion, 6th Marines, Conway said, "If we're going to grow the force on the one hand, we've got to be able to justify it to the bean counters ... how we have 66,000 Marines that haven't been to Iraq or Afghanistan." The Nation has Marines to fight and win "international disturbances short of large-scale war," so how can the Corps justify adding Marines to their rolls when a significant number of them have not been deployed to combat in almost five years? By the time of that town hall meeting, a temporary 5,000 Marine end-strength increase to bring the Corps' total strength to 180,000 was approved, and discussions were ongoing that eventually led to the recent decision by President Bush to increase the Corps to 202,000 by 2012.
Conway is obviously aware that there are a lot of Marines who have made multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, with some on their third or fourth tours to those combat zones. He is aware, as mentioned earlier, that a lot of Marines are requesting to go, and go back, to combat, but too many of their requests are not being met. I also sense that he is aware that there is probably a small, albeit too large, percentage of Marines who do not want to deploy to combat zones. No doubt some of those who do not want to deploy have legitimate, temporary reasons, and they should not be forced to go. Conway's message makes it clear that Marines without legitimate reasons to not deploy need to live up to who they are and what they are expected to do.
There is one aspect of Conway's message that troubles me: Marines not being able or allowed to deploy. For the Commandant to specifically tell commanders to support a Marine's request to deploy tells me that there are too many bureaucratic commanders and probably personnel staffers out there protecting their own little worlds and losing sight of the fact that we are a nation at war. I hope the Commandant's message sends a chill down those commanders' and staffers' spines and injects some reality into their decision-making processes.
In these uncertain times, it is always comforting to me to know that the Corps is in good hands. Kudos to General Conway for being focused on doing what is best for his Marines and his country.
Taking a step back and trying to see the bigger picture, I hope that Conway's leadership and initiative will help inspire similar actions and policies in the other Services and in the civilian government branches and organizations that have important roles in our global war on terrorism. After all, the best way for us to win is to get everyone into the fight.
Matthew Dodd is a Senior Editor of DefenseWatch. He can be reached at mattdodd1775@hotmail.com. Please send Feedback responses to dwfeedback@yahoo.com
By Matthew Dodd
On January 19, 2007, General James T. Conway, 34th Commandant of the Marine Corps, issued his intent on a new personnel policy in an "All Marine" (ALMAR) message that will affect thousands of Marines now and in the foreseeable future:
"...Marines, by their performance in Iraq and Afghanistan, have added notably to the legacy of our colors. Frequent deployments and short [at-home] dwell periods have been the norm, yet our Marines have responded magnificently with unwavering determination and commitment...When they join our Corps, Marines expect to train, deploy and fight. That's who we are; that's what we do; and we must allow every Marine that opportunity...I want our Corps leadership to initiate policies to ensure all Marines, first-termers and career Marines alike, are provided the ability to deploy to a combat zone."
According to the January 29, 2007 Marine Corps Times, the problem was not that too many Marines were trying to avoid combat, but just the opposite:
"The new policy...was based directly on the feedback Conway heard during recent town hall meetings with Marines who complained that they weren't able to deploy...[A Conway spokesman said,] 'It was a constant theme. Marines want to go. The ones who've been turned down, they're not happy about it.'"
Conway's clear and concise thirty-eight line "Every Marine into the Fight" message contained specific actions for his deputy commandant for manpower and reserve affairs, and commanders at all levels:
"Review current personnel assignment policies to ensure maximum assignment flexibility with an orientation towards getting all Marines to the fight...As feasible, reassign Marines that have yet to deploy to rotational units...Increased time-on-station waivers are authorized...[I]dentify Marines who have not yet deployed to a combat zone and facilitate their reassignment to rotational units...Coordinate, as necessary, with [Manpower] to ensure deployment assignment equity among all Marines...Support a Marine's request to deploy."
