United States Marine Corps

The United States Marine Corps (USMC), is a branch of the United States Armed Forces which originally acted as "naval infantry." The Marine Corps was originally established by the Second Continental Congress on 10 November 1775. The first recruits signed up at Tun Tavern in Philadelphia, which gives it a claim to be the oldest combat force, although it should be noted that an ancestor of the United States Coast Guard, the Revenue Cutter Service, is older and can claim to be the oldest uniformed service. While the Navy and Marine Corps were dissolved after the end of the Revolutionary War, with the Treaty of Paris of 1783, they were reestablished on July 11, 1798.

Among the branches of the regular military, the Marine Corps is unique in that it is not the only uniformed service in its service department, the Department of the Navy. It is the smallest of the four branches by personnel, and is led by the Commandant of the Marine Corps, currently General James Conway, and the Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, currently Carlton W. Kent.

Culture

Perhaps because it is the smallest of U.S. combat services, the USMC has what may well be the strongest culture; a number of authors, including social scientists, have described it as a "tribe" as well as a military organization. Some of its traditions can be linked to specific events, while others have simply developed over the years.

Several cultural assumptions give a sense of equality to all Marines. One of the most basic is "every Marine is a rifleman" (i.e., maintains proficiency at infantry skills). Every member of the Marine corps, from recruit to the Commandant, must, every year, demonstrate physical fitness, and competency with the primary individual weapon, the rifle.

The first Marine training experience, whether it is "boot camp" for enlisted or an equivalent officer candidate program, traditionally has been more stressful than any of the other services. While some aspects are now seen as inappropriately harsh and have been removed, the experience still has two seemingly opposing elements:

• It suppresses individuality, making Marines think first of themselves as members of "the Corps"
• It simultaneously stresses individual responsibility, such that Marines have the lowest ratio of officers and enlisted men, yet junior enlisted Marines routinely take great initiative, and the Corps has been had a tradition of appreciating brilliant eccentrics (e.g., Earl Ellis).

Core competencies

The Commandant has expressed a long-term vision for what the Corps should be by 2025. Four of the key competencies are basic responsibilities legislated for the Corps; two reflect the changing world environment and need to be developed:

• "The Corps conducts persistent forward naval engagement and is always prepared to respond as the Nation’s force in readiness."
• "The Corps employs integrated combined arms across the range of military operations, and can operate as part of a joint or multinational force."
• "The Corps provides forces and specialized detachments for service aboard naval ships, on stations, and for operations ashore."
• "The Corps conducts joint forcible entry operations from the sea and develops amphibious landing force capabilities and doctrine."
• "The Corps conducts complex expeditionary operations in the urban littorals and other challenging environments."
• "The Corps leads joint and multinational operations and enables interagency activities."

Major commands

See also: Marine Air-Ground Task Force

As the smallest of the four principal U.S. military forces, several three-star officers wear "multiple hats".

Marine Corps Forces, Atlantic

Commander, Marine Corps Forces, Atlantic is simultaneously as the Marine component commander of United States Joint Forces Command, United States European Command, and United States Southern Commnd. This officer is colocated with United States Forces Command in Norfolk, Virginia; Marine component command staffs are deployed to Southern and European commands.

The major unit of MARFORLANT is II Marine Expeditionary Force, at Camp LeJeune, North Carolina.

In addition, the equipment and supplies for a Marine Expeditionary Brigade is prepositioned in Norway, isn six tunnels in central Norway, such inside tunnels in central norway, including Bjugn Cave Orland Main Air Station. These reinforces are intended to reinforce the northern flank of NATO. When activated by flying II MEF Marines, and possibly reservists, to it, it becomes Norway Air-Landed Marine Expeditionary Brigade (NALMEB).

The prepositioned support alfloat for NALMEB is Maritime Prepositioning Squadron 1, a unit of Maritime Prepositioning Ship Squadron One. As opposed to prepositioning forces at locations such as Diego Garcia and Guam, is responsible for six non-combatant ships of the Military Sealift Command Prepositioning Program in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. MPSRON One is an afloat staff of 20 military personnel under the command of a U.S. Navy captain, aboard in one of the squadron's six Maritime Prepositioning Ships. There is a total of about 140 permanently assigned civilian and military personnel aboard the six ships, with 400 designated personnel available on demand. Staff members serve one-year tours in a continuously underway, forward-deployed status. The MPSRON One ships operate in European waters without a permanent homeport in that area; four of ships are often in the Mediterranean, but all of MPSRON is conceptually based on the east coast of the United States.

Assets aboard aboard MPSRON-1 ships include

• Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB)
• Naval Fleet Hospital (NFH)
• 4000ft x 96ft Expeditionary Airfield (EAF)

The Mediterranean ships include the Capt. Steven L. Bennett, an Air Force ammunition prepositioning ship, deployed in the Mediterranean.

Marine Corps Forces, Pacific

Commander, Marine Corps Forces, Pacific (MARFORPAC) is simultaneously as the Marine component commander of United States Pacific Command and United States Central Command, as well as the Marine element of United States Forces Korea. The major units of MARFORPAC are II Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton, California, and III Marine Expeditionary Force in Okinawa.

They are supported by two prepositioning squadrons, with some ships afloat and some at forward bases. MPS-2 based at Diego Garcia, and MPS-3 based on Guam.

Marine Culture

In comparison with other U.S. military services, joining the Marines is more an initiation into a culture than merely learning skills. "Boot Camp" is legendary, although all the services are using variants of the culmination of recruit training, "The Crucible".

Traditionally, the Marines delegate more authority to more junior personnel than the other service, and has the highest ratio of enlisted personnel to officers.

Modern combat formations

A Marine emphasis is forward deployment', which is geographically flexible. Task-organized units of different size, from the Marine Expeditionary Units (MEU) commanded by a colonel, up to a Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) commanded by a lieutenant general.

The idea is implemented with having some number of Marine Expeditionary Units at sea aboard Navy Expeditionary Strike Groups, and having prepositioned equipment afloat, or at forward secure bases, for Marine Expeditionary Brigades. Some of the prepositioning units also, for example, include prepositioned ammunition for the United States Air Force. The MEF also can split into a main and forward echelon; a MEF Forward, commanded by a major general, serves as a joint force headquarters, Multinational Force-West in Iraq.

World War I

• Battle of Belleau Woods

World War II

• Battle of Guadalcanal
• Battle of Tarawa
• Battle of Iwo Jima
• Battle of Saipan

Korean War

• Pusan Perimeter
• Battle of Inchon
• Battle of the Changjin Reservoir

Operation Desert Storm

• Khafji
• Feint at Bubiyan Island
• Liberation of Kuwait