The adage that every Marine is a rifleman may not go far enough. The Corps is conducting experiments in creating a small-unit offensive mindset that every Marine is a hunter.
Over the past several years force protection has risen from the commander's fundamental responsibility in peace and war to a separate, distinct, and highly publicized battlefield function. It has, in effect, become the equal of tasks such as command and control, maneuver, and logistics. More important, the notion of force protection has engendered an insidious defensive mindset at the strategic and operational levels of war that focuses on absorbing the hit, often at the expense of developing the self-confidence, tactical skill, and simple ancillary equipment required to avoid it.
