United States Marine Corps Organization and Missions

Sea Power, Jan 2005

In 2005, the U.S. Marine Corps maintains a high operational tempo, with combat deployments to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility including Afghanistan, Iraq, Kyrgystan and Uzbekistan - security operations from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to Southeast Asia, and peacekeeping and humanitarian operations from Europe to Africa.

Almost one year after major combat operations ceased, 25,000 Marines were redeployed to Iraq to combat a burgeoning insurgency. That redeployment was in effect a test of the renewed emphasis on operational readiness and flexibility championed by Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Michael W. Hagee.

One way the service is developing greater flexibility is through new concepts for assembling and deploying forces. Together with the U.S. Navy, the Marine Corps is developing an organizational paradigm that replaces the Cold War-era Amphibious Ready Group - a typical formation of transport ships that hosted a Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) during nominal six-month deployments overseas - with the Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG).

The ESG adds the Tomahawk LandAttack Missile striking power of surface combatants and nuclear-powered fastattack submarines with amphibious transport capability. Embarked abroad, a 1,500- to 3,000-man MEU now deploys with greater flexibility and firepower.

The first ESG, led by the amphibious assault ship Peleliu and the 13th MEU (SOC), or Special Operations Capable, deployed from the West Coast in August 2003, followed by ESG-2, led by the amphibious assault ship Wasp and the 22nd MEU (SOC). In late 2004, the Navy and Marine Corps passed a milestone in shared command and conirol with ESG-3, led by the amphibious assault ship Essex and commanded by Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Joseph Medina. The group was deployed on security operations to the North Arabian Gulf and other areas.

The Marine Corps has long been a force of first resort, in large part because of its expeditionary nature.

Legacy

Signed by President Harry S. Truman on June 28, 1952, Public Law 416 from the 82nd Congress provided for three standing Marine divisions and air wings, and equal status for the commandant with the Joint Chiefs of Staff when matters of direct concern to the Marine Corps were under consideration.

Half a century ago, as Congress passed legislation to ensure "the maintenance of a Marine force," members urged "the need for a Marine Corps as a ready force is paramount." As the service fights in the global war on terrorism and prepares to face other unknown challenges of a new century, the Marines are determined to remain at the tip of America's spear.

The Commandant of the Marine Corps

The 33rd Marine Corps Commandant, Hagee is a strong supporter of evolving the capabilities of his service as a component of the joint force. He is committed to bringing the Marine Corps forward as a leading element of the transformed joint force, one that embraces technology to maintain dominance on the battlefields of the future.

Hagee believes effective transformation comes from melding technological enhancements with the wisdom of experience, the same line of thinking that inspired the Navy and Marine Corps to develop the ESG concept. He also is an advocate for the Sea Base concept, an idea that would inspire the development of platforms and systems to allow forces to arrive, assemble, deploy and be sustained by a formation of ships at sea.

"During Operation Iraqi Freedom, we put about 70,000 Marines into Kuwait in less than 60 days with all their equipment and all their sustainment," Hagee said in announcing his goals for the future of the Marine Corps last spring. "Compared to how long it took us in Desert Storm, that is really quite fast. ... With sea basing, we could put almost the same force together in less than two weeks."

Sea basing will require the Navy and Marine Corps leadership to change their concepts for manning, training and equipping forces. Additionally, Hagee views sea basing as a starting point for joint and interagency cooperation, before, during and after a conflict. That has led to some new thinking on the part of Marine Corps leadership about the role of the military.

Hagee has also embraced Distributed Operations, a new operational concept that allows small units to operate independently in the battlespace, interconnected by a technology/communications "net." These small units would then have the ability to swarm on an objective, or re-aggregate into a traditional assault force. The Distributed Operations concept is now in the beginning of an 18month experimentation phase to determine its combat viability.

The commandant encourages cooperative efforts by government agencies and international nongovernmental organizations. He argues that these elements must be part of the process leading up to conflict "from the get-go."

"We need to ensure that as we win the battles we also are shaping the battle space to be successful after combat operations have ended," Hagee said.

The Marine Corps accounts for a 4 percent share of the Department of Defense budget's total obligation authority. Marine Corps units provide considerable value for investment, including 23 percent of the nation's active-duty ground forces, 20 percent of the nation's tactical fixed-wing aviation capability and 17 percent of the nation's attack helicopters. The Marine Corps owns 33 percent of the nation's combat service support capability. At any given time, about 23 percent of the Marine Corps is forward-deployed.