DOCSLIB.ORG

Administration of Donald J. Trump, 2018 Remarks Commemorating The

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Administration of Donald J. Trump, 2018 Remarks Commemorating The Administration of Donald J. Trump, 2018 Remarks Commemorating the 35th Anniversary of the Attack on the United States Marine Barracks in Beirut, Lebanon October 25, 2018 The President. Thank you. Please be seated. Thank you very much. A lot of spirit in this room. [Laughter] A lot of spirit. For good reason. We're gathered together on this solemn occasion to fulfill our most reverent and sacred duty. Thirty-five years ago, 241 American servicemembers were murdered in the terrorist attack on our Marine Barracks in Beirut, Lebanon. It was a very sad period of time. These are great, great people. Today we honor our fallen heroes and pledge that their blessed memory will never die, but live instead in the hearts of our grateful Nation forever. We are joined by, and for, today's observers. And I'd like to introduce some of the outstanding people in our Government and some that are outside of our Government, starting off with Secretary of State Pompeo. Mike? Where is Mike? Stand up, Mike. Thank you. Great job. And he's been doing a lot of traveling. [Laughter] A very well-traveled man, aren't you, Mike? [Laughter] Huh? Secretary of Defense Mattis. Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer. Richard? Thank you. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford. Hi, Joseph. Army Chief of Staff General Mark Milley. Mark, thank you. Thank you, Mark. Commandant of the Marine Corps General Robert Neller. Robert. Commandant of the Coast Guard Admiral Karl Schultz. And Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Ronald Green. Ronald. As well as my Chief of Staff, and a beloved marine—he loves the Marines—John Kelly. John. And much more important, a great wife and a great mother: Karen. Please stand up. Karen Kelly. Great woman. Great man. Great woman. Thank you very much. Thank you everybody. And thanks to the French Ambassador to the United States, Gérard Araud, for being here. Gérard. Where are you, Gérard? Audience member. Right here. The President. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. I just spoke to your President. I just spoke to President Macron, and he's doing well. He sends his regards. [Laughter] I also want to recognize two very special retired marines who led with extraordinary valor in the wake of the Beirut terrorist attack: Colonel Tim Garrity and General Al Gray. Audience member. We love you, General Gray! The President. See that? They all love you. [Laughter] We're also truly thankful to have with us the veterans of Beirut, who really—I mean, this is an incredible group. I'm going to ask you to stand. You courageously survived that terrible October day, and you have made it your "First Duty To Remember." Please stand. Beautiful. Audience member. We love you, Mr. President! 1 The President. Such incredible spirit. I see hugging and kissing. I think it's fantastic. [Laughter] That's what love is, right? That's real love. That's the kind of love we like. That's beautiful. Thank you. Thank you. Great, great people. Most importantly, we're joined by the families of those who made the ultimate sacrifice for us. Please stand. Please. [Applause] Wow. Wow. That's great. That's really great. Thank you. Thank you all. Thank you. Thank you very much. That's great. Incredible. To every Gold Star Family: Today we pay tribute to the heroes you knew and loved. We grieve and mourn by your side. And we honor the immortal sacrifice of 241 heroes who gave their lives for our freedom. Thank you for being here very much. In 1983, roughly 1,800 marines were in Beirut to keep the peace in a nation torn apart by civil war. Terrorists had bombed the U.S. Embassy earlier that year, killing 63 people, including 17 Americans. For the 300 marines stationed at the Beirut Airport, the morning of October 23d arrived like any other. The marines on guard stood there and at their post; others slept peacefully in their bunks—until suddenly, and without warning, a truck driven by a terrorist crashed through the fences and barricades and into the lobby of the Marine Barracks. At 6:22 a.m., the terrorist detonated the equivalent of 1,200 pounds, commonly known as 12,000 pounds—that's a lot, and it's terrible—of explosives, killing 3 American soldiers, 18 American sailors, and 220 United States marines. That was a horrible moment. Minutes later, another truck bomb took the lives of 58 French paratroopers. It was the single deadliest day for the Marines since Iwo Jima. The attack was carried out by Hizballah, which Iran was instrumental in founding a year earlier to advance its radical agenda and remain its main patron today. And we are doing a big number on Iran today, in case you haven't noticed. Audience member. God bless you, Mr. Trump! The President. Thank you very much. I'll tell you what, they're not the same country they were when I took office—— Audience member. Amen! The President. ——I will tell you that. They're rioting in their streets. Their money has collapsed. Their lives are a lot different. And they're not looking so much for the Mediterranean. And when I took office, they were looking for the Mediterranean. They were going to take over everything. Now they want to survive. Whole different deal, folks. It's a whole different deal. No terrorist group other than Al Qaida has more American blood on its hands. The servicemembers who died that day include brave young