Tyler C Osenbaugh

Are There Lessons in Marine Corps Ground Maintenance for a Force Projection Army? Tyler C Osenbaugh

Publisher Marketing: The purpose of this monograph is to determine if the Marine Corps ground maintenance operations offer any insight for improving maintenance operations for a force projection Army. The Marine Corps has extensive experience as a CONUS based projection force. They utilize many of the same ground systems that the Army employs, receiving support from the same depots. The two services share a maneuver oriented, offensive doctrine. Despite the many similarities the Marine Corps' focus on expeditionary operations has lead to some differences in maintenance operations. These differences will be analyzed in the areas of doctrine, training, organization, pre-positioning strategies, class IX management, and developing concepts for future operations. It will be shown that the Marine Corps expeditionary focus has led to several valid concepts for incorporation into a force projection Army. The author determines that the Marine Corps' concepts in the areas of doctrine, pre-positioning and developing concepts better support a CONUS based projection force. The conclusions drawn by the author are focused on improving the operational reach of Army ground forces in order to provide the Combatant Commander the flexibility required to achieve national objectives.