The Marine Corps Operating Concept: Neglecting History to Develop a 21st Century Force.
Abstract
The 2016 Marine Corps Operating Concept (MOC); How an Expeditionary Force Operates in the 21st Century makes the assertion that the Marine Corps is currently not organized, trained, and equipped to meet the demands of a future operating environment. The MOC espouses the use of dispersed combat elements in amphibious operations and provides guidance for the generation of the future force. In doing so, the MOC breaks from the historically demonstrated requirement for superiority of force in amphibious operations. The ideas presented in the MOC caused this author to ask the following questions: is the MOC right? Are Marine Corps forces designed, trained, and equipped to operate in dispersed formations able to conduct decisive maneuver from the sea? This monograph conducted a comprehensive examination of the development of US Amphibious Doctrine and its initial implementation during Operation Watchtower in 1942, the seizure of Guadalcanal and Tulagi in the Pacific Ocean's Solomon archipelago, as a case study, demonstrating that the MOC fails to account for the historically proven requirement for superiority of force in amphibious operations. The monograph concludes that the MOC serves as a normative theory due to its divergence from historically demonstrated requirements for superiority of force. As such, the MOC's divergence from history jeopardizes the Marine Corps' ability to conduct decisive maneuver from the sea and field a force capable of meeting its Title 10 requirements.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 24, 2018
- Accession Number
- AD1087245
Entities
People
- Matthew L. Rohlfing