marines just out of high school, accomplished officers in the middle of their military careers, and enlisted men who had served in theaters all over the world. But they formed one united military family, defending their Nation, serving their fellow Americans, and wearing their uniform with dignity and pride. Such incredible pride. Each of these heroes died as they lived: as noble warriors—they were warriors—whose hearts were filled with courage and whose souls were rich with love. United States Marines are often the first to deploy, the first into danger, and the "first to fight." And on that morning 35 2 years ago, they were among the very first to give their lives in the battle against radical Islamic terrorism, the battle that we are winning and we will win. And I have to point out—and I can do this for General Kelly, General Mattis, and everybody here—that we are doing very well in our fight against ISIS. They are virtually knocked out entirely in Syria. In another short period of time, they'll be gone, and also in Iraq and in lots of other places. We have stepped up the fight to a level that even General Mattis was very happy to get that order. Is that right, General? And we've done a very strong number. Radical Islamic terror. As Commander in Chief, I will always ensure that our servicemembers have the tools, resources, equipment, support, and trust they need to protect this Nation and to defeat America's enemies with overwhelming force. No enemy on Earth can match the strength of our military or the might of our Marines. We will use every instrument of our national power to confront the sinister forces of terrorism. That is one reason why last year I withdrew the United States from the Iran nuclear disaster. On November 5, all U.S. sanctions against Iran lifted by the nuclear deal will be back in full force—every sanction that we had on there originally, which would have—if they would have just left it a little bit longer, it would have been so much easier than what we've been through over the last number of years. All they had to do was leave it the way it was. It was eating them away. But we've started it all over again, and it will be just as good. Wasted time— and lives, unfortunately. And they will be followed up with even more sanctions to address the full range of Iran's malign conduct. We will not allow the world's leading sponsor of terror to develop the world's deadliest weapons. Will not happen. Over the past year, we have levied the highest number of sanctions ever imposed on Hizballah in a single year, by far. Just a few moments ago, I signed legislation imposing even more hard-hitting sanctions on Hizballah to further starve them of their funds. And they are starving of funds. We will target, disrupt, and dismantle their operational and financing networks—of which they had plenty; they don't have plenty now—and we will never forget what they did to our great marines in Beirut. We will never forget. In the days after the attack, very brave General Al Gray traveled to more than 150 funerals of his beloved marines who perished in the Beirut bombing. On one of those trips, he arrived at Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama. There, he joined the hour-long funeral procession to transport a fallen marine to his final resting place in a small town near Auburn, Alabama. On that long drive, General Gray witnessed a sight that would stay with him forever. Throughout the entire journey—along both sides of the highway, for miles and miles of country road, as far as the eye could see—everyday citizens, who came by the thousands, were lined up to pay their highest respects. They were waving flags, holding hands, holding their hands also over their hearts, and standing in silent salute to our great fallen marine heroes.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Trump's Generals
    STRATEGIC STUDIES QUARTERLY - PERSPECTIVE Trump’s Generals: A Natural Experiment in Civil-Military Relations JAMES JOYNER Abstract President Donald Trump’s filling of numerous top policy positions with active and retired officers he called “my generals” generated fears of mili- tarization of foreign policy, loss of civilian control of the military, and politicization of the military—yet also hope that they might restrain his worst impulses. Because the generals were all gone by the halfway mark of his administration, we have a natural experiment that allows us to com- pare a Trump presidency with and without retired generals serving as “adults in the room.” None of the dire predictions turned out to be quite true. While Trump repeatedly flirted with civil- military crises, they were not significantly amplified or deterred by the presence of retired generals in key roles. Further, the pattern continued in the second half of the ad- ministration when “true” civilians filled these billets. Whether longer-term damage was done, however, remains unresolved. ***** he presidency of Donald Trump served as a natural experiment, testing many of the long- debated precepts of the civil-military relations (CMR) literature. His postelection interviewing of Tmore than a half dozen recently retired four- star officers for senior posts in his administration unleashed a torrent of columns pointing to the dangers of further militarization of US foreign policy and damage to the military as a nonpartisan institution. At the same time, many argued that these men were uniquely qualified to rein in Trump’s worst pro- clivities. With Trump’s tenure over, we can begin to evaluate these claims.
