Episode 13: USMC and Forcible Entry

What are the Marines, what do they do, and what do they bring to the table in 2010? Are they just and adjunct Army with a good PR department, or do they bring a skill set and expertise that a Maritime power needs in order to project power? What have we forgotten about the mission of the Marines in the last decade, and what do we need to remember? In the 28 years since San Carlos Water and 19 years since II MEF's feint - what do we need to be ready to do next? What do we need to do for hardware and training? Our guests will be Dakota Wood and Mark E. Stanovich. Dakota Wood, Lt. Col., USMC (Ret) is a Senior Fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. He is currently involved in studying the operational challenges of irregular warfare, complex contingencies under high-technology conditions, and proliferated nuclear environments. Before his retirement, LtCol Wood served in a wide variety of operational and staff assignments, including the Corps’ Military Assistant to the Director of the Office of Net Assessment and, provided defense issues analysis support to the Commandant of the Marine Corps on assignment to the Strategic Initiatives Group. Following his retirement, he provided support to the DHS as Operations Officer for the National Biosurveillance Integration System. Mark Stanovich is a is a Lt. Col. in the USMCR, an Artillery officer with 22 years of service. He has served in all four Marine Divisions, and is a combat veteran of OIFII. In his civilian occupation, he is an emergency planner in New England, and is a qualified exercise developer who has participated in the planning and conduct of myriad federal and state exercises with scenarios ranging from natural disaster to terrorism to cyber attack. His current USMCR unit supports Title X war games for all services.