The U.S. Marine Corps has rolled out a new initiative aimed at sharpening the marksmanship and combat readiness of its forces.
On September 16, 2024, General Benjamin T. Watson, head of the Marine Corps Training and Education Command, signed off on the Marksmanship Campaign Plan (MCP), a game-changing strategy designed to standardize how Marine lethality is measured.
At the core of the MCP is the S.P.E.A.R. Model of Lethality, which measures Marine performance based on five attributes: Speed, Precision, Executive Control, Adaptability, and Risk Exposure.
This approach allows the Corps to evaluate each Marine’s effectiveness in combat situations with quantifiable metrics, making assessments more precise and actionable.
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Maj. Gen. James “Hammer” Hartsell (Ret.) emphasized the plan’s focus on ensuring Marines are as lethal and capable as possible. The MCP also gives commanders a tool to assess their units’ small-arms lethality, from individual Marines to entire teams.
The foundation of this new plan dates back to changes made three years ago with the Annual Rifle Qualification, which revamped shooting drills to reflect real combat scenarios.
The MCP builds on that with the introduction of the Joint Marksmanship Assessment Package (JMAP), a cutting-edge system that uses shot-timer technology to track performance. Marines can now compare their stats with others, allowing them to see where they excel and where they need to improve.
JMAP also provides hard data for Marine leadership, eliminating the guesswork in evaluating new weapons, holsters, or training programs. Marines trained under traditional methods are now being compared to those trained with modernized techniques, with clear data to back up which approach works better.
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Col. Scott Cuomo, Commanding Officer of WTBn-Quantico, called the MCP “the most transformative change in Marine Corps marksmanship in over a century.”
He highlighted that the plan is built on “decades of lessons learned in combat to make the Marine fighting on the ground as lethal as humanly possible.” Cuomo also noted that the Marine Corps’ marksmanship training is now “the best it has ever been.”
In addition to the MCP, the Marine Corps is advancing initiatives to improve readiness, such as virtual training systems and multi-domain exercises.
As threats continue to evolve, TECOM is pushing the boundaries of Marine training, ensuring that America’s Marines remain the world’s top fighting force.
What are your thoughts on the new changes?
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There is a good article and video in the Marine Corps Times (online) on this new course and requirements. It is a vast improvement over the standard rifle courses the Marine Corps has been using over the years. There will be less ‘Experts” badges handed out. I believe Marines will be better prepared for their next firefight. This is a good basic qual shoot. They can build from there on specific rifle and combat training.
From a dirty nasty retired reserve Jarhead who spent a few years on active duty punching holes on the 29 Palms Rifle and Pistol Team. Semper Gumby!
My last visit to Lejune in 2023 was a big disappointment. Once the Marines fired a passing score, they were told to stand aside while the instructors mag dumped the rest of the ammo. What a waste of time & resources when the Marines could have gained valuable reps with their weapons. No “program” will be successful if such wasteful (and dishonorable) behavior is allowed to continue.
Hmm, interesting target, reminds me of a certain group…
Robert
Retired Recon Marine GySgt who served 3 tours in Nam with the 3rd, 5th and 1st Recon Bn, I can tell you the only way to improve Marine marksmanship is too have every Marine on the range shoot, shoot and shoot. Qualifications once a year for support Marines may be okay but not for Mud-Marines. They should be practicing marksmanship quarterly. The only way to become more lethal, more deadly is to practice.
I guess this might be a good plan. But they’re very vague about what they’re going to do ,other than use shot timers and compare scores. We do that in IDPA all the time, if that’s all the marine corps needs to improve, they should’ve started that a hundred years ago.
IT SOUNDS LIKE JUST A NOTHING BURGER, THAT THESE DO NOTHING BRIGADIER. GENERALS ARE TRYING TO JUSTIFY THEIR POSITION.
As a Marine vet, the only way to improve marksmanship is to shoot, shoot, and shoot. Practice, practice, and more practice. The USMC needs to boost its shooting frequency. Once or twice a year doesn’t cut it. Once a week would be much better, but that won’t happen either. Funding and time are the road blocks to great marksmanship and combat efficiency.
That target looks suspiciously like an American from the south (i.e., America First) might look rather than targets we saw before with Jihadis and other typical enemies. What message are they subliminally sending to young Marines?
Agreed. Trying to fix something that’s not broken. Seems we tried this before.
I don’t want to hear what General’s and Colonel’s say, I want to hear what an 0311 Gunnery Sergeant thinks. Also, what is the opinion of the junior Marine being graded? Is this just for the infantry regiments or for all Marines? It would be hard for those in support MOS’s to get the training time. Finally, how does this fit in with the removal of tanks, aircraft, infantry, etc? It does sound like a good possibility but will the Marines get enough trigger time, rounds, and training time to make it work? Just an old Marine asking………..