    [Show full text]
  • Supreme Court of the United States
    No. __________ IN THE Supreme Court of the United States LAWRENCE G. HUTCHINS III, SERGEANT, UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS, Petitioner, v. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Respondent. On Petition for a Writ of Certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces PETITION FOR A WRIT OF CERTIORARI S. BABU KAZA CHRIS G. OPRISON LtCol, USMCR DLA Piper LLP (US) THOMAS R. FRICTON 500 8th St, NW Captain, USMC Washington DC Counsel of Record Civilian Counsel for U.S. Navy-Marine Corps Petitioner Appellate Defense Division 202-664-6543 1254 Charles Morris St, SE Washington Navy Yard, D.C. 20374 202-685-7291 [email protected] i QUESTION PRESENTED In Ashe v. Swenson, 397 U.S. 436 (1970), this Court held that the collateral estoppel aspect of the Double Jeopardy Clause bars a prosecution that depends on a fact necessarily decided in the defendant’s favor by an earlier acquittal. Here, the Petitioner, Sergeant Hutchins, successfully fought war crime charges at his first trial which alleged that he had conspired with his subordinate Marines to commit a killing of a randomly selected Iraqi victim. The members panel (jury) specifically found Sergeant Hutchins not guilty of that aspect of the conspiracy charge, and of the corresponding overt acts and substantive offenses. The panel instead found Sergeant Hutchins guilty of the lesser-included offense of conspiring to commit an unlawful killing of a named suspected insurgent leader, and found Sergeant Hutchins guilty of the substantive crimes in furtherance of that specific conspiracy. After those convictions were later reversed, Sergeant Hutchins was taken to a second trial in 2015 where the Government once again alleged that the charged conspiracy agreement was for the killing of a randomly selected Iraqi victim, and presented evidence of the overt acts and criminal offenses for which Sergeant Hutchins had previously been acquitted.
