The Golden Opportunity: Reorganizing Headquarters, Marine Corps for the Future

Abstract

Abstract : Under the premise of defense reorganization, many changes have been implemented throughout the Department of Defense and the U.S. Marine Corps. The Goldwater-Nichols Act redefined the Commandant's role as service chief, and defense reform initiatives are changing the relationships and organizations within the Marine Corps. This period of change provides the Marine Corps with a golden opportunity to reorganize the management of it's headquarters functions in Washington, D.C. and Quantico, Virginia. Currently, the Corps is proceeding with a sweeping, in-depth assessment of its business process management through the Marine Corps Continuous Process Improvement Program (MCCPIP). The reforms that this program promises to deliver are substantial and will have a significant, positive impact on the Marine Corps' business enterprise; but the reform initiatives may miss the mark if they fail to achieve measurable results, and if the changes cannot be institutionalized throughout the Marine Corps. Furthermore, if reforms at the Marine Corps headquarters level fail to address Marines' needs for focused, relevant information, and improvements in quality of life, then the Marine Corps will be hard-pressed to compete for the type of individuals it requires for future success on the battlefield. This paper explores the issues surrounding the role of the Commandant and his headquarters, and serves as a starting point for discussions of the role and organization of HQMC for the years 2010 and beyond. After examining how the Commandant's role has been affected by Goldwater-Nichols and other reform initiatives, the paper will examine the Marine Corps' own reform effort, the Marine Corps Continuous Process Improvement Program (MCCPIP). Finally, some observations will be drawn to highlight particular concerns of the author once MCCPIP reform implementation begins.