U.S. Marine Corps Concepts & Programs

As we continue to train the Iraqi and Afghan security forces for taking control in their respective countries, and in light of rising economic and energy concerns, the Marine Corps faces a number of challenges in 2010. Our standing pledge to Congress remains to exercise fiscal discipline and act as good stewards of the re- sources they provide while maintaining the capability to operate across the full range of military operations. As the Nation's premier expeditionary force in readiness, the Marine Corps must remain fast, austere, and lethal. In November 2009, we established the Marine Corps Expeditionary Energy Office to analyze, develop, and direct ways in which we can gain efficiencies on the battlefield in fuel and water consumption. Our national economy is unstable and institutionally, we also face significant fiscal challenges as we look to reset the Marine Corps from operations in Iraq, support the Presidents strategy in Afghanistan, and modernize our equipment to ensure its availability and capability to meet future requirements. This edition of Concepts and Programs offers a review of our operations in 2009, underscoring how engaged America's Marine Corps has been - not only in Iraq and Afghanistan but around the world, on training exercises and in support of the engagement strategies of our country's combatant commanders. For the Marine Corps in 2010, this volume provides a snapshot of how we have structured the force to support our roadmap for the future, Marine Corps Vision and Strategy 2025. We intend for Concepts and Programs to also be a concise, useful reference of all our major programs. Our greatest commitment is to our Marines and their families; and as the Marine Corps Almanac shows in the last chapter, appropriations for our personnel comprise more than half of our overall budget. Our forces in Afghanistan will grow during 2010, and the high operational tempo we have experienced over the last several years will continue. As a naval expeditionary force and an elite air-ground team, the Marine Corps is ready and willing to go into harm's way on a moment's notice and do what is necessary to make our country safer - this is what America expects of her Marines. In the complex and dangerous security environment of the future, the Marine Corps stands ready for the challenges ahead.