{"id":27433,"date":"2017-10-09T19:45:59","date_gmt":"2017-10-09T19:45:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2017\/10\/09\/staff-sergeant-squad-leaders\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T20:40:44","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T20:40:44","slug":"staff-sergeant-squad-leaders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2017\/10\/09\/staff-sergeant-squad-leaders\/","title":{"rendered":"Staff sergeant squad leaders?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Marine Corps is investing millions of dollars for new equipment to make infantry squads more lethal than ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now, senior leaders are also talking about a fundamental reorganization of the rifle squad to put older and more seasoned noncommissioned officers in charge of those expanding capabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Plans under discussion would \u00adrequire infantry squad leaders be staff \u00adsergeants, who might have eight to 10 years of experience, rather today\u2019s sergeants and corporals who might still be at the end of their first term of enlistment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The proposal also calls for creating a new position of \u201cassistant squad leader,\u201d which would be a sergeant who is second in command and will focus on technology, according to Marine Corps officials familiar with the proposal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That would amount to the biggest change in the structure of Marine rifle squads since the Second World War. It could have far-reaching impacts on the Marine Corps\u2019 culture, force structure, career paths and ground-level operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The idea of having staff noncommissioned officers fill squad leader billets reflects the Marine Corps\u2019 desire to have more mature, experienced Marines lead increasingly lethal rifle squads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe complexity of the battlefield and the operating environment today is so much more complex than it was for me in the Gulf War or Somalia,\u201d said 2nd Marine Division Gunner, CWO 5 Christian Wade, a longtime Marine who is leading an experiment with reorganized squads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWith the information environment, with technologies, with connectiveness \u2014 we have essentially taken combat responsibilities and pushed them one level lower than when I was a young sergeant,\u201d Wade said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For decades, Marine sergeants have typically served as squad leaders, but lower ranking Marines often fill the position when there aren\u2019t enough sergeants for the job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wade noted that while the demands on squad leaders have grown over the past 30 years, the time it takes Marines to get promoted has shortened by years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When Wade entered the Marine Corps in the 1980s, he said, it typically took Marines an average of seven or eight years to make sergeant, he said. Now that the Corps\u2019 promotion scale is aligned with the rest of the Defense Department, Marines can be promoted to sergeant after four years and staff sergeant after eight years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe rifle squad leader is \u2014 in my opinion \u2014 the most important Marine in the Marine Corps,\u201d Wade said. \u201cHe is the leader of our base unit around which the rest of the Marine Corps revolves. The success of that squad is directly dependent on his credibility, his maturity, his experience, his decision-making and his skill and will.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/MAR-cover-2-1016.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-57264\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/MAR-cover-2-1016.jpg.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/MAR-cover-2-1016.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/MAR-cover-2-1016.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/MAR-cover-2-1016.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,682 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/MAR-cover-2-1016.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Marine Corps is discussing plans that would require infantry squad leaders to be staff sergeants with more experience, rather today\u2019s sergeants who might be at the end of their first enlistment. (Lance Cpl. Justin X. Toledo\/Marine Corps)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Information overload<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Today\u2019s rifle squads are getting more gear than ever before. The Corps is buying thousands of powerful M27s to replace M4s. And more Marines are getting suppressors for their weapons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gear in the testing phase includes new squad-level drones, anti-tank missiles and laser range-finders that could allow Marines to call in artillery or airstrikes without having a joint terminal attack controller on the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Marine officers are worried that today\u2019s squad leaders are confronted with far more information, intelligence and communications equipment than ever before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lt. Col. Daniel Wittnam, who heads the ground combat element for the Marines\u2019 Plans, Policies and Operations office, framed the question as an across-the-Corps talent management problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHow much information can one \u00adperson process?\u201d Wittnam said at the annual Modern Day Marine military expo in Quantico, Virginia, in September.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHow do we shape the force to not overload the assistant squad leader or squad leader?