The U.S. Marine Corps Transformation Path: Preparing for the High-End Fight

The United States Marine Corps began its modern transformation path after the introduction of the Osprey in 2007. In a series of in-depth interviews with the United States Marines, this analysis highlights the transformation strategy that has made the USMC one of the most dynamic military forces in the world today. From the land wars to dealing with peer competitor threats and engagements, this book demonstrates how the Marines are navigating the strategic shift to craft innovative solutions for the return of Great Power competition.

Many coalition partners look to the USMC as a relevant benchmark for the kind of multi-domain operations which they can pursue. For many allies, their force structure approximates the size of the USMC, and they find the fit better than emulating the total force which the United States has built. It is also the case that the legacy force coming out of the land wars is not directly applicable in terms of its warfighting relevance to the approaches for combat with the peer competitors.

"Only time will tell how the Marine Corps navigates this treacherous transformation journey, but it's not the equipment that will make the Corps successful on the future battlefield – it's the Marines."- Lt-Gen George Trautman, USMC (Ret).

Dr. Robbin F. Laird, a long-time analyst of global defense issues, has worked in the U.S. Government and several think tanks, including the Center for Naval Analysis and the Institute for Defense Analysis. He is a Columbia University alumnus, where he taught and worked for several years at the Research Institute of International Change. This think tank was founded by Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski.

Dr. Laird is a frequent op-ed contributor to the defense press and he has written several books on international security issues. He has also taught at Queens College, Columbia University and Johns Hopkins University. He has received various academic research grants from various foundations, including the Fritz Thyssen Foundation and the United States Institute for Peace.

Dr. Laird is the editor of two websites, Second Line of Defense and Defense.info. He is a member of the Board of Contributors of Breaking Defense and publishes with the board regularly. He is a regular contributor to the Canadian Defense magazine Frontline Defense as well.
Dr. Laird is a frequent visitor to Australia, where he is a research fellow with the Williams Foundation in supporting their seminars on the transformation of the Australian Defense Force. Recently, he has become a research fellow with the Institute for Integrated Economic Research – Australia. The institute is focused on several key macro social-defense issues which revolve around establishing trusted supply chains and resiliency in dealing with the challenges posed by the 21st-century authoritarian powers.

He is also based in Paris, France, where he regularly travels throughout Europe and conducts interviews and talks with leading policymakers in the region.