    [Show full text]
  • Proxy Voting Report
    Proxy Voting Report Jul 01, 2019 to Jun 30, 2020 Vote Against Management (VAM) Summary Number of Meetings Number of Proposals 913 10318 Number of Countries (Country of Origin) Number of Countries (Country of Trade) 15 1 Number of Meetings With VAM % of All Meetings Voted 389 42.7% Number of Proposals With VAM % of All Proposals Voted 736 7.1% Number of Meetings With Votes For Mgmt % of All Meetings Voted 907 99.6% Number of Proposals With Votes For Mgmt % of All Proposals Voted 9551 92.8% Number of Abstain Votes % of All Proposals Voted 74 0.7% Number of No Votes Cast % of All Proposals Voted 23 0.2% Votes Against Policy (VAP) Summary Number of Meetings Number of Proposals 913 10318 Number of Countries (Country of Origin) Number of Countries (Country of Trade) 15 1 Number of Meetings With VAP % of All Meetings Voted 2 0.2% Number of Proposals With VAP % of All Proposals Voted 7 0.1% Number of Meetings With Votes For Policy % of All Meetings Voted 911 100.0% Number of Proposals With Votes For Policy % of All Proposals Voted 10288 99.9% Number of Abstain Votes % of All Proposals Voted 74 0.7% Number of No Votes Cast % of All Proposals Voted 1 of 459 23 0.2% Number of Proposals with Votes with GL % of All Proposals Voted 10166 98.8% Proposal Summary Number of Meetings: 913 Number of Mgmt Proposals: 9914 Number of Shareholder Proposals: 404 Mgmt Proposals Voted FOR % of All Mgmt Proposals ShrHldr Proposal Voted FOR % of All ShrHldr Proposals 9387 94.7% 223 55.2% Mgmt Proposals Voted Against/Withold % of All Mgmt Proposals ShrHldr Proposals
    [Show full text]
  • Every Dollar Counts: Marines Help Local Restaurant Donate Money to Honor Flight
    w Fox and November The Company graduates Friday, Jet February 27, 2015 Vol. 50, No. 8 Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, S.C. “TheStream noise you hear is the sound of freedom.” Page 11 Beaufort.Marines.mil 2 3 facebook.com/MCASBeaufort3 twitter.com/MCASBeaufortSC Marines volunteer to fight litter This is your bill New Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps posts Page 4 Pages 5 Page 6 Every dollar counts: Marines help local restaurant donate money to Honor Flight Photos by Pfc. Samantha Torres Marines and their families from Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort volunteered to help remove dollar bills stapled to the walls of a local restaurant, Feb. 21. Thousands of dol- lars were collected, and will be used to send World War II and Vietnam veterans from the Beaufort and Savannah area to visit veteran memorials in Washington, D.C., through the Honor Flight Program. The money raised provides a free trip for the veterans. Marines take care of their own and continue to do so by assisting those who came before. Voluntary Protection Program: Stay safe, be involved Pfc. Samantha Torres gram established by OSHA, to Staff Writers recognize superior performance in the field of health and safety. Marine Corps Air Station Beau- The program promotes workers’ fort strives to improve the overall safety through active and mean- safety of the Air Station by work- ingful employee involvement, ing with the Voluntary Protection and works in conjunction with Program and the Occupational the Marine Corps’ safety manage- Safety and Health Administration. ment systems. The Voluntary Protection Pro- gram is a cross functional pro- SEE VPP, PAGE 6 Reach out, help a Marine or sailor Cpl.
    [Show full text]
  • Newsletter Editor: Lou Piantadosi
    MC-LEF MARINE CORPS-LAW ENFORCEMENT FOUNDATION Educating the children of those who sacrificed all SEPT 2017 N E W S L E T T E R ISSUE #54 22ND ANNUAL NYC GALA 8TH ANNUAL PHILLY GATHERING OF HEROES SEE PAGE 3 SEE PAGE 35 BOSTON MARATHON -TEAM KELLY... SEE PAGE 31 SCHOLARSHIP AWARD ARIZONA GOLF MEMBERS ON THE GO SEE PAGE 7 SEE PAGE 22 SEE PAGE 38 JACK LUCAS STORY ATLANTIC CITY GALA & GOLF FBI SCHOLARSHIPS SEE PAGE 21 SEE PAGE 10 SEE PAGE 34 FOLLOW MC-LEF www.mc-lef.org MARINE CORPS - LAW ENFORCEMENT FOUNDATION 273 Columbus Avenue • Office #10 • Tuckahoe, NY 10707 None of the MC-LEF Directors or Officers receives compensation for their services BOARD OF DIRECTORS Chairman Emeritus: Zachary Fisher (1910-1999) New York Vice Chairman Emeritus: Steve Wallace (1942-2010 California Chairman: James K. Kallstrom New York Vice Chairman: Gen. Peter Pace, USMC, (Ret.) North Carolina Vice Chairman: Gary Schweikert New York Marine Corps - Law Enforcement Chaplain: Monsignor Robert T. Ritchie New York Foundation DIRECTORS Mr. Sandy Alderson New York Gen. James Amos, USMC (Ret.) North Carolina Westy Ballard Texas Col. Barney Barnum, USMC (Ret.) Virginia OUR MISSION Mr. Anthony Boyle Pennsylvania Christopher Burnham Virginia LtGen. Ron S. Coleman, USMC (Ret.) Virginia The Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Mr. John Conner New York Gen. James T. Conway, 34th CMC, USMC ( Ret) Pennsylvania Foundation (MC-LEF) provides educational David Cornstein New York assistance to the children of fallen United States Mr. Ken Courey Florida Mr. Robert Cummins New York Marines and federal law enforcement personnel.
