The U.S. armed forces traditionally-perhaps even justifiably-have been criticized for invariably preparing for the last war. The Marine Corps pleads innocent to that accusation. Evidence of our commitment to innovation and experimentation is abundant-e.g., development of the doctrine for amphibious operations prior to World War II; exploration of the potential for vertical assault during the Korean War; advocacy for short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) aircraft in the 1970s; the growth of our maneuver warfare philosophy in the 1980s; and development of maritime prepositioning ships and the associated concepts of employment that were so crucial in the early phases of Desert Storm.
Our willingness to embrace change, however, is balanced with a devotion to those enduring qualities that have long distinguished the Corps-i.e., our core values, our warrior culture; partnership with the Navy; commitment to the maintenance of high standards; our expeditionary nature; and adherence to our combined-arms theology that is the foundation of the utility and the effectiveness of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF).
For more than two and a quarter centuries, the Corps has met the nation's expectations for its most expeditious force in readiness. Any analysis of our mission reveals a critical implied task: to anticipate the challenges of the future and to take such action as may be required to ensure our enduring capability to meet those challenges. Accordingly, the Corps has embraced a constant commitment to innovation and experimentation and to purposeful and continuous evolution. Indeed, Marines long have viewed transformation as an evolutionary process, not an event. With this as a backdrop, the stage is set for the next step in our iterative process of transformation.
The United States and its Marines stand together at the threshold of a challenging new age. Before us is a complex international security landscape, characterized by the opposing forces of globalization: fragmentation and integration. On one hand, long-simmering ethnic, tribal, religious, and nationalist pressures have erupted, splintering peoples, states, and even regions. On the other hand, growing interdependence draws peoples and nations into increasingly symbiotic relationships, where even minor regional instability can reverberate across the globe. The tension between these forces produces a volatile sociopolitical and economic environment dependent on active, multidimensional engagement in which the efforts of the military are prominent. The relative stability of the Cold War has been exchanged for an environment in which crisis is constant and pressures for U.S. engagement and military intervention continue to grow.
A growing awareness of the new security environment, coupled with an inadequate commitment of resources to modernization, has led to increased calls for the "transformation" of our military forces. Change for change's sake, however, can lead to wasted resources and, in some cases, to the unnecessary duplication of capabilities.
What is needed is well-reasoned, purposeful adaptation to ensure that the nation maintains a balanced military force with the capabilities required to deal with the wide range of threats of an uncertain future. This requirement led the Marine Corps to conclude that the time had come to assess our course and speed through a critical self-evaluation in the context of the emerging security landscape.
At our January 2000 Executive Offsite, a quarterly gathering of the Corps' senior leaders, we chartered a group to examine issues that could challenge the Marine Corps. That task led us to establish the General Officer Futures Group. Comprised of 19 Marine generals, one Senior Executive Service member, and the president and chief executive officer of the Center for Naval Analyses, the group represented nearly a quarter of the Corps' general officers-a significant but extremely worthwhile expenditure of time and talent.
The Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps oversaw the effort and was assisted by the Commanding General, Marine Corps Combat Development Command, who served as the project's lead. The group met monthly for seven months, beginning in February 2000. The conclusions of the General Officer Futures Group are captured in 24 recommendations addressing staff restructuring, force structure improvements, acquisition, enhanced outsourced education and training and distance learning, migration of certain support functions from the operating forces to the supporting establishment, and a variety of other issues.
The General Officer Futures Group's principal objective was to express the Marine Corps Vision for the 21st Century in terms of who we are, what we will be, and, most important, how we will achieve our desired end state. The vision statement embodies the group's far-ranging conclusions and was crafted carefully to capture the essence of its lengthy deliberations.
The vision affirms our recognition of the Corps' legacy, acknowledges tomorrow's challenges, and provides a general guide for modernization and a durable and flexible expression of our view of tomorrow. It promises significant institutional efforts to come, the results of which will ensure that the Corps remains relevant, capable, and ready. It also challenges the Marines of today and tomorrow to honor our past and to intensify our efforts to enhance our capabilities.
