First to Fight? Culture, Tradition, and the United States Marine Corps (USMC)

Over a history of more than 240 years, the United States Marine Corps has forged a distinct culture and institutional identity centered on its “warrior ethos.” In the wars of American history, Marines fought with uncommon valor, rising to international prominence for their bravery on the battlefields of Belleau Wood, Iwo Jima, Chosin, Khe Sahn, Fallujah, and Marjah. However, the Corps has found its distinct institutional character threatened with extinction on more than one occasion. Political maneuvers, tight defense budgets, shifting geopolitical priorities, and the evolution of the character of warfare has forced the Corps into a delicate balancing act across the decades, adapting its institutional character on the one hand while retaining its core cultural ethos on the other. With one of the highest turnover rates among the U.S. military services, the Corps relies heavily on a robust training program to inculcate its warrior ethos in generation after generation of new Marines. Historically, this program placed a heavy emphasis on infantry skills, on deconstructing the individual and cultivating intense habits of teamwork, and on centering new Marines on the historical legacy and core values of the Corps. The consistent output has been “Marines with Marine training”—a force that can fight and win “in any clime and place.” Yet as new geopolitical challenges in the 2020s forced the United States to redefine its national security strategy, questions arose regarding the Corps’ continuing relevance and its need to adapt yet again. How could dedication to duty and team become such an ingrained trait among young men and women from all walks of life? Could this sense of purpose and its associated values of honor, courage, and commitment be replicated by organizations far from the battlefields where Marines fought? And how would the evolution of military operations in a new era of geopolitical competition and changing demographics influence the culture and unifying ethos of the Marines?