As a retired career Marine officer, I read Conway's intent with great interest, and with great admiration for a warrior-general already making a great difference less than 90 days into his tenure as Commandant of the Marine Corps.
After reading Conway's message, I immediately thought about two themes that were constantly reinforced to me throughout my career that go straight to the ethos of being a Marine. The first theme was that Marines are warriors. The second theme was that Marines exist only because the Nation wants Marines, and a big part of wanting Marines is that Marines provide the 'most bang for the buck.'
As mentioned in the Marine's Hymn, Marines are the "first to fight for right and freedom...." In recent years, the Marine Corps has become known as 'America's 9-1-1 Force.' That moniker can be traced back to the words of the 82nd Congress in 1952 when it mandated that the Marine Corps be:
"The Nation's shock troops…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."
A phrase I remember from my earliest days as a Marine goes right to the heart of the second theme: "We have done so much with so little for so long, that we believe we can do anything with nothing forever." Providing the 'most bang for the buck' was never glamorous, and often frustrating, but as a Marine I took great pride in being able to always do more with less resources than any of the other Services. It was not until the latter years of my career that I came to fully appreciate how inextricably linked those two themes were, as described in the following excerpt from a January 2004 "Sea Power" article:
"The Marine Corps' share of the Department of Defense budget is about 6 percent overall, funding 12 percent of the nation's active forces, including 23 percent of the active ground-forces divisions and 20 percent of all active U.S. ground-maneuver battalions. The Marine Corps also maintains 14 percent of the military's overall tactical aviation capability, including 20 percent of active fighter and attack aircraft squadrons, and 17 percent of the DoD's attack helicopters. The Marine Corps provides about one-third of the DoD's active ground combat service support capabilities."
Reflecting on Conway's message, it was obvious that he was heavily influenced by those linked themes. According to the Times article, at a December 26, 2006 town hall meeting with 1st Battalion, 6th Marines, Conway said, "If we're going to grow the force on the one hand, we've got to be able to justify it to the bean counters ... how we have 66,000 Marines that haven't been to Iraq or Afghanistan." The Nation has Marines to fight and win "international disturbances short of large-scale war," so how can the Corps justify adding Marines to their rolls when a significant number of them have not been deployed to combat in almost five years? By the time of that town hall meeting, a temporary 5,000 Marine end-strength increase to bring the Corps' total strength to 180,000 was approved, and discussions were ongoing that eventually led to the recent decision by President Bush to increase the Corps to 202,000 by 2012.
Conway is obviously aware that there are a lot of Marines who have made multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, with some on their third or fourth tours to those combat zones. He is aware, as mentioned earlier, that a lot of Marines are requesting to go, and go back, to combat, but too many of their requests are not being met. I also sense that he is aware that there is probably a small, albeit too large, percentage of Marines who do not want to deploy to combat zones. No doubt some of those who do not want to deploy have legitimate, temporary reasons, and they should not be forced to go. Conway's message makes it clear that Marines without legitimate reasons to not deploy need to live up to who they are and what they are expected to do.
There is one aspect of Conway's message that troubles me: Marines not being able or allowed to deploy. For the Commandant to specifically tell commanders to support a Marine's request to deploy tells me that there are too many bureaucratic commanders and probably personnel staffers out there protecting their own little worlds and losing sight of the fact that we are a nation at war. I hope the Commandant's message sends a chill down those commanders' and staffers' spines and injects some reality into their decision-making processes.
In these uncertain times, it is always comforting to me to know that the Corps is in good hands. Kudos to General Conway for being focused on doing what is best for his Marines and his country.
Taking a step back and trying to see the bigger picture, I hope that Conway's leadership and initiative will help inspire similar actions and policies in the other Services and in the civilian government branches and organizations that have important roles in our global war on terrorism. After all, the best way for us to win is to get everyone into the fight.
Matthew Dodd is a Senior Editor of DefenseWatch. He can be reached at mattdodd1775@hotmail.com. Please send Feedback responses to dwfeedback@yahoo.com