Marine Corps officers are not engaged in the ticket-punching frenzy Navy leaders strive to ease in their own ranks, says the Marine Corps personnel chief (see “The Navy’s Pressure Cooker,” pp. 50-55, May 1996 Proceedings). But the Corps does share the Navy’s concern that today’s officers—facing extraordinary professional demands—need more and more training and education to meet increasingly diverse and complex missions.
In this post-Cold War era, says Lieutenant General George R. Christmas, Deputy Chief of Staff for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, Marines are operating across “a tremendously wide spectrum of conflict and non-conflict.” Compared with officers of a generation ago, they are “expected to do more—physically, mentally, and technically.” That makes continuing education a must, says General Christmas. Successful officers will look for opportunities to broaden themselves and avoid “stovepiping” in a narrow range of assignments.
Marines, for example, who stay as long as possible in the Fleet Marine Force, enjoying the action, could be limiting their potential. "I would have loved to stay there, too. And, in fact, I've been very fortunate," says General Christmas, a highly decorated combat veteran who will retire next month after 34 years' service. "But you have to allow that broadening to occur." That means varied assignments, professional military education, degree programs, and correspondence courses. It is more necessary today, says General Christmas, for three reasons: greater professional challenges, joint force requirements, and demand for technical competence.
Adaptability will be key to Marine success in the 21st Century, says General Christmas, echoing a theme of Commandant General Charles C. Krulak. Contingencies will range from fighting two major regional conflicts simultaneously to fighting domestic forest fires to handling "all kinds of other craziness rapid change will bring," says General Christmas.
"What that takes is a learning organization" for officers and enlisted professionals. To ensure officers are prepared General Krulak has ordered career monitors at Headquarters to become managers instead. That means a more active role in directing assignments that shape an officer's experience.
"When I came in," General Christmas recalls, "it was a cheery, aye-aye, and you'd move from here to there." This was followed by a period in which officers managed their own careers with help from monitors. Now career managers are there to “recognize not only the needs of the Corps but also the progression of each officer." All the training and education produce more capable fighting force. It shows, too, says General Christmas, in what Marines do today versus what was expected a generation ago.
"Watch a Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special-Operations Capable) work with Navy brethren to take an oil platform,” he says. “Watch a young captain CH-46 helicopter pilot, in the black of night, hold a helicopter over a little deck, and out the hell hole comes a whole platoon, systematically. It’s unbelievable.”
But some things haven’t changed. General Christmas says. “A Marine is still, first and foremost, a rifleman. It’s where our corps values are instilled, where our ethos begins.” Officers looking to “punch tickets” are in the wrong service, he suggests. “I hate that term, ‘ticket puncher,”’ General Christmas says. “It implies an officer trying to look good on paper." Marines should be striving for knowledge and experience that benefit both themselves and the Corps.
Marine officers cannot plan careers from start to finish. General Christmas says. “In fact, we’ve been struggling for almost a year to try to do that in our career planning manual, to say this is career progression. The problem is, someone will look at that and think ‘I’ve got to do this, this, and this.’ And they don’t. It’s very different” for each officer. “What you have to do is perform and grow at each level” and, regardless of assignment, “bloom where you’re planted,” he says.
“Life in general, but particularly in the Marine Corps, is based on professional reputation. ... It follows as you advance. There will be times when you get the billet you don’t really like. But if you bloom where you’re planted, all of a sudden the colonel is saying, ‘I need this officer in this position.’ And the reputation grows.” The Corps won’t follow the Navy’s lead in “fast tracking” more officers with early promotions. With the Corps having only three four-stars and nine three-star officers. General Christmas says, “perhaps we don’t have that same pressing need.”
But the Corps has joined other services in pressing for permanent relief from grade ceilings under the Defense Officer Personnel Management Act. “DOPMA didn’t anticipate the downsizing of the armed forces,” he says, nor the drain of field-grade officers for joint duty assignments required under the Goldwater-Nichols Act of 1986. “Quite frankly, we require a little bit more in numbers” of officers, from general through major. Current officer strength of 17,900 is about 500 short of requirements, General Christmas estimates.
As he prepares for retirement. General Christmas says a younger generation of officers, including two of his sons, can look forward to exciting times ahead. Some will leave after initial commitments. Some will become reservists. Others will stay, as he decided to do.
“I’ll never forget the day I made the decision," General Christmas recalls. “We were in the Caribbean on this old [amphibious ship] with a cruise ship tied up next to us. I’m standing on the fantail. The sun is going down on an emerald sea. I look at myself and said ‘Who you kidding? You really enjoy this.’ And it’s been an exciting ride.”