\u201d he told a crowd of \u00adattendees at the expo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wittnam said the assistant squad leader position would function like a chief technical officer for the squad, coordinating and pushing capabilities to the squad leader.<\/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\/2017\/06\/27\/the-new-stealth-infantry-how-suppressors-will-change-battlefield-tactics\/\" 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=\"214\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/lima-company-suppressors.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\">The new stealth infantry: How suppressors will change battlefield tactics<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The Army and Marine Corps are both interested in expanding the use of suppressors. <\/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 testing the new rifle squad structure with the \u201c\u00dcbersquad\u201d from 1st Battalion, 6th Marines, which is experimenting with many ideas that the Corps\u2019 top brass is considering for the entire infantry force, including special operations gear, fully automatic rifles and suppressors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wade is overseeing the \u00dcbersquad and right now, he is looking for a staff sergeant to serve as squad leader, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He wants a Marine about 25 years old because that\u2019s the age when the human brain is fully formed, he said. If his idea is approved, the staff sergeant could lead the \u00dcbersquad in the next month or two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He wants to \u201ctake what we now call and think of conceptually as a staff sergeant, who has been through the Infantry Unit Leader\u2019s Course \u2014 that\u2019s the guy I want to put in charge of my \u00dcbersquad,\u201d Wade said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThat Marine that I\u2019m looking for is a staff sergeant. But in relative terms, he\u2019s what during the \u201980s we would have considered a sergeant because of time and maturity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the Marine Corps, the current structure that saddles young Marines with big responsibilities is a source of pride. In the Army, on the other hand, staff sergeants are already serving as squad leaders and sergeants serve as team leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Special operations forces teams also often have more seasoned leaders with higher rank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"apester-media\" data-media-id=\"59c53e50fe3b110001f07ecc\" height=\"443\"><\/div><script async src=\"\/\/static.apester.com\/js\/sdk\/v2.0\/apester-javascript-sdk.min.js\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Stuck at the squad level?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The move would likely be unpopular among many Marines, who may view it as questioning their competence or as essentially a demotion for sergeants. An online survey of more than 400 Marine Corps Times readers found that four out of five respondents believe the current structure should remain unchanged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Morale may suffer if infantry Marines are forced to remain at the squad level for more than 10 years, said retired Sgt. Maj. James Booker, a Silver Star and Bronze Star recipient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThat\u2019s a lot of time in the grunts right there, to only be at the squad level,\u201d said Booker. \u201cAt some point in time, you\u2019re like: \u2018Hey, man; how many years can you stay at the squad level?\u2019 Just wear you out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And there may be secondary effects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Typically, staff sergeants work for lieutenants as platoon sergeants, Booker said. If staff sergeants became squad leaders, it might bump all positions up a rank \u2014 gunnery sergeants might have to serve as platoon sergeants, etc., he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Booker retired in July 2015 after spending 32 years in the Marine Corps. From July 2013 to December 2014, he served as the senior enlisted adviser to now Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford, who was commander of U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the Marine Corps at large, it would take a tremendous increase in the number of staff noncommissioned officers to have enough staff sergeants to lead all infantry squads, and that would make it more difficult for staff sergeants to get promoted, Booker said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI hope they can do it, but it sounds to me like a bridge too far,\u201d Booker said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No proof exists that the Army\u2019s model for squad leaders is better than the \u00adMarine Corps\u2019, said retired Marine Sgt. Maj. Bryan Battaglia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIn my research, I have found no evidence or data that an Army squad led by a staff sergeant successfully accomplished more missions, \u00adeliminated more enemy threats, and took less casualties than that of any Marine rifle squad led by a sergeant,\u201d said Battaglia, who served as senior enlisted adviser to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 2011 to 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBut, evidence does show that our infantry squad leaders in contested and uncontested environments can become overwhelmed. That said, I do believe there is a need to better equip the infantry squad leader.