Marine Corps is restructuring itself. This will put it in a position where it can face major powers as well as land wars. It will be smaller and more mobile, and it will be able to move across domains. It will also be able to use unmanned platforms to improve its firepower. However, there are many challenges ahead.
The Marine Corps will undergo the most dramatic overhaul in its history. The Corps will trade in its tanks for unmanned boat and planes to accomplish this. A new Marine class will emerge. They will have a larger talent pool and will keep America ahead of other near-peer countries.
Currently, the Marines are engaged in Iraq and Afghanistan as a land force, but the Corps is shifting to a more agile and less volatile model. To accomplish this, the Corps will reduce its infantry battalions from 24 to 21. Helicopter squadrons and tilt-rotor planes will also be reduced. Instead, Marines can be organized into three light regiments equipped with precision fires and long-range, long-range weapons. In addition to these, the Marines will be equipped with drones to boost their reach and firepower.
The new kind of Marine will be spread out on the battlefield, and will be able to operate along the coastlines and in chokepoints. This is a vast improvement on the Corps of 2010. This is a vast improvement on the Corps of 2010.
However, the new approach to amphibious operations may not be sufficient to defeat heavily mechanized enemies. For example, the North Korean People's Army or the Russian Ground Forces would have a difficult time slugging with the Marines' heavy guns.
To combat that, the Corps is going to need to add long-range precision fires, drones, and ships. Over the next few decades, new capabilities are expected to be online. Although some of these capabilities are being developed, the Corps is still not ready to support 5G networks in prime time.
The Marines are currently undergoing Tartan Eagle 2022, a training exercise. During the exercise, four Marines were killed when their plane crashed in a Norwegian town. Seven people offered their assistance after the crash. Eventually, emergency services arrived.
These are great steps, but the Marine Corps still faces many acquisition challenges. The Corps will reduce its helicopter squadrons and lose its tank battalions. It will also purchase fewer F-35C Joint Strike Fighters. Still, the Corps is moving forward with its Force Design 2030 strategy.
Ultimately, the makeover of the Marine Corps is meant to put it in a position to seize China's bases in the South China Sea. To do this, the Marines will need to shrink their size, and will need to reorient their mission to focus on the Pacific. If a conflict breaks out, the Marines will need to invest in more small-scale amphibious ships and a fleet of ground vehicles capable of threatening the Chinese maritime systems.