They're setting up Phase 2 of Force Design 2030...Expect the loss of even more combat power!

 Thanks to CoffeeJoeJava for the link!

*If you have been watching the Marine Corps for the past few years then you know the play book.  Remember the article "Who Are We Sir?"  That was the opening shot of Berger's radical reform. Now we have this article.  Read it and weep.  Instead of taking a pause and assessing what has been lost they're going full speed ahead...or at least hoping to.

via WarOnTheRocks

But the work is far from complete. We believe the Marine Corps can do a better job of articulating how its contributions to the joint force are more significant than its dependencies. Your predecessor shared in his 2022 Force Design 2030 annual update that he, too, believed it is essential to communicate the details of his vision more effectively. 

As the next commandant, you will have the opportunity to improve the narrative by clearly identifying and communicating how the service’s current and future operational objectives contribute to the challenges of today’s ever-changing national security environment. We believe that the process ought to start with identifying areas where the Marine Corps adds unique capabilities and expanded capacity to the joint force while interrogating some of the favorable assumptions underlying these capabilities. By embracing this effort, you can bolster the Marine Corps’ narrative and build understanding with decision-makers in the Pentagon, at the White House, and on Capitol Hill.

This is new for the Marine Corps.  The authors talk about gaining support from policy makers but leaves out the public.  Historically the Marine Corps has survived because it has the support of the American people and perhaps as important, the millions of Marines that are no longer on active duty.  They've pissed that away while charging toward an uncertain force design that is half done and has diminished combat power TODAY. 

To garner the support required to meet these dependencies and shortfalls, the service needs to do a better job of convincing Congress and the other armed services that the capabilities that the Marine Corps plans to bring to the fight are worth their investment, now and in the future.

This is strange to me.  We've heard over and over that FD2030 has been run up the flag pole and has the full support of the SecDef, SecNav and the JCS.  So why the need to garner more support now?  This is basic change agent 101 shit.  You get buy in before you begin the change! 

However, as the Marine Corps continues to emphasize how the capabilities that it has chosen to pursue are a force multiplier in competition, the service could also explicitly state what missions it will no longer train for. 

This is ominous!  What mission set is the Marine Corps about to abandon? 

Giving investment in the Future Vertical Lift initiative and ship-to-shore connectors higher priority — perhaps at the expense of other warfighting capabilities — would help to reconcile intra-theater lift and protection concerns. With the divestment of certain capabilities, ground mobility and counter-mobility should be tested to ensure that the future force can get into and out of the fight.

Once again they're talking about giving up warfighting capabilities.

Sorry folks.

Can't take this anymore. 

Read the plan for the end of the Marine Corps here.