Marine Corps Energy: Instilling an Ethos of Energy Efficiency
Abstract
The Commandant of the Marine Corps (CMC) has stated that the Marine Corps must change the way it uses energy to rebalance and prepare for the future. Over the past years at war, the Marine Corps has become more lethal, but at the price of becoming too heavy and slow. Thus, a new energy strategy must outline ways to optimize expeditionary capabilities across all warfighting functions. Many of these courses of action require changes to existing doctrine. However, unless the Marine Corps changes its culture and instills an ethos of efficient and effective use of energy, changes in doctrine alone will not bring about the required transformation. This paper examines why the Marine Corps needs to change its energy culture. Specifically, it examines the way Marines think about and employ energy on the battlefield. The paper compares the actions taken by the Marine Corps with the eight stages of creating major change that John Kotter recommends in "Leading Change" to determine whether those actions are sufficient to bring about the expeditionary energy culture required for the 21st century. Preliminary indications show that the Marine Corps is successfully progressing along the eight-stage process. It is currently in stage five and has already conducted some actions in stage six.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 20, 2012
- Accession Number
- ADA562025
Entities
People
- Julie Schaffer
Organizations
- United States Army War College