{"id":14321,"date":"2021-08-09T05:20:34","date_gmt":"2021-08-09T05:20:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/08\/09\/commandant-calls-on-senior-marines-to-remove-shackles-from-junior-leaders\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T20:01:29","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T20:01:29","slug":"commandant-calls-on-senior-marines-to-remove-shackles-from-junior-leaders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2021\/08\/09\/commandant-calls-on-senior-marines-to-remove-shackles-from-junior-leaders\/","title":{"rendered":"Commandant calls on senior Marines to stop \u2018shackling\u2019 junior leaders"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">NATIONAL HARBOR, Maryland \u2015 It\u2019s time for senior leaders to let go of the reins and allow small unit leaders the freedom to make decisions, Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the past 15 years to 20 years senior leaders have had access to an unprecedented amount of data on every inch of the battlespace while deployed, Berger said Aug. 2 at the annual Sea Air Space conference hosted by the Navy League.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Information tied with the natural desire of control has hurt the Corps\u2019 ability to think ahead and has reduced the independence of junior leaders, he says \u2015 an independence that is necessary to cultivate for the future of dispersed operations that Berger envisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Small unit Marine leaders \u201care ready to make decisions, I think at their level we are shackling them,\u201d Berger said. <\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2021\/07\/20\/job-qualifications-coming-to-marine-corps-junior-enlisted-performance-evaluation-system\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6011822.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Job qualifications coming to Marine Corps junior enlisted performance evaluation system<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The pilot program will see military occupational specialty related courses and qualifications count toward 100 points, or 50 percent, of the mental agility pillar.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Corps is undergoing a revolutionary <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2021\/04\/26\/here-are-some-big-changes-that-may-be-coming-to-the-marine-corps\/\" target=\"_blank\">force design<\/a> change aimed at moving it away from the past 20 years of wars in the Middle East to one focused on near-peer opponents like China and Russia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Berger sees the future of the Corps as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2021\/03\/22\/goodbye-tanks-how-the-marine-corps-will-change-and-what-it-will-lose-by-ditching-its-armor\/\" target=\"_blank\">small, light, maneuverable force <\/a>widely dispersed within range of the theoretical enemy\u2019s weapons and rocket systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The dispersion and maneuverability will prevent the hypothetical enemy from landing any knockout blow against the Marines, while a location near the opponent will allow them to track the enemy\u2019s naval movement and accurately direct missile fires. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The dispersion will put extra pressure on junior leaders with future companies, potentially having them take on the responsibilities currently residing with battalions or even regiments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI think the best commanders I\u2019ve seen actually sit outside their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2021\/07\/21\/marines-adopt-darpa-force-design-software-to-build-the-corps-for-future-fight\/\" target=\"_blank\">command centers<\/a> because they sense, \u2018I can\u2019t get overwhelmed by what\u2019s happening in the moment I need to think ahead,\u201d Berger said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While Berger trusts those junior leaders, he is unsure if his generation of leaders are capable of handing them the reins and if the structure of the Corps encourages leaders at that level to take risks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The commandant said one of the main driving forces in his vision for a future Corps was an order sent by former Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Ernest King in January 1941.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The letter, popularly known as serial 53, calls out the Navy\u2019s culture of \u201cflag officers and other group commanders to issue orders and instructions in which their subordinates are told \u2018how\u2019 as well as \u2018what\u2019 to do to such an extent and in such detail that the \u2018Custom of the service\u2019 has virtually become the antithesis of that essential element of command \u2014 \u2018initiative of the subordinate.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">King goes on to cite the anxiety of commanders to perform their duty so \u201csmoothly<b> <\/b>that none may comment unfavorably,\u201d as the main cause of the micromanaging of commanders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Berger said the Corps could lift King\u2019s \u201cdiagnosis\u201d and apply it to the modern-day Marine Corps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf we give them broad guidance and let them make the mistakes, let them run, we will have much better small unit commanders,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To help junior Marine leaders be more comfortable making decisions the commandant has set about reforming both officer and enlisted schoolhouses, allowing Marines to take on more responsibility from the very start of their careers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Corps is implementing changes that will use \u201cYouTube\u201d style videos, online flashcards, issued laptops or tablets and other tools to help Marines pass courses at their own pace and take greater ownership of their own learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The strategy already has led to more than<a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2021\/06\/25\/heres-how-the-marine-corps-is-looking-to-revamp-its-schoolhouses\/\" target=\"_blank\"> 100 Marines graduating<\/a> from the Network Administrators Course at Marine Corps Communication Electronics School.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The so called <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2020\/05\/19\/a-culture-of-learning-why-the-marine-corps-is-promoting-education-training-in-its-new-doctrine\/\" target=\"_blank\">\u201c21st century learning\u201d<\/a> model also was implemented in the Corps\u2019 new infantry school, where the focus was on creating future squad leaders and platoon sergeants, rather than just competent trigger pullers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Graduates from the first pilot program ran at the School of Infantry\u2013West on Camp Pendleton, California, left the course more proficient in many infantry skills, but most importantly they were free-thinkers capable of solving a problem without the help of instructors or noncommissioned officers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2021\/06\/05\/marines-out-of-new-infantry-school-are-more-competent-but-more-tests-await\/\" target=\"_blank\">By accident we created tacticians<\/a>,\u201d Lt. Col. Walker Koury, commanding officer for Infantry Training Battalion\u2013West, told a group of reporters in April.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Berger suggested the Marine Corps re-evaluate how it performs its after action reports once in the fleet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Instead of immediately critiquing a decision made by small unit leaders, Berger said every after action report, from a training scenario, should start off by thanking the leader for simply making a decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Berger also wants to put new technology in the hands of captains and majors, allowing them to develop uses and protocols for the new tech that may have been missed by top brass in the Pentagon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe\u2019re at a disadvantage at my grade and age,\u201d Berger said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThat\u2019s the sweet spot, just give them the tools, don\u2019t tell them how to use them, they\u2019ll probably by the end of tomorrow figure out seven ways you had never envisioned,\u201d Berger said. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s time for senior leaders to let go of the reins and allow small unit leaders the freedom to make decisions, Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger says.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":3915,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":69,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"2":{"categories":["news"],"primary_category":""},"9":{"categories":[],"primary_category":""}}},"categories":[101,12,25,69],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3097],"class_list":["post-14321","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-news","category-newsletters","category-your-marine-corps"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"4Y4VLXXYMJBO7CW5XSIVR4Q4BQ","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2021\/08\/09\/commandant-calls-on-senior-marines-to-remove-shackles-from-junior-leaders\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Commandant calls on senior Marines to stop \u2018shackling\u2019 junior leaders - Marine Corps Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"It\u2019s time for senior leaders to let go of the reins and allow small unit leaders the freedom to make decisions, Marine Corps Commandant Gen. 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