By Robbin Laird
During my latest visit to 2nd Marine Wing, I had a chance to talk with Major General Swan, Commanding General of the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (2nd MAW), on 29 April 2025.
He offered insights into how the wing is navigating modernization while maintaining readiness for global operations. With a focus on integrating new aircraft systems, enhancing maintenance capabilities, and fostering a culture of innovation, the 2nd MAW is positioning itself to meet the challenges of modern warfare.
Aircraft Modernization: Building the Future Force
Major General Swan highlighted significant progress in modernizing the wing’s aircraft inventory. The F-35 squadrons are “coming faster now thanks to improved delivery timelines,” with VMFA-542 “up on step and ready to go.”
The squadron participated last year in Exercise Nordic Response 24, during which it operated the first U.S. F-35’s in Sweden and rehearsed distributed aviation operations in the high north. Swan also noted the reactivation and first F-35C deliveries to VMFA-251 in late 2024, and the first F-35B deliveries to VMFA-533 in October. Each were important milestones in 2nd MAW’s tactical aircraft modernization efforts.
The CH-53K heavy-lift helicopter program is also advancing, bringing transformative capabilities to the Marine Corps. Major General Swan emphasized the helicopter’s impressive lift capacity and fly-by-wire technology, which enables precise hovering over loads. At a recent Service Level Training Exercise (SLTE), the CH-53K lifted a fully combat loaded Light Armored Vehicle for the first time, demonstrating its capabilities to Marines in the ground combat element and allowing them to experience those capabilities firsthand.
“I think the future ACE [Aviation Combat Element], if you will, is going to be more connected, more capable, more lethal,” Swan noted. This modernization extends to attack helicopters, which are receiving Link 16 data links to enhance connectivity with F-35s and other platforms.
Maintaining Readiness During Transition
While advancing modernization efforts, the 2nd MAW must maintain operational readiness for global force management commitments in the Pacific, Europe and Africa. As the Marine Corps’ service-retained ACE, it is also tasked to be ready to respond to crisis or contingencies globally, in any geographic combatant command, as opposed to singularly focusing on one theater or another. This creates a complex challenge for leadership.
Swan described 2nd MAW’s force generation cycle, noting that while some units are deployed, others are either preparing for deployment or recently returned. He noted that the wing pays close attention to ensuring that readiness to deploy is managed appropriately, while also balancing modernization efforts across squadrons that are transitioning to new aircraft.
Swan’s priorities for the wing are straightforward: “Be ready. Take care of our people. Find more cowbell.” He emphasizes that Marines must be trained to execute their assigned missions, whether for global force management or crisis response. However, he acknowledges the challenges posed by program delays, noting that new capabilities are sometimes delayed.
Innovation: Finding “More Cowbell”
Perhaps most revealing is Major General Swan’s approach to innovation, which he calls “more cowbell” – a reference to the famous Saturday Night Live skit. He distributes actual cowbells to Marines who develop innovative solutions to persistent problems. Since implementing the cowbell award program last summer, Swan has handed out more than forty cowbells to deserving Marines who innovated or improved capabilities at the unit level.
“The Marines want to do a great job, and they want to be better. They want to win,” Swan explained. This philosophy encourages personnel to constantly “improve your position” and find better ways to accomplish the mission.
One of the wing’s most promising innovation areas is predictive maintenance. Swan described efforts to leverage aircraft sensor data and artificial intelligence to predict component failures before they occur. This approach aims to shift from unscheduled to scheduled maintenance – fixing parts before they fail during critical missions.
“How do we do scheduled maintenance? Meaning, hey, I know that at two more hours, this generator, this servo cylinder, this radio is going to break, and I need to fix it now so I can send it on a 10-hour mission,” Swan explained. This capability would be particularly valuable in contested logistics environments, allowing maintenance to occur “at a time and a place of your choosing, vice an inopportune time where you put people at risk and the mission at risk.”
Swan believes combining government data resources with AI algorithms could revolutionize maintenance and supply chains, creating “a better, more capable force that can iterate and turn and decide inside the OODA loop of the enemy.”
Personnel Retention Through Team Building
While the broader military faces recruitment and retention challenges, Major General Swan reports that the Marine Corps is “nailing retention.” He attributes this success to the Corps’ commitment to maintaining high standards.
“We haven’t lowered our standards, and are proud of that, in fact, unapologetic about maintaining our standards and our people,” Swan said.
The 2nd MAW’s approach to retention focuses on team building and mastering fundamentals. “My philosophy… we build a team of teams, and we take care of our Marines. We are brilliant at the basics,” Swan explained. This leadership philosophy creates an environment where Marines feel valued and part of a winning organization.
The ACE as the MAGTF’s Center of Gravity
When discussing the Aviation Combat Element’s importance to Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) operations, Swan offered a thought-provoking perspective: “The ACE, the air wing, is the center of gravity for the MAGTF, for the ability to maneuver, the ability to [deliver] long-range fires and provide combined arms effects for the maneuver element.”
This view positions aviation as the essential enabler for ground operations, particularly in distributed operations across contested environments. Swan emphasized that each echelon has its own center of gravity – for aircraft groups, it’s the maintenance logistics squadrons; for the wing, it’s the command-and-control group.
Looking Ahead
As the 2nd MAW continues its modernization journey, the integration of digital systems, predictive maintenance, and advanced platforms like the F-35 and CH-53K will reshape Marine aviation capabilities. Major General Swan’s leadership approach, combining readiness with innovation, provides a framework for managing this complex transition.
The challenges remain significant – from maintaining readiness with limited amphibious shipping to accelerating the integration of new technologies. However, the focus on building teams, empowering innovation, and leveraging emerging technologies positions the 2nd MAW to meet these challenges while delivering combat power when and where it’s needed.
As Swan succinctly put it: “How do we go faster and get better and more lethal?”
Finding answers to this question will shape the future of Marine aviation for years to come.
Featured image: U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Gen. William Swan, the commanding general of 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, adjusts his uniform before climbing into an F/A-18D Hornet aircraft with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 312, Marine Aircraft Group 12, 1st MAW during exercise Cope North 25 at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, Feb. 11, 2025. VMFA-312 is temporarily augmenting MAG-12, 1st MAW under the Unit Deployment Program, which aims to provide squadrons stationed in the continental United States with experience training in the Indo-Pacific. CN25 provides an optimal environment to enhance and understand the possible opportunities to continue the advancement of shared interests between allies and partners. Swan is a native of Wisconsin. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Dahkareo Pritchett)