Μilitary innovation and adaptation studies are a growth industry. Since the publication of Barry ... more Μilitary innovation and adaptation studies are a growth industry. Since the publication of Barry Posen’s seminal study The Sources of Military Doctrine in the early 1980s, the field has grown extensively. Despite well-known military thinkers’ recent book-length treatments of the topic, most studies of change in the military retain two key commonalities. First, nearly all assume that innovation or adaptation is inherently good and worth pursuing. Second, they agree that militaries are famously resistant to change and accept this as part of the fundamental nature of the military system. This article acknowledges the first point; indeed, modern military leaders continually claim the need for change. The second, on the other hand, is correct but flawed. Innovation and adaptation studies should not accept resistance to change as a fundamental characteristic of the military system but instead must recognize cultural openness as a necessary precondition for any existing concept of innovation or adaptation to succeed to its full potential.
Faced with an overwhelming number of rules and regulations, sailors and Marines unwittingly viola... more Faced with an overwhelming number of rules and regulations, sailors and Marines unwittingly violate a multitude every day—normalizing deviation that could corrode discipline.
In 20+ years of military service I have often heard service members claim that drill is good for ... more In 20+ years of military service I have often heard service members claim that drill is good for combat discipline and thus increases lethality on the battlefield. Is there evidence to support this claim?
Many Marines have been thinking about sea denial as an emerging mission. However, the mental mode... more Many Marines have been thinking about sea denial as an emerging mission. However, the mental model almost all of them use to undergird their thinking is nearly always based on land warfare. Instead, they should use a very different example to help think about the possibilities of a sea denial force - the U.S. Navy Submarine Force of World War II.
Many in the Marine Corps have recently begun to use the language of strategic coercion theory as ... more Many in the Marine Corps have recently begun to use the language of strategic coercion theory as a justification/reason behind redesigning the force. This is something the Service should consider deeply, as coercion theory - deterrence & compellence, in the language of Thomas Schelling - is not well understood throughout the force, and there are a number of issues that arise from trying to use it as a basis for the emerging redesign of USMC capabilities and missions.
As the USMC moves forward with sweeping force redesign efforts, it should reflect on an earlier t... more As the USMC moves forward with sweeping force redesign efforts, it should reflect on an earlier time with a similar effort that has lessons for the service. The failure of the Pentomic Division should serve as a cautionary tale.
2020 Chase Prize Essay Contest winner.
The foundational US Marine Corps doctrine - although exce... more 2020 Chase Prize Essay Contest winner.
The foundational US Marine Corps doctrine - although excellent - has not proven completely successful or useful over the past 30 years. It is in need of update.
The Commandant of the Marine Corps stated in his planning guidance that sea denial was going to b... more The Commandant of the Marine Corps stated in his planning guidance that sea denial was going to be a core mission of the Marine Corps in the future. Instead of trying to reinvent the wheel, the USMC should find forces who already do this well, and use their example as a starting point.
Μilitary innovation and adaptation studies are a growth industry. Since the publication of Barry ... more Μilitary innovation and adaptation studies are a growth industry. Since the publication of Barry Posen’s seminal study The Sources of Military Doctrine in the early 1980s, the field has grown extensively. Despite well-known military thinkers’ recent book-length treatments of the topic, most studies of change in the military retain two key commonalities. First, nearly all assume that innovation or adaptation is inherently good and worth pursuing. Second, they agree that militaries are famously resistant to change and accept this as part of the fundamental nature of the military system. This article acknowledges the first point; indeed, modern military leaders continually claim the need for change. The second, on the other hand, is correct but flawed. Innovation and adaptation studies should not accept resistance to change as a fundamental characteristic of the military system but instead must recognize cultural openness as a necessary precondition for any existing concept of innovation or adaptation to succeed to its full potential.
Faced with an overwhelming number of rules and regulations, sailors and Marines unwittingly viola... more Faced with an overwhelming number of rules and regulations, sailors and Marines unwittingly violate a multitude every day—normalizing deviation that could corrode discipline.
In 20+ years of military service I have often heard service members claim that drill is good for ... more In 20+ years of military service I have often heard service members claim that drill is good for combat discipline and thus increases lethality on the battlefield. Is there evidence to support this claim?
Many Marines have been thinking about sea denial as an emerging mission. However, the mental mode... more Many Marines have been thinking about sea denial as an emerging mission. However, the mental model almost all of them use to undergird their thinking is nearly always based on land warfare. Instead, they should use a very different example to help think about the possibilities of a sea denial force - the U.S. Navy Submarine Force of World War II.
Many in the Marine Corps have recently begun to use the language of strategic coercion theory as ... more Many in the Marine Corps have recently begun to use the language of strategic coercion theory as a justification/reason behind redesigning the force. This is something the Service should consider deeply, as coercion theory - deterrence & compellence, in the language of Thomas Schelling - is not well understood throughout the force, and there are a number of issues that arise from trying to use it as a basis for the emerging redesign of USMC capabilities and missions.
As the USMC moves forward with sweeping force redesign efforts, it should reflect on an earlier t... more As the USMC moves forward with sweeping force redesign efforts, it should reflect on an earlier time with a similar effort that has lessons for the service. The failure of the Pentomic Division should serve as a cautionary tale.
2020 Chase Prize Essay Contest winner.
The foundational US Marine Corps doctrine - although exce... more 2020 Chase Prize Essay Contest winner.
The foundational US Marine Corps doctrine - although excellent - has not proven completely successful or useful over the past 30 years. It is in need of update.
The Commandant of the Marine Corps stated in his planning guidance that sea denial was going to b... more The Commandant of the Marine Corps stated in his planning guidance that sea denial was going to be a core mission of the Marine Corps in the future. Instead of trying to reinvent the wheel, the USMC should find forces who already do this well, and use their example as a starting point.
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*This is a prepublication version. See full article here: https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2024/march/danger-excessive-regulations
The foundational US Marine Corps doctrine - although excellent - has not proven completely successful or useful over the past 30 years. It is in need of update.
*This is a prepublication version. See full article here: https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2024/march/danger-excessive-regulations
The foundational US Marine Corps doctrine - although excellent - has not proven completely successful or useful over the past 30 years. It is in need of update.