CMC Gen. Dunford Outlines the Way Ahead for the Corps

40% of the 60% on first enlistment are Lance Corporals and below. Manpower requirements are something that I dealt with at HQMC when I was an assistant aviation monitor (I was the monitor for 63 & 64 Occ Flds) End strength was 186,000, slightly higher than today's numbers. Additional cuts below those figures have to be considered in technical skills such as aviation and others to ensure we're not requiring our Marines to support the same number of aircraft or equipment with less of a work force. This happened during the draw-down from Vietnam. Some organizations, combat arms and aviation, were still trying to maintain the same number of weapons systems with reduced numbers. This can and did result in mishaps and accidents and it reduces operational readiness. While it is true in today's Marine Corps that we can do more with less, sophisticated weapons systems must have the appropriate numbers of support personnel required. It was a continual problem when I was a monitor to make seniors understand that one less member of a rifle squad might be doable whereas one less avionics or maintenance technician could pose a safety risk or negatively impact operational readiness.

Thanks for sharing! Always interesting to hear where our leadership wants to take us