The Role of Marines in a 21st Century Joint Warfare Environment

By: INTEL2/5
SSgtNichols.com

Certainty. That is a word that was afforded most battle-ready military entities during the majority of our Country's last 100 years. The environment of warfare has changed recently due to an enemy that would rather not abide by formal treaties or uniform restrictions but would rather choose a more covert action to affirm their 'battle footprint'.

Actions that seem desperate to us. It’s like they sit around and discuss ways to circumvent all of our sensibilities. What seems wrong to a sensible person seems critically valuable in their minds. Very few things seem certain on the battlefield these days. There is one implement of warfare that is geared to take on the challenges of an ever-changing war environment.

The United States Marine Corps is that said 'implement of warfare'.

For all intents and purposes, we may as well call them 'implements of death'. Let's not mince words. It’s what they do. No military unit in the world is better equipped to handle the many faces of modern enemy schemes than the Corps. It may sound like an oxy-moron but they have proven their adaptability through being a single fighting force. The Army will call an Air Force pilot for close-in fire support. A Marine will call a Marine pilot for the same assistance. It’s this 'oneness' that makes the Corps so invaluable. The Corps is, well, to its very core, a combined arm.

That brings us to the individual Marine. There are many different intelligence disciplines. ELINT, COMINT, SIGINT, etc. Cold War strategy utilized these to their fullest. The new battlefield needs to utilize one of the oldest intelligence disciplines and one that had all but been sent to the ash heap of history. That discipline is HUMINT (human intelligence).

The Intel obtained these days is not obtained by some office geek looking at satellite data but someone that has approached, closed with and, most likely, destroyed the enemy. The Marine Corps is more capable, more willing and more motivated to smash in a door and check the surrounding area for Intel (including bodies).

Human Intel is a long forgotten intelligence discipline that has being given life again. That is, in its infancy, the future of the United States Marine Corps!!! We, as a Country, cannot afford to rely on satellites and desk jockeys anymore but rather a COMBINED ARM (notice I didn't make that plural) THAT ARE BROTHERS!!!!

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