United States Marine Corps

United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
USMC logo.svg

United States Marine Corps portal
Active 10 November 1775present
Country  United States of America
Type Marine infantry
Role expeditionary warfare
Size 149,339 active (as of June 2011)[1]
40,000 reserve (as of 2010)[2]
Part of Headquarters The Pentagon
Nickname The Few, The Proud
Motto Colors Gold[3]         
March "Semper Fidelis"About this sound Play
Mascot [4][5]
Engagements American Revolutionary War
Quasi-War
War of 1812
Seminole Wars
MexicanAmerican War
American Civil War
SpanishAmerican War
Boxer Rebellion
Banana Wars
World War I
World War II
Korean War
Vietnam War
Somali Civil War
Kosovo War
War in Afghanistan
Iraq War
2011 Libyan civil war
Decorations Streamer PUC Navy.PNG
Streamer PUC Army.PNG
Presidential Unit Citation
Streamer JMUA.PNG
Navy Unit Commendation Streamer.jpg
Streamer VUA Army.PNG
Meritorious Unit Commendation (Navy-Marine) Streamer.jpg
Streamer MUC Army.PNG
Streamer FCDG.PNG
Croix de Guerre
Streamer PPUC.PNG
Philippine Presidential Unit Citation
Streamer KPUC.PNG
VGCP Streamer.jpg
Streamer RVMUCCA.PNG
Commanders
SECNAV Hon. Commandant GEN James F. Amos
Assistant Commandant GEN Joseph F. Dunford, Jr.
SMMC Micheal P. Barrett
Insignia
Eagle, Globe, and Anchor Globeanchor.svg

The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea,[6] using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven United States Department of the Navy,[7][8] often working closely with U.S. naval forces for training, transportation, and logistic purposes; however, in the military leadership structure the Marine Corps is a separate branch.[9]

Captain Continental Marines on 10 November 1775 in Philadelphia as naval infantry.[10] Since then, the mission of the Marine Corps has evolved with changing military doctrine and American foreign policy. The Marine Corps has served in Pacific campaign of World War II.[11] By the mid-20th century, the Marine Corps had become the dominant theorist and practitioner of amphibious warfare.[12][13][14] Its ability to expeditionary crises gives it a strong role in the implementation and execution of American foreign policy.[15]

The United States Marine Corps includes just under 203,000 active duty Marines (as of October 2010) and just under 40,000 reserve Marines (as of 2010).[2] It is the smallest of the United States' armed forces in the Department of Defense (the United States Coast Guard is smaller, about one-fifth the size of the Marine Corps, but is normally under the Department of Homeland Security). The Marine Corps is nonetheless larger than the armed forces of many significant military powers; for example, it is larger than the active duty Israel Defense Forces and the active duty British Army.[16][17]

The Marine Corps accounts for around six percent of the [18] that is, the Marines cover the entire Three Block War. However, these Navy's amphibious warfare ships and the long range air transport of the USAF.[19] However given expected defense budget cuts, the Marines may be the service best positioned for "fielding cheap options for an uncertain world."[20] The Marine Corps budget is comparably well handled with a tiny fraction of the Anti-Deficiency Act violations of any of the other three major branches.[21]

Contents

Mission

The United States Marine Corps serves as an expeditionary force-in-readiness. As outlined in 10 U.S.C. § 5063 and as originally introduced under the National Security Act of 1947, it has three primary areas of responsibility:

  • The seizure or defense of advanced naval bases and other land operations to support amphibious landing forces in coordination with the Army and Air Force; and
  • Such other duties as the President may direct.

This last clause, while seemingly redundant given the President's position as expeditionary duties of the Marine Corps. It derives from similar language in the Congressional acts "For the Better Organization of the Marine Corps" of 1834, and "Establishing and Organizing a Marine Corps" of 1798. In 1951, the House of Representatives' War of 1812, counter-insurgency and occupational duties (such as those in Central America), World War I, and the Korean War. While these actions are not accurately described as support of naval campaigns nor as amphibious warfare, their common thread is that they are of an expeditionary nature, using the mobility of the Navy to provide timely intervention in foreign affairs on behalf of American interests.[22]

In addition to its primary duties, the Marine Corps has missions in direct support of the White House and the State Department. The Thomas Jefferson, provides music for state functions at the White House.[23] Marines guard presidential retreats, including Camp David, and the Marines of the Executive Flight Detachment of Vice President, using the call signs "[24] By authority of the 1946 Foreign Service Act, the Marine Security Guards of the Marine Embassy Security Command provide security for American embassies, consulates at more than 140 posts worldwide.[25]

Historical mission

The Marine Corps was founded to serve as an infantry unit aboard naval vessels and was responsible for the security of the ship and its crew by conducting offensive and defensive combat during boarding actions and defending the ship's officers from mutiny; to the latter end, their quarters on ship were often strategically positioned between the officers' quarters and the rest of the vessel. Continental Marines manned raiding parties, both at sea and ashore. America's first amphibious assault landing occurred early in the Revolutionary War on 3 March 1776 as the Marines gained control of Fort Montague and Fort Nassau, a British ammunition depot and naval port in the Bahamas. The role of the Marine Corps has expanded significantly since then; as the importance of its original naval mission declined with changing naval warfare doctrine and the professionalization of the naval service, the corps adapted by focusing on what was former secondary missions ashore. The Advanced Base Doctrine of the early 20th century codified their combat duties ashore, outlining the use of Marines in the seizure of bases and other duties on land to support naval campaigns.

