{"id":56525,"date":"2023-06-26T17:28:34","date_gmt":"2023-06-26T17:28:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/uncategorized\/2023\/06\/26\/how-this-unit-could-shape-the-future-of-infantry-battalions-for-decades\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T20:50:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T20:50:10","slug":"how-this-unit-could-shape-the-future-of-infantry-battalions-for-decades","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/ebb\/2023\/06\/26\/how-this-unit-could-shape-the-future-of-infantry-battalions-for-decades\/","title":{"rendered":"How this unit could shape the future of infantry battalions for decades"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A battalion from one of the oldest continuously active Marine regiments will conduct experiments in the next two years that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2022\/05\/12\/dispersed-more-lethal-what-marine-infantry-battalion-experiments-have-shown-so-far\/\" target=\"_blank\">could define how the infantry battalion operates<\/a> for decades to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That unit is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2015\/09\/23\/corps-reactivates-3rd-battalion-4th-marines\/\" target=\"_blank\">3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, <\/a>out of the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center at Twentynine Palms, California.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And it\u2019ll be doing that work with<a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2021\/05\/19\/why-the-corps-future-may-sideline-its-ground-pounders\/\" target=\"_blank\"> a reconfigured, slimmer battalion of 811 Marines <\/a>and 69 Navy support personnel, for a total manning of 880 personnel, according to figures provided by Marine officials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That\u2019s down from the standard battalion requirement of 965 Marines and sailors <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2021\/11\/17\/heres-why-marine-expeditionary-units-could-soon-take-a-hit\/\" target=\"_blank\">prior to Force Design 2030<\/a> efforts that kicked off in 2019, and the current 877 Marines and sailors that are currently the infantry battalion standard manning, officials said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But the figure remains higher than one of the three experimental battalions that worked through Phase I infantry battalion experiments with only 735 Marines.<\/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\/2022\/05\/12\/dispersed-more-lethal-what-marine-infantry-battalion-experiments-have-shown-so-far\/\" 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=\"158\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/7162513.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\">Dispersed, more lethal: What Marine infantry battalion experiments have shown so far<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Infantry battalions will be more distributed than ever before, and that will be the new normal.<\/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\">Those numbers came from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marines.mil\/Portals\/1\/Docs\/Force_Design_2030_Annual_Update_June_2023.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">annual update to Force Design 2030,<\/a> Commandant Gen. David Berger\u2019s plan to restructure the Marine Corps, and requests made by Marine Corps Times to the Marine Corps Combat Development Command, Warfighting Lab and Manpower &amp; Reserve Affairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Force Design 2030 aims to have the Corps operate more dispersed in littoral zones with precision long-range fires, reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance and a host of new capabilities that Berger and his supporters say war-gaming has shown will transform how Marine units operate in future wars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lt. Gen. Karsten Heckl, deputy commandant of Combat Development and Integration, emphasized that Berger has told him Force Design is not a destination but a journey, \u201cto me it\u2019s a waypoint,\u201d he said during a June 2 phone call with media on the Force Design annual update.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis is what Marines do better than anybody, we\u2019re small enough that we can be agile and quick and make changes quickly and efficiently,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd that\u2019s exactly what\u2019s happening here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are now 21 active-duty infantry battalions and eight Marine Reserve battalions. The Corps has cut three active-duty infantry battalions from its numbers since 2020 as part of Force Design 2030 changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As of early June, the Corps had two battalions already transitioned to 811 Marines, according to data provided by Manpower &amp; Reserve Affairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The remaining battalions will transition as follows: two in fiscal year 2024; three each in fiscal years 2025 and 2026; four each in fiscal years 2027 and 2028 and the final three in fiscal year 2029.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As of June 6, the Marine Corps had 2,148 officers and 22,805 enlisted Marines with infantry as their primary job in the active duty ranks, according to manpower data. Another 353 officers and 4,721 enlisted Marines held infantry primary jobs in the Marine Reserve as of May 23.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These force redesign decisions are not without their critics. A series of commentaries have been published in recent years by recent and former high-ranking Marine generals and senior officers openly condemning some of the changes, especially the removal of tanks and reduction in conventional artillery that has happened to make room in funding and manning for new capabilities being added to the force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The reorganization is a move away from using the Corps as an assault infantry tool and instead, as a force focused on small teams acting as sensors and reconnaissance for a long-range strike, said Mark Cancian, senior adviser with the Center for Strategic and International Studies and retired Marine colonel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cancian, who authored a 2021 report titled \u201cU.S. Military Forces in FY2022: Marine Corps,\u201d that then noted perceived gaps in the redesign initiatives, also said he has questions about how the 811-Marine infantry battalion will be employed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Comparing the newly-sized battalions with those of only a few years ago, would require analyzing whether Marine units will continue to conduct the \u201cfull spectrum of missions that Marine infantry has conducted in the past \u2015 amphibious assault, urban warfare, counterinsurgency and extended operations ashore-or will it just focus on the preferred Western Pacific scenario?