The Marine Corps Must Abandon Force Design and Return to Traditional Combined Arms Capabilities
Source: https://www.facebook.com/americanspectator/. "A To-Do List for the Next Marine Corps Commandant | The American Spectator | USA News and Politics." May 19, 2026. spectator.org
The Gist
The author argues that the Marine Corps made a huge mistake by switching from being a versatile fighting force to one focused mainly on firing anti-ship missiles at China. He says they should go back to their old way of fighting because the new missiles aren't very good and they've lost important abilities they need for city fighting and other missions.
Conclusion
The next Marine Corps Commandant should abandon Force Design and restore the traditional capabilities that made the Marines an effective worldwide force-in-readiness
Premises
- Force Design's centerpiece NEMSIS anti-ship missile is obsolete, too slow, and has insufficient range for South China Sea conflicts
- Other military services are developing superior hypersonic anti-ship systems that outrange NEMSIS
- The Indo-Pacific theater commander has ignored Force Design and relies on other services for anti-ship missile support
- Force Design eliminated critical capabilities (armor, heavy engineer, artillery, scout-snipers) needed for urban warfare and combined arms operations
- Urban warfare is the most likely combat scenario for the rest of the century, requiring capabilities that Force Design discarded
- Virtually every former Marine Corps commandant and senior officers oppose Force Design and want traditional capabilities restored
- The Marine Corps currently cannot provide the middle-weight combined arms force that proved critical in Korean War, Desert Storm, and Iraqi Freedom
Assumptions
- Military effectiveness should be measured by versatility across multiple combat scenarios rather than specialization for one theater
- Past military successes provide reliable guidance for future capability requirements
- The consensus of retired senior military leaders represents sound strategic judgment
- Urban warfare will remain the dominant combat environment for decades
- Traditional combined arms doctrine is superior to specialized anti-ship missile focus