Throughout the late 19th and 20th centuries, Marine detachments served aboard Navy cruisers, battleships and carriers. Marine detachments (generally one platoon per cruiser, a company for battleships or carriers) served their traditional duties as ship's landing force, manning the ship's weapons and providing shipboard security. Marine detachments were augmented by members of the ship's company for landing parties, especially in the Caribbean and Mexican campaigns of the early 20th centuries. Marines would develop tactics and techniques of amphibious assault on defended coastlines in time for use in World War II.[26] During World War II, Marines continued to serve on capital ships. They often were assigned to man anti-aircraft batteries. When gun cruisers were retired by the 1960s, the remaining Marine detachments were only seen on battleships and carriers. Its original mission of providing shipboard security finally ended in the 1990s when nuclear weapons were withdrawn from active deployment and the battleships were retired.

Capabilities

The Marine Corps fulfills a vital role in national security as an expeditionary, air-ground combined arms task force, capable of asymmetric warfare with conventional, irregular, and hybrid forces.

While the Marine Corps does not employ any unique combat arms, as a force it has the unique ability to rapidly deploy a combined-arms task force to almost anywhere in the world within days. The basic structure for all deployed units is a Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) that integrates a ground combat element, an aviation combat element and a logistics combat element under a common command element. While the creation of joint commands under the GoldwaterNichols Act has improved inter-service coordination between each branch, the Corps' ability to permanently maintain integrated multi-element task forces under a single command provides a smoother implementation of combined-arms warfare principles.[11]

The close integration of disparate Marine units stems from an organizational culture centered around the infantry. Every other Marine capability exists to support the infantry. Unlike some Western militaries, the Corps remained conservative against theories proclaiming the ability of new weapons to win wars independently. For example, Marine aviation has always been focused on strategic bombing can single-handedly win wars.[26]

Bravo Battery, 1st Battalion, 11th Marines, a.k.a. the Beastmasters fight off Iraqi unit on March 26, 2003

This focus on the infantry is matched with the doctrine that "Every Marine is a rifleman", a focus of Commandant Alfred M. Gray, Jr., emphasizing the infantry combat abilities of every Marine. All Marines, regardless of military specialization, receive training as a rifleman; and all officers receive additional training as infantry platoon commanders.[27] For example, at [28] As a result, a large degree of initiative and autonomy is expected of junior Marines, particularly the corporals and [29] The amphibious assault techniques developed for World War II evolved, with the addition of maneuver warfare doctrine, into the current "Operational Maneuver from the Sea" doctrine of power projection from the seas.[6] The Marines are credited with the development of helicopter insertion doctrine and were the earliest in the American military to widely adopt maneuver-warfare principles which emphasize low-level initiative and flexible execution. In light of recent warfare that has strayed from the Corps' traditional missions,[30] it has renewed an emphasis on amphibious capabilities.[31]

The Marine Corps relies on the Navy for sealift to provide its rapid deployment capabilities. In addition to basing a third of the Fleet Marine Force in Japan, United States Army now maintains [11] For this reason, the Marine Corps is often assigned to non-combat missions such as the evacuation of Americans from unstable countries and providing World War I and the Korean War, where Marines were the first significant combat units deployed from the United States and held the line until the country could mobilize for war.[32] To aid rapid deployment, the container ships are positioned throughout the world with enough equipment and supplies for a Marine Expeditionary Force to deploy for 30 days.

Doctrine

Two small manuals published during the 1930s would establish USMC doctrine in two areas. The Small Wars Manual laid the framework for Marine Operational Maneuver from the Sea" is the current doctrine of power projection.[6]

As an expeditionary force, the USMC is planning to reduce its logistical requirements and by 2025 eliminate all liquid fuel use other than for highly efficient vehicles.[33]

History

Origins

The United States Marine Corps traces its institutional roots to the American Revolutionary War, formed by Captain Second Continental Congress on 10 November 1775, to raise 2 birthday". At the end of the American Revolution, both the Quasi-War with France, Congress created the United States Marine Corps.[34] Marines had been enlisted by the War Department as early as August 1797[35] for service in the new-build frigates authorized by the Congressional "Act to provide a Naval Armament" of March 18, 1794,[36] which specified the numbers of Marines to be recruited for each frigate.

