Recommendations for Improving the U.S. Marine Corps’ Force Design

The U.S. Marine Corps’ Force Design roadmap has inspired great debate about the purpose, role, and strength of the Marine Corps in an increasingly contentious and complex world. On the surface, Force Design appears to be an attempt to make the Marine Corps relevant in a rapidly changing operational environment that has seen the rise of powerful nation-states opposed to a United States-led world order. Rather than debating whether Force Design is best for the Marine Corps, this article delves into actionable recommendations for how to improve the Force Design roadmap given the Marine Corps’ responsibilities in both competition and warfare, which include the use of the new stand-in forces concept to foil further annexations of territory by major powers as well as the more traditional responsibilities of maintaining forward presence and conducting amphibious operations in war.