Our new vision neither calls for a major rudder change nor mandates radical transformation. The General Officer Futures Group concluded that we have the fundamentals right and require only minor course corrections to sustain our progress. Our tradition of innovation, ability to anticipate change, and willingness to adapt guarantee our continued viability.
Our vision-a Corps of enhanced strategic agility, operational reach, and tactical flexibility-will serve as a lens to focus our efforts and lead to a dramatically more capable Marine Corps. It is the foundation of our recently published service strategy-- Marine Corps Strategy 21-which outlines the broad goals and aims required to guide the development of the capabilities needed to meet the challenges of the future. Realization of the vision hinges on the next step-i.e., the articulation of an overarching operational concept that will unite our warfighting and support concepts.
Expeditionary Maneuver Warfare (EMW), currently in draft, will become our capstone operational concept and describe how we will exploit the capabilities of our Corps. Based on the tenets of maneuver warfare, the groundwork laid by Operational Maneuver from the Sea (OMFTS), and our expeditionary culture, it will "operationalize" our vision. A natural evolution of OMFTS, Expeditionary Maneuver Warfare will define better how the Corps responds across the range of conflict and will provide the conceptual basis for all operations. It also will synchronize our existing operational concepts by providing a coherent framework for their articulation and implementation.
Of perhaps even greater importance, in a corollary effort with our Navy partners, we are developing a Naval Operational Concept that will contain linkages to both Navy and Marine Corps equities and warfighting concepts. Such a concept is fundamental and long overdue. It promises to strengthen our already close bonds and will describe how we will project maritime power from the sea, dominate the littorals, and continue to provide our nation with superiority in naval expeditionary capability.
The applicability of our vision, and the strategy and new capstone concept that support it, will be proven almost immediately. Today, we pursue a course that will lead to the convergence within this decade of a number of key capabilities. With the continued support of the American people and Congress, these capabilities will unite to enhance our strategic agility, operational reach, and tactical flexibility.
Marines soon will be operating the revolutionary MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft and the advanced amphibious assault vehicle (AAAV). Along with the landing craft, air cushion (LCAC), the MV-22 and AAAV provide the capabilities required for future Marine Air-Ground Task Force operations. We also will improve the fire support capabilities of our ground combat element by fielding a new generation of modern ground equipment to include the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System and the lightweight 155-mm howitzer. Out aviation combat element will receive the STOVL version of the Joint Strike Fighter-a truly joint weapon system that can be operated from expeditionary airfields, amphibious ships, and aircraft carriers. In addition, we are improving our combat service support element with the acquisition of the medium tactical vehicle replacement and the Hercules recovery vehicle.
Our ability to fully exploit these equipment modernizations and improvements to infrastructure will depend, in part, on the Navy's achieving its modernization goals and maintaining a proper level of amphibious lift. Navy programs essential for the realization of our vision include the Zumwalt (DD-21)-class land-attack destroyers, the LCAC service-life extension program, the extended range guided munition, the future maritime prepositioning ship, and the LPD-17 and LHA replacement amphibious warfare ship programs. We will continue to support these programs to ensure that the Navy-Marine Corps team possesses the wherewithal to execute future operational concepts and surmount the challenges of tomorrow.
As we look to the future, we acknowledge the past and the contributions of the countless Marines who have gone before us. Their battlefield success, commitment to innovation, experimentation, and purposeful adaptation provide the foundation for the success we enjoy today and anticipate for tomorrow. We continue to follow their lead and remain committed to the proposition that "transformation" is a never-ending process.
Our nation will face many challenges in this new century. Our success in handling them will depend on our preparedness. Our vision, strategy, and operational concept, together with the indomitable spirit of our Marines, will ensure that the Corps remains our nation's premier total force in readiness.