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Retention challenges<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Putting staff sergeants in charge of \u00adinfantry squads would require the Marine Corps to retain more than 600 additional Marines at the E-6 paygrade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That would cost a lot of money, and have ripple effects across the personnel system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe issue is whether the Marine manpower structure can generate more staff sergeants and whether the culture of the infantry squad can adapt to such a major change,\u201d said Marine veteran Bing West, who has authored eight books about Marines in three wars: Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Marine Corps\u2019 current manpower model cannot produce enough staff sergeants to lead all rifle squads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yet the Corps can find solutions if it thinks creatively, Wade said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf the Marine Corps is going to put its money where its mouth is, it should invest more in the rifle squad leader,\u201d Wade said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even if the Corps opts against requiring all squad leaders to be staff sergeants, there are other ways to elevate the position of squad leader beyond that of a typical E-5, for example by paying them more and giving those Marines \u00addistinct insignia to wear on their uniform, Wade said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019m willing to put a device on this guy that designates him or her as rifle squad leader,\u201d Wade said.<\/p>\n\n\n<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link smg-interstitial-link--fallback wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\"><a href=\"\/\/Marine%20Corps%20looks%20to%20empower%20squad%20leaders%20with%20new%20combat%20tech\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__fallback-link\">https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2017\/02\/05\/marine-corps-looks-to-empower-squad-leaders-with-new-combat-tech\/<\/a><\/aside>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019m willing to pay them more. In fact, I wouldn\u2019t mind going out and recruiting these people. The special operations community gets to do all of those things: They put devices on their people; they recruit them; they retain them in a different way and they pay them more money.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There may be strong logic to elevating squad leaders to the staff sergeant level, but that comes with a lot of manpower and retention challenges, said Katherine Kidder, a military personnel expert with the Center for a New American Security think tank in Washington.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019ve seen arguments out there that the pace of warfare and the pace of technological change is ramping up at such a rate that you would want the wisdom and the judgment of a more senior squad leader to make these rapid-fire decisions with more powerful weapons that have more lethality,\u201d Kidder said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But, she said, \u201cI also don\u2019t know that the manpower system is set up to \u00adsupport that currently.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Changing the structure of rifle squads would put a new spotlight on retention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Marine Corps is seeing an uptick in staff sergeants and gunnery sergeants leaving after 12 or 14 years of service instead of retiring at 20 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In fiscal 2016, the Corps saw a 2 percent drop in the number of staff sergeants it retained and a 4.5 percent drop for gunnery sergeants compared to the four-year average.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe are losing people at the 12-year mark \u2014 or the mid-career mark \u2014 when we would need their wisdom and experience to be the squad leaders,\u201d Kidder said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With more staff noncommissioned \u00adofficers leaving the Corps, Marines will be promoted faster, Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Ronald Green told Marine Corps Times earlier this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThat means your leadership is going to be younger with less experience,\u201d Green said in a July 24 interview. \u201cWe want to mature the force and make sure that Marines spend enough time at their [current] rank and receive the reps that it takes to have that good experience and be ready to move to the next level.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Recon Marines<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Older and more seasoned squad leaders are a better fit for \u00adReconnaissance Marines than infantry units, said Gunnery Sgt. Shawn Talbert, with 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion in Okinawa, Japan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Talbert said he served as a squad leader when he was a lance corporal, but leading reconnaissance Marines requires a totally different set of skills compared to leading riflemen and \u00admachine gunners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt takes years to develop a reconnaissance Marine, with the full capabilities of jump, dive, freefall, as well as the master courses and supplemental courses, like sniper school and [Joint Terminal Attack Controller],\u201d Talbert told Marine Corps Times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWith the ops tempo that we have in training and our deployment cycle, you\u2019re not going to get that right away. It\u2019s going to take about a good eight to ten years to get that guy where he needs to be to actually be a reconnaissance team leader or reconnaissance course team leader.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Brain science<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Science has shown that older troops are more likely to survive close combat than younger service members, said retired Army Maj. Gen. Robert Scales, author of \u201cScales on War: The Future of America\u2019s Military at Risk.