The Marine Corps’ Plan for the Future of Ground Combat
s2: Defining 'Dominate' in Future Combat
Dominating future ground combat means enabling formations to 'shoot, move, communicate, and survive' across all domains. This involves leveraging both kinetic and non-kinetic weapon systems, sensing the enemy, reaching them with fires, communicating effectively, and displacing quickly. Survivability is paramount, requiring tactical deception, spectrum management, and layered air defense against evolving threats like drones and missiles.
Colonel Clark: Evolving Maneuver Warfare
Maneuver warfare, a core tenet of the Marine Corps, remains critical for future conflicts, adapting to a battlefield characterized by pervasive ISR, robots, and short decision windows. The strategy involves leveraging capabilities more quickly and precisely than adversaries, focusing on key terrain and exploiting gaps through integrated maneuver and fires in a contested multi-domain environment.
Colonel Smith: Logistics as a Force Multiplier
The future of ground combat hinges on a resilient and expeditionary logistics network capable of supporting advanced, power-hungry autonomous systems. This includes leveraging autonomous vehicles for resupply, living off the land, and reducing power requirements through more efficient systems and alternative power sources, ensuring units can maintain momentum and exploit opportunities.
Colonel Smith: Accountability and Adaptation
The GC 2040 document serves as a benchmark for the Marine Corps' future ground combat element, emphasizing adaptability and resilience. Marines are encouraged to hold leadership accountable for delivering necessary training, education, and equipment, ensuring the force is prepared for future fights against peer adversaries.
Grassroots Ideas Fueling Future Strategy
The development of GC 2040 was significantly informed by ideas and challenges identified by Marines at the grassroots level through processes like the ground board. This bottom-up approach ensures that the strategy addresses real-world problems and incorporates innovative solutions from those operating in the fleet.
