Despite its reputation as "lean and mean", the Marine Corps can increase manning levels by eliminating 2000 non-combat slots.  The list below is where the fat can be trimmed.  Yes, I am aware that tables of organization vary and and change often, and that none of these units are fully manned.  Yes, I understand that it will take several years for the manpower system to adjust the number of Marines in each specialty and grade.

     The Corps has tremendous engineer assets, more than it needs. The three active-duty Engineer Support Battalions (ESB) are the largest battalions in the Corps with 1452 Marines each.  The Corps also has a Combat Engineer battalion in each division and engineer assets in each Marine Wing Support Group, plus Navy Construction Battalions are ready to help along with a growing army of private contractors.  Each ESB has three line engineer companies (A, B, & C) with 142 Marines each; but only needs one.  Two line companies should be eliminated while the third is renamed a "Construction Company" to eliminate confusion with line companies in the Combat Engineer battalion.  This can eliminate six companies in three active ESBs for a total of 852 Marine slots.

     This will still leave large 1168-man ESBs organized into four companies: H&S, Construction, Support, and Bulk Fuel.  However, a good idea is to spin off a "Utilities Company" with the water purification, laundry, and mobile electrical power assets from the huge 406-man Engineer Support Company.  The Corps may choose to retain three "Construction" companies in the reserve's 6th ESB for wartime augmentation.

Eliminate 130 Headquarters Marines in Korea   

     Most Marines are surprised to learn that the Corps maintains a headquarters in Korea (MARFORK) with a Major General and a staff of 30, plus another 100 Marines assigned to various units in Korea.  There are no Marine units based in Korea, and several General officer headquarters already reside in Japan.  The US 8th Army/Combined Forces Command is not an official "joint" command, it is part of the Pacific Command in Hawaii.  The Corps needs a couple of liaison colonels  and a dozen Marines at its training camp near Pohang, but not a full size general officer headquarters that commands only itself.

Eliminate 100 Bandsmen

     The Marine Corps has 12 active duty musical bands which require as much manpower as an infantry battalion.  The 4th Marine Division in the Marine Corps Reserves has only one unit fully manned with active duty personnel -- the marching band (below).  While Generals love bands for parades and dinner parties, bandsmen are disliked by other Marines who view them as a waste of resources.  They also resent that bandsmen travel and attend parties while receiving the same pay and benefits as Marines in the operating forces. 

     Bands are very expensive for the very minor help they provide for recruiting and public relations.  Musical bands were a big attraction in the days before television and big sports events, but today's teenagers express no excitement when a Marine band comes to town.  Americans are more impressed when combat Marines appear at events to show off weaponry.  Bandsman fend off criticism by claiming they help provide rear area security.  Yet every Marine helps provide security, and only half the bands belong to deployable units.  The Marine Corps needs more grunts so two of the Corps' 12 bands should be eliminated. 

     The band in New Orleans for the reserve division should go.  If war occurs and the 4th Division is mobilized, it can borrow the Marine band from 29 Palms, which could become the official band for the 4th Division.  The band at the Marine Corps Logistics base at Albany, Georgia should also be eliminated.  No one knows how this small base ended up with a band.  There are no operating forces near New Orleans or Albany, so they have no need for bands.  Cutting two of the Corps 12 bands is minor, yet will free up 100 Marines for grunt duty.

Eliminate 320 Marines attending College

      The most wasteful program in the Marine Corps is the Enlisted Commissioning Education Program.  Around 320 of the Corps best NCOs are drawing full pay and allowances to attend college to become 2ndLts.  Meanwhile, Marine officer recruiters turn away college graduates interested in officer training because of a lack of slots.  The enlisted commissioning program began when the Corps had a shortage of 2ndLts, so the quick answer was to commission great NCOs.  It later became apparent that these "Mustangs" would not be competitive for promotion above Captain without a college degree, so they were encouraged to complete the coursework at night, which was a near impossible task.  Eventually, it was decided to send them to college full-time for four years; that is their "duty assignment" to attend college.

     The shortage of 2ndLts disappeared two decades ago, yet this this program survived the 1980s because it was used to boost the numbers of minority officers.  During the the 1990s, racial preferences were recognized as unfair, so now the program commissions the same number of minorities as other programs, whose students are not paid a full salary to attend college.  Higher military pay now attracts more college graduates who are interested in the ten-week Marine Officer Candidate Course (OCC) to obtain a commission, so why should the Corps pay a sergeant to attend college for four years instead of paying a college graduate for 10 weeks to attend OCC?  Moreover, the enlisted commissioning program robs the Marine Corps of its best NCOs.  

     The Corps will need 80 more officers each year from other programs.  The OCC program can fill this need, although a couple more officer recruiters may be needed for the paperwork required.  If the Corps decides that former enlisted Marines make better officers, it can give them OCC priority, or even a commissioning bonus.  Another option is to award NROTC scholarships to more enlisted Marines.   Meanwhile, another 320 Marine NCOs can eventually become available if this program is phased out.

Eliminate 600 Marines from Artillery Regiment Headquarters

     The Marine Corps has an artillery regiment as part of each combat division.  Each has an unneeded 365-man regimental headquarters battery with its own Napoleonic staff sections.  These units serve no real purpose and should be broken up to eliminate around 200 Marines from each battery.  Around 160 Marines in these headquarters provide real support in the form of truck drivers and fire finder radar operators.  These elements can be attached to artillery battalions, which is already a common practice to support deployments, or attached to components of the Division headquarters.

     However, the Marine Corps is steeped in tradition and will be hesitant to eliminate three "regiments" and artillery officers will argue the move is unfair to their career progression.  Therefore, a five-man artillery regiment command section can embed into each Division headquarters (see chart below).  The artillery regiment commander will continue his role as advisor to the division commander and writer of performance evaluations for artillery battalion commanders.  He will work as a liaison between artillery units and higher headquarters and logistics units.

MARINE DIVISION - HEADQUARTERS COMPANY

   ARTILLERY REGIMENT COMMAND SECTION (Table of Equipment - two radio equipped HMMWVs)

      COMMANDING OFFICER COL 9906

      ADJUTANT CAPT 0180 

      ADMIN CLERK SGT 0151

      DRIVER/RTO CPL 2531

      DRIVER/RTO CPL 2531

     While artillery officers may be shocked at this idea, artillery regiment commanders will soon learn their staff were more a burden than a help.  They will be free to visit whoever they want and attend meetings wherever they want without the need to continually address regimental staff problems.  Converting three active duty headquarters battery into five-man command sections can eliminate around 600 Marines overall.  Ironically, eliminating this layer of command will improve fire support coordination for the division.

2000 Marines Freed

     While 2000 Marines is a rough estimate, there is little doubt that eliminating these Marine units will free much manpower and resources.  If the Corps wishes to retain its "lean and mean" reputation, it must shed this fat to provide more infantrymen for the Corps' true mission.

                                                Carlton Meyer  editor@G2mil.com