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Casualty statistics from past wars have shown that younger troops tend to be most likely to rush the enemy without enough preparation or reflexive thought \u2014 and are more likely to die, Scales said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One reason is the prefrontal cortex of the human brain, which controls reasoning, learning and self-control, matures much slower than the part of the brain that controls reflexive actions, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cA fully developed cortex doesn\u2019t \u00adarrive until the late twenties,\u201d Scales said. \u201cThus, we find that very young men, those with an immature and undeveloped cortex, tend to be impetuous, lack self-control and tend to seek danger.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In combat, troops need to use, stealth, deception and guile to find weaknesses in an enemy\u2019s position and then exploit it with fire, he said. This requires patience and caution, not impetuosity or reflexive behavior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Infantry Marines are often teenagers, while members of U.S. special operations forces are typically at least 10 years older, Scales said. The age difference is one reason why special operations forces tend to suffer far fewer deaths than \u00adMarines, even though they may fight more dangerous engagements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>648 new staff sergeants<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The idea of having more seasoned rifle squads is not new. In 2005, then Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Michael Hagee approved the \u201cdistributed operations\u201d warfighting concept, which called for making sure that all rifle squad leaders were sergeants with between five and seven years of service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">CNA, a research institution funded by the Defense Department, issued a 2007 paper that concluded, \u201cIt may make more sense to have staff \u00adsergeants, rather than sergeants, as the [distributed operations]-qualified infantry rifle squad leaders.\u201d<\/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\/2017\/08\/15\/marines-want-50000-more-infantry-automatic-rifles-to-replace-m4\/\" 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=\"198\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IAR.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\">Marines want 11,000 Infantry Automatic Rifles to replace M4 in every infantry squad<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Marines are requesting 11,000 M27 Infantry Automatic Rifles from Heckler &amp; Koch.<\/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\">Having staff sergeants serve as rifle squad leaders would require fewer changes to the Corps\u2019 manpower system than ensuring that sergeants had enough experience to fill rifle squad leader \u00adbillets, according to the CNA paper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf all infantry rifle squad leaders were required to be staff sergeants (vice sergeants), the problems of experience and qualifications at the time in their careers when they would serve in these billets should not be a problem,\u201d the paper says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cA staff sergeant would have served his first term in the operational forces, probably had a B-billet tour in the support establishment, and then would be ready to go back to the operational forces.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The paper\u2019s authors calculated it would take 648 staff sergeants to lead all the rifle squads in the Corps\u2019 24 active-duty battalions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, staff sergeants earn more in salary than sergeants, so having them serve as squad leaders would cost the Marine Corps more money, the paper found. The Marine Corps would also have to create a promotion pipeline to ensure it had enough staff sergeants to fill squad leader billets and serve in the other roles required by Marines of that rank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>The next fight<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">All Marines will have to be stronger and smarter to fight future adversaries, but squad leaders in particular will be asked to do more, Corps officials have said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Squad leaders\u2019 will need to counter enemy drones, electronic jamming and information warfare in the middle of a fight \u2014 all while running the squad, said officials with the Ellis Group, the Marine Corps\u2019 internal think tank that explores future warfighting scenarios.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When Marines face a near-peer \u00adadversary, the squad leader will be \u201cthe busiest person on the battlefield,\u201d Doug King, director of the Ellis Group, said in August 2016.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe need to make sure that\u2019s the right person and they\u2019re trained properly and they have enough resources,\u201d King said at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Todd South and Andrea Scott \u00adcontributed to this report.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As squads get more capability, they may need new leadership.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":41976,"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":"news"}}},"categories":[101,25,69],"tags":[],"coauthors":[1187],"class_list":["post-27433","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-newsletters","category-your-marine-corps"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"I6PFMDCD7NFDPCLJLC7673OOHA","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2017\/10\/09\/staff-sergeant-squad-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) - 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