The Marines' most famous action of this period occurred during the Barbary pirates,[37] when William Eaton and First Lieutenant mercenaries in an effort to capture Tripoli. Though they only reached Marines' hymn and the [38]

During the War of 1812, Marine naval detachments took part in the great frigate duels that characterized the war, which were the first American victories in the conflict. Their most significant contributions were delaying the British march to Washington, D.C. at the Andrew Jackson's defensive line at the marksmen, especially in ship-to-ship actions.[38]

After the war, the Marine Corps fell into a depression that ended with the appointment of Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, Key West, West Africa, the Falkland Islands, and Sumatra. Commandant Henderson is credited with thwarting President Jackson's attempts to combine and integrate the Marine Corps with the Army.[38] Instead, Congress passed the Act for the Better Organization of the Marine Corps in 1834, stipulating that the Corps was part of the [39] This would be the first of many times that the existence of the Corps was challenged.

color painting of American soldiers and Marines attacking Chapultepec castle
James Walker, Seminole Wars of 1835, personally leading nearly half of the entire Corps (two battalions) to war. A decade later, in the MexicanAmerican War (18461848), the Marines made their famed Panama and Asia, escorting Matthew Perry's East India Squadron on its historic trip to the Far East.[40]

With their vast service in foreign engagements, the Marine Corps played a moderate role in the Civil War (18611865); their most prominent task was seceded from the Confederacy and form the First Battle of Bull Run (First Manassas) performed poorly, retreating with the rest of the Union forces.[32] Blockade duty included sea-based amphibious operations to secure forward bases. In late November, 1861, Marines and sailors landed a reconnaissance in force from the USS Flag at Tybee Island, Georgia, to occupy the Lighthouse and Martello Tower on the northern end of the island. It would later be the Army base for bombardment of Fort Pulaski.[41]

black & white photograph of six Marines standing in line, five with Civil War-era rifles and one with an NCO sword
Five Marines with fixed bayonets, and their NCO with his sword at the Interim: Civil War to World War I

The remainder of the 19th century was marked by declining strength and introspection about the mission of the Marine Corps. The Navy's transition from sail to [42] Under Commandant Marine Corps emblem on 19 November 1868. It was during this time that "Always Faithful).[38]

John Philip Sousa, the musician and composer, enlisted as a Marine apprentice at the age of 13, serving from 1867 until 1872, and again from 1880 to 1892 as the leader of the SpanishAmerican War (1898), Marines led American forces ashore in the Philippines, Cuba, and Puerto Rico, demonstrating their readiness for deployment. At Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, the Marines seized an advanced naval base that remains in use today. Between 1899 and 1916, the Corps continued its record of vigorous participation in foreign expeditions, including the Boxer Rebellion in China (18991901), Panama, the Cuban Pacifications, the Perdicaris Incident in Morocco, Veracruz, Santo Domingo, and the Banana Wars in Nicaragua; the experiences gained in Small Wars Manual.[43]

World War I

monochromatic artwork of Marines fighting Germans in a forest
Georges Scott, World War I veteran Marines served a central role in the late American entry into the conflict. Unlike the Army, the Marine Corps had a deep pool of officers and NCOs with battle experience, and experienced a smaller expansion. Here, the Marines fought their famed battle at stormtrooper quality. Though Marines and American media reported that Germans had nicknamed them Teufel Hunden as meaning "Devil Dogs", there is no evidence of this in German records (as Teufelshunde would be the proper German phrase), nevertheless, the name stuck.[44] The Corps had entered the war with 511 officers and 13,214 enlisted personnel, and by 11 November 1918 had reached a strength of 2,400 officers and 70,000 men.[45]

Between the World Wars, the Marine Corps was headed by Commandant Earl Hancock "Pete" Ellis, foresaw a war in the Pacific with [46]

World War II

Color photo of the USMC War Memorial, a bronze statue of six men planting a flagpole with an American Flag into the ground.
Photograph of the Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima.

In World War II, the Marines played a central role in the Bougainville, Guam, Saipan, Peleliu, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa saw fierce fighting between Marines and the Philip Johnston proposed the use of Joint Army/Navy Phonetic Alphabet.

During the battle of Iwo Jima, photographer Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima of five Marines and one Navy Corpsman raising the American flag on Secretary of the Navy divisions, five defense battalions and a parachute battalion were set raised.[47] Nearly 87,000 Marines were casualties during World War II (including nearly 20,000 killed), and 82 were awarded the [48]

Despite Secretary Forrestal's prediction, the Corps faced an immediate institutional crisis following the war due to the low budget. Army generals pushing for a strengthened and reorganized defense establishment attempted to fold the Marine mission and assets into the Navy and Army. Drawing on hastily assembled Congressional support, the Marine Corps rebuffed such efforts to dismantle the Corps, resulting in statutory protection of the Marine Corps in the National Security Act of 1947.[49] Shortly afterward, in 1952 the Douglas-Mansfield Bill afforded the Commandant an equal voice with the three active divisions and Korean War

black & white photo of Marines using ladders to scale a seawall
Marine lieutenant Baldomero Lopez scaling the seawall at Inchon, September 1950

