Army Contingency Forces and Marine Corps Expeditionary Forces: Unique or Redundant?
Abstract
This monograph seeks to determine whether Army contingency forces and Marine Corps expeditionary forces represent unique or redundant capabilities and more importantly, which redundancies actually represent complementary capabilities. To help answer this question, a brief review of the historical underpinnings of the Army and Marine Corps roles and missions debate is conducted. Then, the impact of contemporary U.S. defense strategy on roles and missions is examined. Lastly, a comparative analysis of contingency and expeditionary forces is conducted to assess unique capabilities and possible interservice redundancies. Criteria for comparison and judgement are derived from national military strategy requirements and include deployability, lethality, and versatility. This monograph concludes that while it is true that both the Army and Marine Corps possess the ability to respond to crises with land forces as outlined in DOD Directive 5100.1, their unique capabilities complement rather than duplicate each other. However, unnecessary duplication may exist within Army contingency forces--specifically, the light infantry division. Ultimately, it is through the synergism created by the simultaneous application of complementary capabilities that will enable CINCs to continue to accomplish their missions and the United States to continue to win.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 14, 1993
- Accession Number
- ADA274101
Entities
People
- William B. Garrett Iii
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College