The Operational Warfare Revolution: Leveraging Operational Art to Prepare the Marine Corps for Conflict in an Era of Great Power Competition
Abstract
On 16 July 2019, General David H. Berger, 38th Commandant of the Marine Corps, declared that the Marine Corps is not manned, trained, or equipped for the challenges of the future operating environment. This reality, captured in his planning guidance, reflects the cumulative effects of protracted conflict ashore and the reemergence of great power competition. In catalyzing an operational warfare revolution, the Commandant aims to foster organizational change while realigning the Corps with its statutory role as the nation's naval expeditionary force-in-readiness. While material and organizational adaptations will play a central role in facilitating this revolution, the Marine Corps must also revise its theoretical approach to operations and its doctrinal hierarchy to enable the organization to generate greater value for the Joint Force. In a similar fashion to the Soviet Red Army when faced with a "New Epoch in Military Art," the Corps must shed its traditional focus on the tactical level of war and embrace operational art-a concept overlooked in Marine Corps doctrine to retain enduring relevance during the conduct of naval campaigns in the context of all-domain, globally integrated operations that span the competition continuum.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 21, 2020
- Accession Number
- AD1159742
Entities
People
- Matthew J. Schultz
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College