United States Marine Corps

United States Marine Corps
Name	United States Marine Corps
Founded	10 November 1775
Country	United States
Type	Naval infantry
Role	Amphibious warfare; expeditionary operations
Size	~186,000 active, 35,000 reserve
Command structure	United States Department of the Navy
Garrison	The Pentagon
Motto	"Semper Fidelis"
Colors	Scarlet and gold
Anniversaries	10 November (Founding Day)

United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces specializing in amphibious operations, expeditionary warfare, and rapid crisis response. Established on 10 November 1775, it has participated in major conflicts from the American Revolutionary War to the War on Terror and maintains close integration with the United States Navy. Its distinctive traditions, unit structure, and elite training produce forces optimized for forcible entry, littoral combat, and sustained combined-arms operations.

History

The service traces origins to the Continental Marines raised during the American Revolutionary War and fought in engagements such as the Battle of Trenton and service aboard USS Lexington (1775). Post-independence, Marines served in the Barbary Wars, the War of 1812, and the Mexican–American War, demonstrating expeditionary capability in actions like the Attack on Chapultepec. In the 20th century, Marines played central roles in the Spanish–American War, the Boxer Rebellion, World War I battles including the Battle of Belleau Wood, and major World War II campaigns such as Guadalcanal Campaign and Iwo Jima. During the Korean War, Marines executed amphibious landings at Inchon and fought in the Chosin Reservoir campaign. The service also fought in the Vietnam War, conducted interventions in Grenada and Panama, and sustained prolonged deployments during the Gulf War and the Iraq War. Following the attacks of September 11, 2001, Marines deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq throughout the War on Terror, including operations in Fallujah and Helmand Province.

Organization and Structure

The force is organized into Marine Corps forces aligned with United States Marine Corps Forces Command, Marine Forces Pacific, and Marine Forces Reserve, and integrates with the United States Fleet Forces Command and United States Indo-Pacific Command. Core elements include the Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) construct: the Marine Division, Marine Aircraft Wing, and Marine Logistics Group under a Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), Marine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB), or Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF). Leadership is provided by the Commandant of the Marine Corps and the Secretary of the Navy under authority of the President of the United States. Supporting institutions include Marine Corps Combat Development Command, Naval Aviation Schools Command, Marine Corps University, and The Basic School at Marine Corps Base Quantico.

Roles and Missions

Primary missions emphasize expeditionary force-in-readiness tasks: amphibious assaults, forcible entry operations, crisis response, security force duties for United States embassies, and maritime interdiction. The service supports Joint Task Force operations, NATO commitments, and littoral operations with naval partners like the United States Navy and allied forces including elements from Royal Marines, Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force, Australian Army, and Republic of Korea Marine Corps. Specialized units provide embassy security, noncombatant evacuation operations (NEO), special operations-capable (SOC) elements interoperable with United States Special Operations Command, and security cooperation missions under directives from the National Security Council and Department of Defense policy.

Training and Education

Recruit training begins at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island or Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego followed by infantry or occupational training at schools such as School of Infantry and Marine Corps Tactics and Operations Group. Officer candidates attend Officer Candidates School and complete The Basic School at Quantico; advanced professional education occurs at Marine Corps University, Command and Staff College, and Naval War College. Specialized pipelines include Reconnaissance Marine training, Marine Raider Regiment selection, HMX-1 aviation instruction, and expeditionary logistics and aviation maintenance curricula coordinated with Naval Air Systems Command and Defense Acquisition University.

Equipment and Weapons

The service fields combined-arms equipment including amphibious vehicles like the Assault Amphibious Vehicle, wheeled platforms such as the Light Armored Vehicle, and armored vehicles like the Amphibious Combat Vehicle. Aviation assets include the F/A-18 Hornet, F-35B Lightning II, MV-22 Osprey, AH-1Z Viper, and CH-53K King Stallion. Artillery and fire-support systems include the M777 howitzer and precision rockets; small arms include the M16 rifle, M4 carbine, M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle, and M240 machine gun. Logistics and maritime lift use Wasp-class amphibious assault ship, America-class amphibious assault ship, and San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock platforms in coordination with Military Sealift Command.

Operations and Deployments

Marines deploy worldwide on rotational deployments with MEUs embarked on amphibious ready groups, in theater with United States Central Command, United States European Command, United States Africa Command, and United States Indo-Pacific Command. Notable recent operations include stability missions in Syria, counterinsurgency in Iraq, partner capacity-building in West Africa, and deterrence activities in the South China Sea and Persian Gulf. Humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions have supported responses to Hurricane Katrina, the 2010 Haiti earthquake, and regional evacuations during crises such as the Fall of Kabul (2021).

Culture and Traditions

The service maintains distinct customs including the motto "Semper Fidelis", the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor emblem, and ceremonies observed on Marine Corps Birthday each 10 November. Traditions include the NCO sword, the NCO ranks heritage, the Marine Corps Hymn, and unit commemorations such as Belleau Wood Day. Esprit de corps is reinforced through marksmanship competitions like the Marine Corps Marksmanship Program, professional military education at Marine Corps University, and halls such as the National Museum of the Marine Corps commemorating actions at Iwo Jima, Chosin Reservoir, and Belleau Wood.

Category:United States military branches