    [Show full text]
  • Key Officials September 1947–July 2021
    Department of Defense Key Officials September 1947–July 2021 Historical Office Office of the Secretary of Defense Contents Introduction 1 I. Current Department of Defense Key Officials 2 II. Secretaries of Defense 5 III. Deputy Secretaries of Defense 11 IV. Secretaries of the Military Departments 17 V. Under Secretaries and Deputy Under Secretaries of Defense 28 Research and Engineering .................................................28 Acquisition and Sustainment ..............................................30 Policy ..................................................................34 Comptroller/Chief Financial Officer ........................................37 Personnel and Readiness ..................................................40 Intelligence and Security ..................................................42 VI. Specified Officials 45 Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation ...................................45 General Counsel of the Department of Defense ..............................47 Inspector General of the Department of Defense .............................48 VII. Assistant Secretaries of Defense 50 Acquisition ..............................................................50 Health Affairs ...........................................................50 Homeland Defense and Global Security .....................................52 Indo-Pacific Security Affairs ...............................................53 International Security Affairs ..............................................54 Legislative Affairs ........................................................56
    [Show full text]
  • Taking Care of Marines 12 VA Updates List of Ships Exposed to Agent Orange 30 Introducing New NHQ Staff ' * ** )"(*((*#$$*!((#! ( '(( )&(*
    BIG TRICARE CHANGES ON THE HORIZON 8 JANUARY 2016 Taking Care of Marines 12 VA Updates List of Ships Exposed to Agent Orange 30 Introducing New NHQ Staff ' * ** )"(*((*#$$*!((#! ('(()&(* FROM THE MAKER OF TO HONOR YOUR SERVICE TO COUNTRY AVAILABLE WITH NASA'S MA-1 JACKET CONCEAL CARRY FOR KENNEDY SPACE TWIN HOLSTER CENTER GIFT SHOP UNITED STATES MILITARY FEATURE! PERSONALIZED WITH YOUR SERVICE BRANCH PATCH - WOVEN IN OFFICIAL COLORS OUR U.S. MILITARY MA-1 BRAVO JACKET is created in partnership with Burks Bay of Minnesota - the company selected to make the NASA MA-1 for its Kennedy Space Center gift shop. Ours is highly personalized to honor your service to country and reflect today’s active lifestyles: • Comfort rated to NASA specs at temperatures between 25-40 degrees Fahrenheit for three season wear in most climates. • Tailored in mid-weight, water-resistant polyester with many versatile features, including knit collar, cuffs and waistband, NASA orange lining, a strong front zipper with storm flap, multiple snap closure pockets as well as a utility pocket on the sleeve. • A further option is two inner pockets to secure valuables, which are fitted with “Conceal Carry” holster straps for those licensed to carry a firearm. • Available in sizes Small through 3XL. • Thank you priced starting at just $99. (See order form for details and available options) HONORING YOUR MILITARY SERVICE • FREE - Your jacket will be customized with a woven U.S. Navy Service Branch patch in authentic thread colors. • VIETNAM VETERANS - You may add a War Veteran patch to the right sleeve of your jacket for just $20 extra.
