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Marines

Combat Development & Integration

DMA Marines
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When the world looks to the sea it will see an American flag.

When the world looks to the sea it will see an American flag.

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CD&I Welcomes SgtMaj Siaw

U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Peter A. Siaw, incoming Marine Corps Combat Development Command Sgt. Maj. gives his remarks during a relief and...

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Marine Corps Ship Requirements

When partnered with the Navy, the Marine Corps is uniquely capable, of expeditionary and amphibious operations. To do so we require no less than 31...

 

 

In the news

A new 1st Marine Division handbook shows how the Corps has modernized its thinking and is preparing to fight a drone war. It also reveals how far there is to go, not just in developing doctrine and training but also in acquiring the sort of hardware that Russia and Ukraine have been using for years. As a representative explained, getting the handbook out to establish foundational principles and mark out the way forward was vital even though it is not yet complete. And taking on the new realities of the drone battlefield is a real milestone. “Overall, this is indeed a big leap forward for the USMC,” Samuel Bendett, an expert on drones and advisor to the CNA, CNAS and CAIS thinktanks told me. “The United States military has taken some time to observe, evaluate and attempt to codify tactics and concepts.” How The Marine Corps Is Preparing For Drone Wars — And What’s Missing
How The Marine Corps Is Preparing For Drone Wars — And What’s Missing
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The Marine Corps will field an advanced smart scope that is designed to hit moving targets in order to help Marines shoot down small drones, said Lt. Col. Eric Flanagan, a spokesman for Combat Development and Integration. Starting next fiscal year, which begins on Oct. 1, Marine units will begin receiving the SMASH 2000L advanced fire control system, Flanagan told Task & Purpose on Wednesday. “The SMASH 2000L will give the rifleman the ability to quickly obtain a positive firing solution and increase their probability of kill when engaging Unmanned Aircraft Systems,” Flanagan said. “The SMASH 2000L provides easily attachable components that will enable a standard M4 to be utilized for targeting and defeating [small unmanned aerial systems] with conventional small arms fire while still enabling the Marine user to utilize that same weapon system to engage other/ground targets.” Marines to field new smart scope to help shoot down small drones
Marines to field new smart scope to help shoot down small drones
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Deploying Marine units will be equipped with prototype systems designed to counter drones, said Lt. Gen. Eric Austin, deputy commandant for combat development and integration. “One of the things that is apparent to all of us is that unmanned aerial systems are a threat not just to infantry Marines, but to all Marines,” said Austin, who is also the commanding general of Marine Corps Combat Development Command. That’s why the Marine Corps has “repurposed” some money to field the prototypes for counter-drone systems for dismounted Marines, Austin said at the Navy League Sea-Air-Space 2025 conference at National Harbor, Maryland. Marine Corps to field new counter-drone systems to deploying units
Marine Corps to field new counter-drone systems to deploying units
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Combat Development & Integration