TRENDS IN MARITIME CHALLENGES INDICATE FORCE DESIGN 2030 IS THE PROPER PATH

As current and former marines, we embrace the changes of Force Design 2030. We’ve come to this conclusion after critically examining the implications of these changes as well as considering the risk of failing to reform the Marine Corps for the modern era. We’ve observed that over the last four years, the collective weight of study, experimentation, and real-world actions has reinforced the validity of the reforms being undertaken by the Marine Corps. We’ve all contributed to this effort in various ways. We come from a place of healthy skepticism and debate, often directly with the leaders charged with these reforms or with the authors of the concepts discussed in this article.

Before Gen. David Berger retired as the 38th commandant of the Marine Corps in July 2023, it seemed as though the debate over the reforms known as Force Design 2030 had been decisively settled. The Marine Corps transformation was the subject of an unprecedented revolt against the service by a faction of largely anonymous and unconfirmed numbers of retired Marine general officers. Despite the backlash, the plan was endorsed by civilian and uniformed leaders in the Department of Defense, bipartisan groups of U.S. senators and representatives, and policy analysts across the spectrum. The issue was even debated in the pages of War on the Rocks where the facts of Force Design 2030 were succinctly explained and reinforced with real-world examples of experiments that were producing tangible effects against our nation’s adversaries. Regardless of the intrigues of some former generals, the Marine Corps’ reforms continue. Even critical allies and partners briefed on the transformations endorsed the change as part of collective defense contributions. 

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