The Korean War (19501953) saw the hastily formed Provisional Marine Brigade holding the defensive line at the Pusan Perimeter. To execute a flanking maneuver, General Douglas MacArthur called on Marine air and ground forces to make an amphibious landing at Inchon. The successful landing resulted in the collapse of North Korean lines and the pursuit of North Korean forces north near the Yalu River until the entrance of the People's Republic of China into the war. Chinese troops surrounded, surprised and overwhelmed the overextended and outnumbered American forces. X Corps, which included the Battle of Chosin Reservoir. The fighting calmed after the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir, but late in March of 1953 the relative quiet of the war was broken when the Chinese Army launched a massive offensive on three outposts manned by the 5th Marine Regiment. These outposts were codenamed "Reno", "Vegas", and "Carson". The campaign was collectively known as the Nevada Cities Campaign. There was brutal fighting on Reno hill, which was eventually captured by the Chinese. Although Reno was lost, the 5th Marines held both Vegas and Carson through the rest of the campaign. In this one campaign, the marines suffered approximately 1,000 casualties, while the Chinese suffered at least twice as many. Marines would continue a battle of attrition around the [50] The Korean War saw the Corps expand from 75,000 regulars to a force of 261,000 Marines, mostly reservists. 30,544 Marines were killed or wounded during the war and 42 were awarded the Medal of Honor.[51]

Vietnam War

black & white photo Marines of Company H, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment wading through a waist deep river in a jungle
Cam Lo, 1966

The Marine Corps served an important role in the Vietnam War taking part in such battles as Hue City, Con Thien and South Vietnam. While there, they were constantly engaged in a guerrilla war against the National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam (NLF) and an intermittent conventional war against the North Vietnamese Army (NVA). Portions of the Corps were responsible for the less-known Combined Action Program (CAP) that implemented unconventional techniques for Republic of Vietnam Marine Corps. Marines were withdrawn in 1971, and returned briefly in 1975 to evacuate Saigon and attempt a rescue of the crew of the [52]

Vietnam was the longest war for Marines; by its end, 13,091[53][54] had been killed in action, 51,392 had been wounded, and 57 Medals of Honor had been awarded.[55][56] Due to policies concerning rotation, more Marines were deployed for service during Vietnam than World War II.[57]

While recovering from Vietnam, the Corps hit a detrimental low point in its service history caused by courts-martial and non-judicial punishments related partially to increased [11]

Interim: Vietnam to the War on Terror

After Vietnam, the Marines resumed their expeditionary role, participating in the 1980 Iran hostage rescue attempt invasion of Grenada (Operation Urgent Fury) and the Beirut, Lebanon, was Joint Task Force Sharp Edge save thousands of lives by evacuating British, French and American nationals from the violence of the Persian Gulf War (19901991), Marine task forces formed the initial core for Operation Desert Shield, while United States and Coalition troops mobilized, and later liberated Kuwait in Operation Desert Storm.[38] Marines participated in combat operations in Somalia (19921995) during Operations Restore Hope, Restore Hope II, and [58]

Global War on Terrorism

color photo of three Marines entering a partially destroyed palace
Marines from 1st Battalion 7th Marines enter a palace in Baghdad.

Following the attacks on 11 September 2001, President George W. Bush announced the War on Terrorism. The stated objective of the Global War on Terror is "the defeat of Al-Qaeda, other terrorist groups and any nation that supports or harbors terrorists."[59] Since then, the Marine Corps, alongside other military and federal agencies, has engaged in global operations around the world in support of that mission.

In spring 2009, President Robert Gates in a series of budget cuts which did not result in significant changes in the Corps' budget and programs, cutting only the VH-71 Kestrel and resetting the VXX program.[60][61][62] However, the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform singled the Corps out for the brunt of a series of recommended cuts in late 2010.[63]

Operation Enduring Freedom

Marines conducting a dawn patrol in Nawa District, in Afghanistan.

Marines and other American forces began staging in Pakistan and Uzbekistan on the border of Afghanistan as early as October 2001 in preparation for Operation Enduring Freedom.[64] The 15th and 26th Marine Expeditionary Units were the first conventional forces into Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in November 2001, and in December, the Marines seized Kandahar International Airport.[65] Since then, Marine battalions and squadrons have been rotating through, engaging Taliban and Al-Qaeda forces. Marines of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit flooded into the Taliban-held town of Garmsir on April 29, 2008, in [66] In June 2009, 7,000 Marines with the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade deployed to Afghanistan in an effort to improve security,[67] and began Operation Strike of the Sword the next month.