    [Show full text]
  • US Marine Corps
    U.S. Marine Corps Dakota L. Wood he U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) is the na- This included approximately one-third of the Ttion’s expeditionary armed force, posi- Corps’ operational forces deployed to 60 coun- tioned and ready to respond to crises around tries and 11,000 Marines serving aboard ships.1 the world. Marine units assigned aboard ships During the year preceding its fiscal year (FY) (“soldiers of the sea”) or at bases abroad stand 2021 budget request, “[T]he Marine Corps ready to project U.S. power into crisis areas. executed 249 operations, nine amphibious Marines also serve in a range of unique mis- operations, [and] 151 theater security cooper- sions, from combat defense of U.S. embassies ation events, and participated in 68 exercises.” under attack abroad to operating the Presi- Among these involvements were support for dent’s helicopter fleet. operations Inherent Resolve (Iraq and Syria) Although Marines have a wide variety of and Freedom’s Sentinel (Afghanistan); oper- individual assignments, the focus of every ations across Africa and Latin America; and Marine is on combat: Every Marine is first a major exercises with many partner countries rifleman. Over the past several decades, the in Asia and Europe.2 Marine Corps has positioned itself for crisis Pursuant to the National Defense Strategy response, but while sustaining its historical, (NDS),3 maintaining the Corps’ crisis-response institutional, and much of its doctrinal focus capability is critical. Thus, given the fiscal con- on its historical connection to operations in straints imposed by the budget environment maritime environments, the majority of its op- of the past several years, the Marines have pri- erational experience over the past 20 years has oritized near-term readiness at the expense of been in sustained land operations.
    [Show full text]
  • Regional Correspondence
    From: Morgan, Neil Sent: Friday, May 24, 2019 3:35 PM To: Schott, Heather; Vance, Sarah Subject: Fwd: EXECUTIVE INSIGHT BRIEF | MAY 24, 2019 Sent from my iPhone Begin forwarded message: From: Craig Quigley <[email protected]> Date: May 24, 2019 at 2:54:47 PM EDT To: Craig Quigley <[email protected]> Subject: EXECUTIVE INSIGHT BRIEF | MAY 24, 2019 Ladies & Gentlemen, below please find this week’s edition of Executive Insight Brief from The Roosevelt Group. Stay safe this weekend, and remember to remember….. Craig R. Quigley Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy (Ret.) Executive Director Hampton Roads Military and Federal Facilities Alliance 757-644-6324 (Office) 757-419-1164 (Mobile) EXECUTIVE INSIGHT BRIEF | MAY 24, 2019 TOP STORIES Update on Iran Tensions According to officials, the Pentagon is presenting a request that would send 5,000 to 10,000 additional troops to the Middle East as a deterrence factor, amid inflated tensions with Iran. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan, and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford briefed the House and Senate Tuesday on President Trump's Iran strategy, including recent intelligence of an increased Iranian threat and the U.S. reaction to it, the deployment of an aircraft carrier strike group and B-52 bombers and the ordered departure of non-emergency personnel from Iraq. On Sunday, a rocket was fired into Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone, landing less than a mile from the U.S. Embassy. There were no injuries and no group claimed responsibility, but the rocket was believed to have been fired from east Baghdad—which is home to Iran-backed Shiite militias.
    [Show full text]
  • The US Marine Corps
    BACKGROUNDER No. 3501 | JUNE 16, 2020 CENTER FOR NATIONAL DEFENSE The U.S. Marine Corps: A Service in Transition Dakota Wood t the direction of its Commandant, General KEY TAKEAWAYS David H. Berger, the U.S. Marine Corps is engaged in a massive effort to reorient its The U.S. Marine Corps is engaged in a A focus, organization, equipping, posture, and employ- massive effort to reorient its focus and ment concept for the type of challenge represented by posture for the type of challenge repre- sented by China in the Indo–Pacific region. China in the Indo–Pacific region. The Corps seeks to shift from the heavy force it has become over the past two decades (a consequence primarily of the demands The Corps’ organizations, equipment, of sustained land operations in Iraq and Afghanistan) and skills are not relevant to what will be needed to succeed in such an envi- to a leaner, nimbler force able to conduct distributed ronment, hence the service’s sense of operations across a heavily contested maritime envi- urgency to change. ronment within the range of advanced enemy weapons. This will require a tight integration of efforts between the U.S. Navy and the Corps, as each will depend on the General David Berger’s efforts are on the other to project naval power into a complex environ- mark, should continue, and should be sup- ment, and it will call for new tools—especially in the ported by Congress. areas of unmanned systems and small naval vessels, extensive experimentation, and the divestiture of This paper, in its entirety, can be found at http://report.heritage.org/bg3501 The Heritage Foundation | 214 Massachusetts Avenue, NE | Washington, DC 20002 | (202) 546-4400 | heritage.org Nothing written here is to be construed as necessarily reflecting the views of The Heritage Foundation or as an attempt to aid or hinder the passage of any bill before Congress.