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSmaller units are often described as \u2018leaner but meaner,\u2019 but they are really just smaller,\u201d Cancian said. \u201cThere is no evidence here of \u2018meaner.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The \u201cThundering Third\u201d returned from deployment earlier in 2023 and was chosen for Phase II of the Corps\u2019 infantry battalion experimentation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Heckl said that the unit will take the Corps\u2019 battalion experimentation \u201cto the next level.\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\/2021\/05\/19\/why-the-corps-future-may-sideline-its-ground-pounders\/\" 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=\"169\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6595602.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\">Why the Corps\u2019 future may sideline its ground-pounders<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Is it the twilight of Marine infantry?<\/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\">Phase I wrapped up in 2022 and Marine leadership landed on the 811-Marine infantry battalion as the ideal size of the unit which will be the base of the Marine littoral regiment, the service\u2019s newest large-scale formation built to counter adversaries such as China in the U.S. Indo-Pacific region and beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some of the Phase I experimentation on the infantry battalion included:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Removing snipers from the battalion and instead creating a \u201cscout platoon\u201d to conduct some of the past functions of snipers.<\/li><li>Added medical training and personnel for improved casualty care in austere locations where immediate medical evacuation may not be available.<\/li><li>Bringing back a full 81 mm mortar platoon for the battalion\u2019s use. Past experiments with smaller formations had cut that by half.<\/li><li>Added signals intelligence and electronic warfare capabilities at the company level.<\/li><li>Enhanced command and control, sensing, lethality and sustainment experimentation.<\/li><li>Experiments to reduce cognitive load on leaders at all levels, including a new course for company noncommissioned officers on running 21st-century combat operations.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Phase II, which begins with the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines, will continue to refine both the scout platoon and arms room concepts while primarily focusing on command, control, communications, computing, cyber, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and targeting, sustainment, sensing and lethality, said Brig. Gen. Kyle Ellison, commanding general of the Warfighting Lab and career infantry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ellison called phase II the \u201cdecisive phase.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Retired <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Paul_Van_Riper\" target=\"_blank\">Lt. Gen. Paul Van Riper<\/a>, who formerly commanded 2nd Marine Division and the Marine Corps Combat Development Command, criticized the arms room concept, which aims to train Marines on all weapons systems, rather than having a dedicated mortarman and machine gunner or other traditional MOS-specific roles and the removal of snipers from the infantry battalion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Corps deactivated 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines, weapons company on June 1, integrating those Marines into the battalion as it heads into the Phase II experimentation phase likely by January, officials said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAnyone who understands weapons, those weapons are complex, they require thorough training and experience,\u201d Van Riper said. \u201cYou don\u2019t switch from being a machine gunner to being a mortarman to being a rifleman to being an antitank gunner just like that. You have to have day-to-day experience.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The retired three-star also noted that the Corps had done away with and brought back snipers multiple times, often to its detriment. He maintained that keeping snipers in the battalion was crucial and pointed to intelligence from the Russo-Ukraine War showing snipers employed on the front lines alongside the infantry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ellison also noted that changes in manning put staff sergeants in squad leader roles, which previously were assigned to sergeants but often filled by corporals in short-staffing situations. That move helps with maturing the force at the small unit level, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While the Corps continues to experiment and add newer technologies such as loitering munitions and autonomous systems down to the lower levels such as platoons and squads, those systems can\u2019t do everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhat we determined was that some of our autonomous systems and loitering systems that we\u2019re going to bring to bear in the future aren\u2019t all weather,\u201d Ellison said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That\u2019s one reason the new battalion configuration will see a full 81 mm mortar platoon at its disposal, rather than the half-strength model used in the 735-Marine battalion experiment during Phase I.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Beyond weapons systems, the infantry battalion must consider contingencies that some forces haven\u2019t experienced in generations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe\u2019re going to be encountering a level of combat casualty care requirements that we haven\u2019t seen since World War II,\u201d Ellison said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That observation pushed planners to beef up medical capabilities, including standardizing lifesaver training for all Marines in the battalion and the 69 Navy support staff figure on the roster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe\u2019ve increased the medical capability within each company and within the battalion writ large,\u201d Ellison said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Details of medical training aspects and specific Navy support roles were not immediately available as of publication.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Marine infantry battalions will now be manned with 880 Marines and sailors, down from 965 a few years ago.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":63870,"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":8,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[8,29,117,15,88],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3419],"class_list":["post-56525","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ebb","category-home","category-middle-column","category-news","category-your-military"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"KREMP2NS3RFBZJYFIOI3ZC76XA","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2023\/06\/26\/how-this-unit-could-shape-the-future-of-infantry-battalions-for-decades\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented 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