In 2002, Combined Joint Task ForceHorn of Africa was stood up at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti to provide regional security.[68] Despite transferring overall command to the Navy in 2006, the Marines continued to operate in the Horn of Africa into 2007.[69]

Operation Iraqi Freedom

Most recently, the Marines have served prominently in the Iraq War. The 3rd Infantry Division, spearheaded the [70] The Marines left Iraq in the summer of 2003, but returned for occupation duty in the beginning of 2004. They were given responsibility for the Baghdad. During this occupation, the Marines spearheaded both assaults on the city of Operation Vigilant Resolve) and November 2004 (Ramadi, Hīt.[71] Their time in Iraq has courted controversy with the Haditha killings and the Hamdania incident.[64][72] The Anbar Awakening and 2007 surge reduced levels of violence. On March 1, 2009, President Obama announced an accelerated withdrawal at Camp Lejeune, promising all troops out by August 2010.[73] The Marine Corps officially ended its role in Iraq on January 23, 2010 when they handed over responsibility for Al Anbar Province to the United States Army.[73][74]

Organization

The Secretary of the Navy, is the Federal Government Agency which both the Marine Corps and the Navy are organized within. The most senior Marine officer is the Commandant of the Marine Corps, responsible to the Secretary of the Navy for organizing, recruiting, training, and equipping the Marine Corps so that its forces are ready for deployment under the operational command of the Combatant Commanders. The Marine Corps is organized into four principal subdivisions: Headquarters Marine Corps (HQMC), the Operating Forces, the Supporting Establishment, and the Marine Forces Reserve (MARFORRES or USMCR).

The Operating Forces are further subdivided into three categories: Marine Corps Forces (MARFOR) assigned to unified commands, Marine Corps Security Forces guarding high-risk naval installations, and Marine Corps Security Guard detachments at American embassies. Under the "Forces for Unified Commands" memo, in accordance with the Unified Command Plan approved by the President, Marine Corps Forces are assigned to each of the Combatant Commands at the discretion of the Secretary of Defense. Since 1991, the Marine Corps has maintained component headquarters at each of the regional unified combatant commands.[75] Marine Corps Forces are further divided into Marine Forces Command (MARFORCOM) and Marine Forces Pacific (MARFORPAC), each headed by a Lieutenant General. MARFORCOM has operational control of the II Marine Expeditionary Force; MARFORPAC has operational control of the III Marine Expeditionary Force.[32]

The Supporting Establishment includes Marine Corps Combat Development Command (MCCDC), Marine Corps Recruit Depots, Marine Corps Logistics Command, air stations, Recruiting Command, and the Relationship with other services

In general, the Marine Corps shares many resources with the other branches of the United States military. However, the Corps has consistently sought to maintain its own identity with regards to mission, funding, and assets, while utilizing the support available from the larger branches. While the Marine Corps has far fewer Army posts, Air Force bases have a Marine presence.

United States Army

A soldier from the 1st Infantry Regiment provides security for a joint Army-Marine patrol in Rawa in 2006; note the logo of the shoulder sleeve insignia.

The Marine Corps combat capabilities in some ways overlap those of the United States Army, the latter having historically viewed the Corps as encroaching on the Army's capabilities and competing for funding, missions, and renown. The attitude dates back to the founding of the George Washington refused to allow the initial Marine battalions to be drawn from among his Dwight D. Eisenhower and [49] With most of the 2000s spent in operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, Secretary of Defense [30]

Doctrinally, Marine Corps' focus is on being expeditionary and independent, and places emphasis on amphibious mobility and combined arms; these make it a much lighter force than many units of the Army. A larger percentage of the Marine Corps' personnel and assets are in the combat arms (infantry, artillery, close air support) than the Army. However, the Army maintains much larger and diverse combat arms (infantry, armor, artillery, special operations), ground transport, logistics, while the Marines have a more diverse aviation arm (which constitutes a larger percentage of forces), and is usually organic to the MAGTF. Marines operate as expeditionary units and are completely 75th Ranger Regiment, born in World War II, enjoys high prestige to this day. While the Army has a longer tradition of special operations forces, Marines joined the MCSOCOM Detachment One in 2003.[76]

The Marines often leverage the Army's acquisition of ground equipment (as well as benefiting from Army research and development resources), training resources, and other support concepts. The majority of vehicles and weapons are shared with, modified, or inherited from Army programs.

Culturally, Marines and soldiers share most of the common U.S. military slang and terminology, but the Corps utilizes a large number of unique vernacular. Many Marines regard their culture to have a deeper warrior tradition, with the ethos that every Marine is a rifleman and emphasis on cross-training and combat readiness despite actual job, be it infantry or otherwise. One source states Marines tend to decentralize and push leadership to lower levels, while fostering initiative to a greater degree.[77]

United States Navy

color photo of swimming AAVs approaching the well deck of an amphibious assault ship
well deck of United States Navy. As a result, the Navy and Marine Corps have a close relationship, more so than with other branches of the military. Whitepapers and promotional literature have commonly used the phrase "Navy-Marine Corps Team",[78][79] or refer to "the Naval Service". Both the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) and Commandant of the Marine Corps report directly to the Secretary of the Navy.

Cooperation between the two services really begins with the training and instruction of Marines. The Corps receives a significant portion of its officers from the United States Naval Academy and drill instructors contribute to training of officers in the Navy's Officer Candidate School. Marine aviators are trained in the Naval Aviation training pipeline and are winged as Naval Aviators.

