A Conversation with the Commandant, Gen. Eric Smith

Commandant's Planning Guidance: Marines, Lethality, Mobility

The Commandant's Planning Guidance, led by General Eric Smith, will focus on three major themes. Firstly, it will discuss Marines, covering aspects such as recruitment, training, and retention. Secondly, it will emphasize lethality, highlighting the Marine Corps as a crisis response force and a lethal fighting force. Finally, it will address mobility, emphasizing the importance of being able to swiftly get to the fight. The Commandant confirms that he will continue with the forced design, which aims to make the Marine Corps more lethal and mobile to counter emerging threats, and he expresses the importance of adapting policies to give Marines more involvement in decision-making.

Talent Management: Involving Marines in Career Conversations

General Smith stresses the significance of talent management within the Marine Corps. He highlights the importance of having conversations with Marines about their desired career paths and what it would take for them to stay in the Marine Corps. While acknowledging that the Marine Corps ultimately gives orders, General Smith emphasizes the value of involving Marines in these conversations. He explains that talent management aims to change policies to allow Marines to have more input, enabling a collaborative approach where both the Marine Corps' mission requirements and the Marines' individual needs can be addressed.

Supporting Families: Spousal Employment and Extended Stationing

General Smith acknowledges the changing dynamics in the Marine Corps, with a higher number of Marines being married. He highlights initiatives aimed at supporting military families, such as providing spousal employment opportunities by paying for credentialing and promoting portability of expertise. Additionally, the Marine Corps is exploring options for extended stationing, allowing Marines to stay at specific locations for longer periods, considering factors like family situations and job opportunities for spouses. General Smith emphasizes that these efforts to support families are aimed at retaining talent and making the Marine Corps more adaptable and accommodating.

Experimentation and Wargaming for Future Readiness

General Smith emphasizes the importance of continuous experimentation and wargaming in refining the Marine Corps' strategies for future readiness. He explains that this cyclic process involves developing concepts, conducting wargames, experimenting with real Marines in the field, and incorporating their feedback to refine the strategies further. The goal is to be proactive and agile in responding to emerging threats. General Smith also recognizes the need for effective communication about war gaming results, emphasizing that a single war game is not determinative of reality and highlighting the importance of considering multiple data points and indicators in decision-making.

War on the Rocks

A Conversation with the Commandant, Gen. Eric Smith

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Deep dives

Commandant's Planning Guidance: Marines, Lethality, Mobility

Talent Management: Involving Marines in Career Conversations

Supporting Families: Spousal Employment and Extended Stationing

Experimentation and Wargaming for Future Readiness

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