Guidance for Top Level School Students and Commandant of the Marine Corps Fellows From 30 July to 2 August,

Marine Corps University and Headquarters Marine Corps provided guidance and information to War College students and Commandant of the Marine Corps Fellows. The following is a synthesis of that information and guidance: The Budget Control Act, and the threat of sequestration, is having a significant impact on the DoD and the Marine Corps. The expectation is that the DoD will go through a prolonged period of fiscal austerity. This will impact how the Marine Corps will be structured and how it operates. In 2011 the Marine Corps began developing its post-OEF strategy, based on Presidential guidance. The result is a Rebalancing of the Marine Corps towards the Pacific. This too will mark a change in where and how the Marine Corps will operate and apply resources. The results will likely include fewer Marines in Japan, but an increase in Marine presence in Guam, Australia, and Hawaii. There is some discussion of potential growth in mil-mil partnership the Philippines and Vietnam. The Marine Corps is working to strengthen core competencies in amphibious operations. This ties directly to the rebalancing towards the Pacific in that it provides a mechanism for gaining geographic, diplomatic, and/or military access. The Center for Strategic and International Studies presented a futurist look at the operating environment over the next several decades. They used the broad topics of population trends, resource management, technology, information, economic integration, conflict, and governance to emphasize the increasingly complex nature of the world. The Commandant of the Marine Corps stressed that we are the worlds foremost crisis response force, ready and expeditionary, scalable in size, and a powerful enabler for joint forces and the inter-agency.

My initial fellowship goals: Represent the Marine Corps to USAID through education, information, work ethic, and contribution. Gain a better understanding of the alignment between the emerging Marine Corps strategy and on-going USAID efforts in the Pacific. Enhance my knowledge of the Country Development Cooperation Strategy (planning, coordination, implementation, program assessment) Share my experiences in stabilization and reconstruction in post-conflict environments, as well as my understanding of high-level military staff planning/operations.