Three years into Force Design 2030, the United States Marine Corps has evolved into a leaner, more agile force designed to fight and win against the nation’s stated adversaries, with a strategic focus on the Indo-Pacific. Aligning with the Department of Defense’s strategic pivot away from the Global War on Terrorism, this transformation relies not just on technological advancements and a structural reorganization but also on the strategic use of wargames—analytical tools used to simulate aspects of warfare at the tactical, operational, and strategic level.

The 2018 National Defense Strategy warns that U.S. adversaries are actively challenging the long-standing rules-based international order, thus “creating a security environment more complex and volatile than any we have experienced in recent memory.” Building on the Pentagon’s observations, Gen. David H. Berger, then-commandant of the Marine Corps, released his seminal 2019 Commandant’s Planning Guidance, in which he proposed sweeping changes aimed at transforming the Corps from its established land-focused role in the Middle East into a naval expeditionary force-in-readiness primed for active engagement in contested maritime spaces within the Indo-Pacific region...

The 2018 National Defense Strategy warns that U.S. adversaries are actively challenging the long-standing rules-based international order, thus “creating a security environment more complex and volatile than any we have experienced in recent memory.” Building on the Pentagon’s observations, Gen. David H. Berger, then-commandant of the Marine Corps, released his seminal 2019 Commandant’s Planning Guidance, in which he proposed sweeping changes aimed at transforming the Corps from its established land-focused role in the Middle East into a naval expeditionary force-in-readiness primed for active engagement in contested maritime spaces within the Indo-Pacific region.

Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force UNITAS completed the 64th iteration of the world’s longest-running multinational maritime exercise in the world here on July 21. Throughout the exercise’s history, the United States and its partner nations have worked to improve and adapt the exercise to the evolving security challenges the world faces. This year’s UNITAS was no different as the SPMAGTF worked side-by-side with the U.S. Navy and partner nations to experiment with new equipment and test Force Design 2030 concepts...

As global tensions continue to rise, the Marine Corps once again finds itself at the forefront of a strategic transformation—shifting its focus from a decades-long, land-locked War on Terror to addressing increasing great power competition in the South China Sea. Recognizing the rapidly shifting security environment outlined in the 2018 National Defense Strategy, General David H. Berger, the Corps’ visionary former commandant, launched Force Design 2030...

On a tropical island within the First Island Chain, planners from the U.S. Marine Corps and the Japan Ground Self Defense Force are deeply engrossed in their work, studying maps under tan weathered tents. Their focus is on wargaming enemy actions within their battlespace, while attentive interpreters in their native military uniforms mediate technical discussions, dictating their nation's part in the Stand-in Force...

3d Marine Littoral Regiment demonstrated its unique ability to get to the future fight and establish a forward presence during Marine Aviation Support Activity 23. In a matter of days, the inaugural MLR deployed its forces across the Pacific, established a fully operationally capable expeditionary advanced base in the vicinity of Northern Luzon, Philippines, and initiated communications with a reach-back cell based out of Marine Corps Base Hawaii. The exercise marked a historical demonstration of 3d MLR’s Fight Now capabilities.

The Commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific, Lt. Gen. William Jurney, and Indonesian Marine Corps Commandant, Maj. Gen. Nur Alamsyah, co-hosted the 9th Pacific Amphibious Leaders Symposium in Bali, Indonesia, July 9 - 14, 2023. PALS is the premier gathering of regional amphibious and maritime force leaders across the Indo-Pacific. Each of the participating delegations hold a key stake in maintaining freedom of the seas and skies across the region. The relationships strengthened at PALS are the cornerstone of a free and open Indo-Pacific for all nations...

The Commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific, Lt. Gen. William Jurney, and Indonesian Marine Corps Commandant, Maj. Gen. Nur Alamsyah, will co-host the 9th Pacific Amphibious Leaders Symposium in Bali, Indonesia, July 9-14. This is the first PALS to be co-hosted by the Indonesian Marine Corps, and is set to be one of the largest PALS since its inaugural gathering in 2015...

Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 542, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, received its first F-35B Lightning II jet at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, May 31. VMFA-542 is the Marine Corps’ first East Coast operational F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter squadron. The arrival of the first aircraft marked the beginning of F-35 deliveries to MCAS Cherry Point, continuing 2nd MAW’s operational transition from legacy fixed-wing tactical aircraft to the F-35. VMFA-542 received its second aircraft June 1...