A Marine (left) and a sailor (right) both dressed in combat gear, fire at a target on a desert weapons range
Marine and sailor train with rifles in Djibouti

Training alongside each other is viewed as critical, as the Navy provides transport, logistical, and combat support to put Marine units into the fight, for example, the Maritime Prepositioning ships and aircraft carriers typically deploy with a Marine squadron alongside Navy squadrons. Marines do not recruit or train noncombatants such as Hospital Corpsmen and Religious Programs Specialists, generally wear Marine uniforms emblazoned with Navy insignia. Conversely, the Marine Corps is responsible for conducting land operations to support naval campaigns, including the seizure of naval and air bases. Both services operate a network security team in conjunction.

Marines and Sailors share many naval traditions, especially terminology and customs. Marine Corps [26] and with few exceptions, the awards and badges of the Navy and Marine Corps are identical. Much of testing for new Marine Corps aircraft is done at NAS Patuxent River. The Navy's Blue Angels flight demonstration team is staffed by both Navy and Marine officers and enlisted men, and includes a Marine C-130 Hercules aircraft.[26]

In 2007, the Marine Corps joined with the Navy and Coast Guard to adopt a new maritime strategy called A Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower that raises the notion of prevention of war to the same philosophical level as the conduct of war.[80] This new strategy charts a course for the Navy, Coast Guard and Marine Corps to work collectively with each other and international partners to prevent regional crises, man-made or natural, from occurring or reacting quickly should one occur to avoid negative impacts to the United States.

The Marines have reduced the requirement for large amphibious ships from 42 to a bare minimum of 33 ships; the fleet currently stands at 29 ships and is likely to shrink in the future.[81]

United States Air Force

color photo of Marines pushing carted equipment from the open bay of a large cargo jet
Marines unload CH-46 helicopters from an Air Force aviation assets ultimately derive from the Navy, some support is drawn from the United States Air Force. The Marine Corps makes extensive use of the airlift Marines and equipment.

The Air Force traditionally provides the Joint Force Air Component Commander who controls "sorties for air defense, and long range interdiction and reconnaissance" while the MAGTF commander retains control of the Marines' organic aviation assets.[82][83]

The Marines provide some ground training for Air Force ground personnel, but most is handled by the Army.[84]

Air-ground task forces

Today, the basic framework for deployable Marine units is the Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF), a flexible structure of varying size. A MAGTF integrates a ground combat element (GCE), an aviation combat element (ACE), and a logistics combat element (LCE)[85] under a common command element (CE), capable of operating independently or as part of a larger coalition. The MAGTF structure reflects a strong tradition in the Corps towards self-sufficiency and a commitment to combined arms, both essential assets to an expeditionary force often called upon to act independently in discrete, time-sensitive situations. The history of the Marine Corps as well has led to a wariness of overreliance on its sister services, and towards joint operations in general.[11]

A MAGTF varies in size from the smallest, a battalion and a composite squadron, up to the largest, a Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF), which ties together a Air Wing, and a Logistics Group under a MEF Headquarters Group. The seven MEUs constantly rotate between themselves and their attached components to maintain a high state of readiness. Each MEU is rated as capable of performing [86] The three MEFs contain the vast majority of active duty deployable forces.

Special warfare

Although the notion of a Marine special forces contribution to the Paul X. Kelley expressed the popular belief that Marines should support Marines, and that the Corps should not fund a special warfare capability that would not support Marine operations.[87] However, much of the resistance from within the Corps dissipated when Marine leaders watched the Corps' 15th and 26th MEU(SOC)s "sit on the sidelines" during the very early stages of Operation Enduring Freedom while other special operations units actively engaged in operations in Afghanistan.[76] After a three-year development period, the Corps agreed in 2006 to supply a 2,500-strong unit, Marine Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC), which would answer directly to USSOCOM.[88]

Personnel

Leadership

color photograph of Micheal P. Barrett
Micheal P. Barrett,
Commandant of the Marine Corps is the highest-ranking officer of the Marine Corps; though he may not be the senior officer by time in grade and/or U.S. Code Title 10 responsibility to man, train, and equip the Marine Corps. He does not serve as a direct battlefield commander. The Commandant is a member of the Secretary of the Navy.[89]

The Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps acts as a deputy to the Commandant. The Headquarters Marine Corps comprises the rest of the Commandant's counsel and James F. Amos, who assumed the position on 22 October 2010 and vacated the office of Assistant Commandant.[90] The 32nd and current Assistant Commandant is Joseph F. Dunford, Jr.,[91][92][93] while the 17th and current Sergeant Major is Micheal P. Barrett. Other Marine generals may be senior to the Commandant or Assistant Commandant in terms of time in grade and/or billet.

