Marine Corps Targets ‘Aggressive Modernization’ with 2025 Force Design Update

Marines' Force Design plan urges modernization to tackle ‘the changing character of war’

The latest iteration of the Marine Corps’ big-picture modernization plans sheds new light on leaders’ near-term vision to enable “kill webs” — notably more advanced and interconnected than legacy “kill chains” — via a networked system that fuses a wide variety of military intelligence and warfare capabilities used to identify and target threats across the world. “We are equipping Marines with the tools to thrive in contested environments: precis…

Marine Corps targets ‘aggressive modernization’ with 2025 Force Design update

Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Eric Smith today published a 2025 update to the service’s Force Design doctrine, emphasizing a need for “aggressive modernization” to keep pace with rapidly changing technology and tactics. “Modernization is not just about new weapons and formations. It depends on how we develop and deliver them,” Smith states in the guidance. “We are updating our force development processes to more rapidly transition technology, imp…

Marine Corps Lays Out Aggressive Modernization Efforts in Force Design Update

From Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps, Oct. 23, 2025  HEADQUARTERS, MARINE CORPS – The Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. Eric M. Smith, published the 2025 Force Design Update, which lays out how the Marine Corps is aggressively pursuing modernization initiatives to ensure it remains a globally responsive, naval expeditionary force. These efforts are crucial for maintaining readiness and lethality in an era of rapidly evolving technology and in…