Shaping a Way Ahead for Force Design 2030 in the Pacific: The Perspective of the MARFORPAC G-9 Branch Head

09/30/2021
By Robbin Laird Another change since my last visit to MARFORPAC in 2014-2015 was how the distributed laydown begun in that period was being reworked in terms of expanding basing flexibility and force distribution associated with the current Commandant’s Force Design 2030 effort. I have had a chance both with…

Marine Corps Leadership Focuses on Ground-Based Ship-Killing Missiles

09/28/2021
By Ashley Calingo Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va.—The Marine Corps’ top modernization priority is fulfilling the requirement for a ground-based anti-ship missile capability. The operational requirement for this ship-killing capability is a relatively new development stemming from the Commandant’s Planning Guidance and the Corps’ Force Design 2030 efforts. “As the…

France, the EU and the Indo-Pacific

09/26/2021
By Pierre Tran Paris – The temperature in the Indo Pacific region has risen for the Western allies in general and for France in particular. President Emmanuel Macron clearly sees a pressing need for a switch to a new principal partner after Australia cancelled a planned order for the French…

The Strategic Shift by the Marines in the Pacific: The Logistics Challenges

09/24/2021
By Robbin Laird The distributed laydown which started in 2014 has now been re-calibrated to focus on Marines operating further forward in the Pacific and doing so with closer joint force integration while retaining the capabilities to contribute significantly to full spectrum crisis management with allies and partners. To do…