Rank structure

As in the rest of the United States military, Marine Corps commissioned officer, warrant officer, and enlisted, in decreasing order of authority (excluding the Air Force, which does not currently appoint warrant officers). To standardize compensation, each rank is assigned a pay grade.[94]

Commissioned officers

Commissioned officers are distinguished from other officers by their President of the United States, that confers the rank and authority of a Marine officer. Commissioned officers carry the "special trust and confidence" of the President of the United States.[22]

U.S. DoD Pay Grade O-1 O-2 O-3 O-4 O-5 O-6 O-7 O-8 O-9 O-10
Insignia
gold vertical bar
silver vertical bar
two silver vertical bars
gold oak leaf
silver oak leaf
silver eagle with shield clutching arrows
single silver star
two silver stars
three silver stars
four silver stars
Title Second Lieutenant First Lieutenant Captain Major Lieutenant Colonel Colonel Brigadier General Major General Lieutenant General General
Abbreviation 2ndLt 1stLt Capt Maj LtCol Col BGen MajGen LtGen Gen
NATO Code OF-1 OF-2 OF-3 OF-4 OF-5 OF-6 OF-7 OF-8 OF-9

Warrant officers

Warrant officers are primarily former enlisted experts in a specific specialized field and provide leadership generally only within that speciality.

U.S. DoD Pay Grade W-1 W-2 W-3 W-4 W-5
Insignia gold bar with two red squares gold bar with three red squares silver bar with two red squares siver bar with three red squares silver bar with a red line down the long axis
Title Warrant Officer 1 Chief Warrant Officer 2 Chief Warrant Officer 3 Chief Warrant Officer 4 Chief Warrant Officer 5
Abbreviation WO1 CWO2 CWO3 CWO4 CWO5
NATO Code WO-1 WO-2 WO-3 WO-4 WO-5

Enlisted

Enlisted Marines in the pay grades E-1 to E-3 make up the bulk of the Corps' ranks, usually referred to simply as "Marines". Although they do not technically hold leadership ranks, the Corps' ethos stresses leadership among all Marines, and junior Marines are often assigned responsibility normally reserved for superiors. Those in the pay grades of E-4 and E-5 are Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps is a unique rank and billet conferred on the senior enlisted Marine of the entire Marine Corps, personally selected by the Commandant.

Different forms of address can be found at United States Marine Corps rank insignia and List of United States Marine Corps acronyms and expressions.

U.S. DoD Pay grade E-1 E-2 E-3 E-4 E-5 E-6 E-7 E-8 E-9
Insignia No insignia single chevron single chevron with crossed rifles two chevrons with crossed rifles three chevrons with crossed rifles three chevrons up and one down with crossed rifles three chevrons up and two down with crossed rifles three chevrons up and three down with crossed rifles three chevrons up and three down with diamond three chevrons up and four down with bursting bomb three chevrons up and four down with star three chevrons up and four down with Eagle, Globe, and Anchor insignia flanked by two stars
Title Private Abbreviation Pvt PFC LCpl Cpl Sgt SSgt GySgt MSgt 1stSgt MGySgt SgtMaj SgtMajMarCor
NATO Code OR-1 OR-2 OR-3 OR-4 OR-5 OR-6 OR-7 OR-8 OR-9

Military Occupational Specialty

The Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) is a system of job classification. Using a four digit code, it designates what field and specific occupation a Marine performs. Segregated between officer and enlisted, the MOS determines the staffing of a unit. Some MOSs change with rank to reflect supervisory positions, others are secondary and represent a temporary assignment outside of a Marine's normal duties or special skill.

color photo of a rifle range, with recruits firing rifles at distant targets while a Warrant Officer observes
A Warrant Officer observes recruits firing on a Initial training

Every year, over 2,000 new Marine officers are commissioned, and 38,000 recruits accepted and trained.[32] All new Marines, enlisted or officer, are recruited by the Marine Corps Recruiting Command.[95]

Commissioned officers are commissioned mainly through one of three sources: Officer Candidates School (OCS), or the United States Naval Academy (USNA). Following commissioning, all Marine commissioned officers, regardless of accession route or further training requirements, attend Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia. At TBS, second lieutenants, warrant officers, and selected foreign officers learn the art of infantry and combined arms warfare.[22]

Enlisted Marines attend recruit training, known as boot camp, at either Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island. Historically, the Mississippi River served as the dividing line which delineated who would be trained where, while more recently, a district system has ensured a more even distribution of male recruits between the two MCRD facilities. Females attend only the Parris Island depot as part of the segregated Fourth Recruit Training Battalion. All recruits must pass a fitness test to start training; those who fail receive individualized attention and training until the minimum standards are reached. Marine recruit training is the longest among the American military services; it is 13 weeks long, compared to the Army's 10 weeks or the Navy's 9 weeks.[96]

Following recruit training, enlisted Marines then attend Camp Geiger or [97]

Uniforms

color drawings of four Marines wearing various uniforms
Left to right: Utility Uniform, Dress Uniform, Service Uniform, and Evening Dress uniforms

The Marine Corps has the most stable and most recognizable uniforms in the American military; the Blue Dress dates back to the early 19th century[32] and the service uniform to the early 20th century. Marines' uniforms are distinct in their simplicity; Marines do not wear unit patches or United States flags on any of their uniforms, nor name tags on their service and formal uniforms. Only a handful of skills (parachutist, air crew, explosive ordnance disposal, etc.) warrant Ranger, Dress uniform is the most elaborate, worn for formal or ceremonial occasions. There are three different forms of the Dress uniform, the most common being the Blue Dress Uniform, called "Dress Blues" or simply "Blues". It is most often seen in recruiting advertisements and is equivalent to black tie. There is a "Blue-White" Dress for summer, and white tie) occasions. Versions with a khaki shirt in lieu of the coat are worn as a daily working uniform by Marine recruiters.[98]