    [Show full text]
  • Modernizing US Marine Corps Human Capital Investment and Retention
    SECURITY, STRATEGY, AND ORDER JUNE 2021 THE COURAGE TO CHANGE MODERNIZING U.S. MARINE CORPS HUMAN CAPITAL INVESTMENT AND RETENTION ERIC REID TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary 1 Key findings 2 Introduction 4 1. Human capital theory and the All-Volunteer Force 7 What is human capital? 7 Human capital costs and consequences of high turnover 8 Military human capital within the All-Volunteer Force 10 2. The Marine Corps’ commitment to low retention and high turnover 14 3. Performance and readiness implications of a young force 21 The Marine Corps has chosen to be dramatically younger than other services 21 The Marine Corps has also chosen to be of significantly more junior rank 22 Marine Corps return on enlisted human capital investment 23 Variable fiscal cost implications of high enlisted turnover 26 High turnover implications for recruiting: Accessions are not getting easier 30 Assessing the “young and lean” myth against empirical data 31 4. Tilting at windmills: Previous attempts to change 37 5. Barriers to change 42 6. The choice: Continue with “recruit and replace” or move to “invest and retain” 46 List of Acronyms 48 References 49 About the author 59 Acknowledgements 59 THE COURAGE TO CHANGE MODERNIZING U.S. MARINE CORPS HUMAN CAPITAL INVESTMENT AND RETENTION ERIC REID EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Since its transition to an All-Volunteer Force (AVF) in 1973 — and especially since its initial 1985 Enlisted Grade Structure Review — the United States Marine Corps has been committed to an idealized “first-term” force with an inexperienced, bottom-heavy grade structure. In pursuit of low personnel costs, the Marine Corps is unique in its commitment to high enlisted turnover which reduces aggregate experience, proficiency, and stability across the operating forces when compared to the other military services.
    [Show full text]
  • When You're out of Money, You Have to Think
    When you’re out of money, you have to think. USAF photo by Liz Copan resources are so ing demands on the Air Force require. would make personnel a higher priority thinly spread that only a Innovation and streamlined acquisition than the F-35, KC-46, and B-21, the campaign of innovation practices will have to become the norm. three modernization programs she has at every level will get the “The path we’re on won’t get us there,” held up as existential to USAF’s future. service through the chal- he said. The service also finds itself in a lenging years ahead, said The conference was held a week “battle for talent,” characterized by service, industry, and Pen- before the end of Fiscal 2016, just James as a competition for “recruiting tagon leaders at AFA’s Air, Space & before Congress passed a continuing and retaining the best.” To be more Cyber Conference, held in September resolution rather than a full-up defense competitive, she said the Air Force at National Harbor, Md. authorization bill, and Air Force Sec- will renew its efforts to achieve greater One of the keys to continuing to retary Deborah Lee James detailed the diversity and tap the full talent pool. provide more mission with fewer assets many hits the USAF budget will take James promised to soon roll out a is to ask the right questions. These are as a consequence. These mainly affect “second diversity and inclusion initia- about capabilities—not necessarily the new starts and programs about to go tive” to reach USAF manpower goals.
    [Show full text]