Another Long March: Lessons from the Post-Vietnam Rebuild of the Marine Corps, 1969 to 1989
Abstract
1969 marked the start of America's drawdown from the Vietnam War. Bloodied and scarred by its experiences in the conflict, the Marine Corps embarked upon a twenty year program to rebuild their force and reclaim their organizational ethos in light of developing threats to national security and changing social and cultural perceptions about military service. Despite some challenges and setbacks, the Marine Corps, by 1989, emerged from this process capable of accomplishing any assigned mission. This monograph argues that the actions taken by Marine Corps leadership during this period illustrate how the Marine Corps successfully navigated an ambiguous and evolving national security environment and emerged as an effective and agile military force. To support this assertion, this monograph employs a topical methodology of analyzing the ends, ways, and means applicable to the Marine Corps for the twenty year period in question. This monograph first studies three particular ends: the national security strategies outlined in the presidential doctrines of Presidents Nixon, Carter, and Reagan. Flowing from those ends, this monograph describes three historical events that reflect prevailing defense and military strategies during the period: the introduction of an all-volunteer military force, the botched attempt to end the Iran hostage crisis, and the bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon. Next, the topic of means looks at the manpower and equipment resources cultivated by the Marine Corps during the twenty year period. Complementing this analysis, a study of ways, or how the Marine Corps employed these resources operationally, rounds out a discussion of Marine Corps efforts to return to relevance after the Vietnam War. Collectively, an examination of actions and events applicable to the Marine Corps between 1969 and 1989, viewed through the topical lens of ends, ways, and means, tells the story of a deliberate rebuilding process of a the Marine Corps as a military
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 22, 2014
- Accession Number
- ADA612111
Entities
People
- John J. Franklin
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College