The Service Uniform was once the prescribed daily work attire in garrison; however, it has been largely superseded in this role by the utility uniform. Consisting of olive green and khaki colors, it is commonly referred to as "Greens". It is roughly equivalent in function and composition to a [98]

The Utility Uniform, currently the Marine Corps Combat Utility Uniform, is a camouflage uniform intended for wear in the field or for dirty work in garrison, though it has now been standardized for regular duty. It is rendered in a distinctive camouflage (sometimes referred to as digitals or digies) that breaks up the wearer's shape, and serves to distinguish Marine uniforms from those of other services. In garrison, the woodland uniform is worn sleeves down in winter, and the desert uniform is worn with sleeves rolled up in summer.[99] The sleeves are rolled tightly to the biceps, exposing the lighter inside layer, and forming a neat cuff to present a crisper appearance to the otherwise formless uniform. In years past when Marines wore identical utilities to their Army and Air Force counterparts, this served to distinguish them as the other services have a different practice for rolling sleeves. Marines consider the utilities a working uniform and do not permit their wear off-base, except in transit to and from their place of duty and in the event of an emergency. This, too, distinguishes them from other services, which have less stringent restrictions.[98]

Culture

As in any military organization, the official and unofficial traditions of the Marine Corps serve to reinforce camaraderie and set the service apart from others. The Corps' embrace of its rich culture and history is cited as a reason for its high esprit de corps.[22]

color artwork of an Eagle, Globe, and Anchor over crossed American and Marine flags
Eagle, Globe and Anchor along with the U.S. flag, the Marine Corps flag and the Commandant's flag

Official traditions and customs

The Semper Fidelis means always faithful in Latin, often appearing as Semper Fi; also the name of the official march of the Corps, composed by John Phillip Sousa. The mottos "Fortitudine" (With Fortitude); By Sea and by Land, a translation of the Royal Marines' Per Mare, Per Terram; and To the Shores of Tripoli were used until 1868.[100] The Marine Corps emblem is the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor, sometimes abbreviated "EGA", adopted in 1868.[101] The Marine Corps seal includes the emblem, also is found on the [102]

Two styles of swords are worn by Marines: the officers' shamshir presented to Lt. [32] The Marine Corps Birthday is celebrated every year on 10 November in a cake-cutting ceremony where the first slice of cake is given to the oldest Marine present, who in turn hands it off to the youngest Marine present. The celebration includes a reading of Marine Corps Order 47, Commandant [103] Close Order Drill is heavily emphasized early on in a Marine's initial training, incorporated into most formal events, and is used to teach discipline by instilling habits of precision and automatic response to orders, increase the confidence of junior officers and noncommissioned officers through the exercise of command and give Marines an opportunity to handle individual weapons.[104]

An important part of the Marine Corps culture is the traditional seafaring Unofficial traditions and customs

cartoon of a bulldog wearing a Marine helmet chasing a dachshund wearing a German helmet, the poster reads "Teufelhunden: German nickname for U.S. Marines. Devil Dog recruiting station, 628 South State Street"
A recruiting poster makes use of the "Teufel Hunden" nickname.

Marines have several generic nicknames:

  • Devil Dog has several oft-disputed explanations,[105][106][107] but the tradition has expanded to include the [32]
  • gyrene has dropped out of popular use.[108]
  • [109]
  • Leatherneck refers to a leather collar formerly part of the Marine uniform during the Revolutionary War period.[110]

Some other unofficial traditions include mottos and exclamations:

  • Oorah is common among Marines, being similar in function and purpose to the Army's hooah and the Navy's hooyah cries. Many possible [111]
  • Semper Fi, Mac was a common and preferred form of greeting in times past.
  • Improvise, Adapt and Overcome has become an adopted mantra in many units.[112]

Veteran Marines

The ethos that "Once a Marine, Always a Marine" has led to the objection to the use of the term "ex-Marine", leading to myriad forms of address for those no longer on active duty:[49]

  • "Marine", since the title is permanent, once earned.
  • "Veteran Marine" or "Prior-service Marine" can refer to anyone who has been discharged from the Corps.
  • "Retired Marine" refers to those who have completed 20 or more years of service and formally retired, or have been medically retired.
  • "Former Marine" is considered acceptable among those who are honorably discharged from the United States Marine Corps.
  • "Sir" or "Ma'am" is appropriate out of respect.
  • According to one of the "Commandant's White letters" from Commandant Alfred M. Gray, Jr., referring to a Marine by their last earned rank is appropriate.[113]
  • Marines that have left service with a less than full honorable discharge might still be considered Marines (depending on the view of the individual), however that title is in keeping with a stigma, and many will avoid the issue altogether by addressing the individual by name with no other title.
color photo of a Marine tossing another Marine over his shoulder onto a mat
Marine performs a shoulder throw.

Martial arts program