The following is the recent planning guidance from U.S. Marine Corps commandant Gen. Eric Smith.
From the report
Marines, after a year serving as your Commandant and visiting with Marines in every corner of our Corps, I remain confident that we are on the right track as a Service. Force Design remains a righteous journey, and we are in perhaps the most difficult phase – implementation. Our aggressive approach made truly significant strides in a few short years. Force Design, to include Talent Management, Training and Education, Installations and Logistics, Project Eagle, and Barracks 2030, involves many key efforts which are still in motion. I won’t sugarcoat it – there are many challenges we still face to stay ahead of the changing character of war. Force Design remains our strategic priority and we cannot slow down.
My intent with this Commandant’s Planning Guidance (CPG) is to provide all Marines with the strategic direction for the Marine Corps. This document is necessarily broad, and I will issue directive guidance to the Deputy Commandants and Commanding Generals when necessary. Force Design remains our aim point, and this guidance focuses on specific challenges requiring near-term action. Some items will take time to realize, but we must lay the groundwork now.
My priorities remain: (1) Balancing Crisis Response and Modernization, (2) Naval Integration and Organic Mobility, (3) Quality of Life, (4) Recruit, Make, and Retain Marines; and (5) Maximize the Potential of our Reserves. These priorities drive my decisions as Commandant and are woven throughout the document. My Planning Guidance provides the context for us to achieve those priorities so we can fight and win today and set conditions to win in the future.
Discipline and Core Values are up front on purpose – they are our ethical foundation and define who we are as Marines. We must protect our Marine Corps culture and Naval heritage at all costs. I expect all Marines to read this Planning Guidance and leaders to discuss its key concepts with their Marines. Most of all, I want you to know that Sergeant Major Ruiz and I are proud of you, we are thankful for what you do, and none of our progress is possible without you.
Discipline and Core Values
Ironclad discipline is the currency of our Corps. Ruthless adherence to standards is what makes us special as a service. Those standards, developed over hundreds of campaigns and battles, make us better warriors. They force us to pay attention to detail every day so that we do so automatically in combat – when precision matters most. Those with combat experience know this to be true. Our profession of warfighting is unforgiving, with no margin for carelessness. Errors in combat lead to defeat, and Marines do not lose. We must eliminate negative behaviors that pull us apart, erode good order and discipline, jeopardize safety, and deprive us of the cohesion that wins battles. Our professionalism, self-discipline, ethos, warfighting proficiency, and personal conduct define what it is to be a Marine. We all share a common foundation of Honor, Courage, and Commitment, and we must strive to hold each other to those values.
If a Marine fails to meet the standard, we all have a collective obligation to teach, mentor, and train that Marine until the standard is achieved. When holding Marines accountable, I ask that commanders look at our young Marines as the future Corporals, Gunnery Sergeants, or Colonels they could become if afforded the opportunity to learn and grow from their mistakes. There is a difference between moral or ethical shortfalls, and not achieving a performance standard. When screening Marines for promotion or reenlistment, I trust that we will exercise due diligence to consider personal growth after non-judicial punishment, adverse action, or a single subpar report. Make no mistake: we will not lower our standards, but we must also recognize that the most impactful learning happens after an honest mistake is made.
The Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps and I are drafting an updated version of Marine Corps Tactical Publication 6-10, Sustaining the Transformation. This is a valuable tool to help all leaders look out for their Marines, help them be successful both in and out of uniform, and to uphold the discipline and core values for which we are known. Once published, I expect all Marines to read and discuss how it applies to you as a team regardless of rank or occupational specialty. Sustaining the transformation means holding our high standard throughout our time in uniform, earning our place in the Corps every day, and eventually returning to society as better versions of ourselves.
Download the document here.
