Ending the civil war over the future of the US Marine Corps - Breaking Defense

Perhaps no current leader at the Pentagon has stirred up as much passion as Marine commandant Gen. David Berger and his plan to overhaul the Marines, which have been met with significant and at times cutting feedback from retired officers. In this analysis, David E. Johnson of the RAND Corporation calls for peace in the Corps, before it’s too late.

There is a war going on over the future of the Marine Corps.

On one side is Marine Corps commandant Gen. David H. Berger. In opposition is a large, organized group of retired Marine generals. The war is over Berger’s decision to overhaul the Corps to function as an adjunct of the Navy, focused primarily on anti-shipping operations against China.

But if this conflict continues, it threatens to be destructive to the very fabric of the Corps — bad for the Marines and worse for our country. And while both sides feel passionately they are doing what’s best for the service, this conflict needs to be stopped, immediately, before irreparable harm is done.

Berger first announced intentions to reform the Corps in his Commandant’s Guidance [PDF] when he assumed office in July 2019. He also made it clear that addressing force design was his “number one priority.”