The U.S. Marine Corps’ latest Force Design update calls for accelerating modernization to keep pace with new methods and technologies of modern conflict, as the service continues a sweeping transformation effort that began in 2020.
“We are modernizing at a time when the character of war is shifting rapidly,” Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Eric Smith wrote in his introduction included in the Force Design update report. “Adversaries are fielding advanced weapons and employing new methods designed to erode our warfighting advantages.”
Launched on March 23, 2020, the initiative – originally known as Force Design 2030 and now simply Force Design – was conceived as a 10-year plan to modernize the force. The Marines have since issued updates in 2021 and 2023 to highlight progress and outline future steps.
The 2025 Force Design Update report, released Thursday, outlines progress and next steps in a multiyear campaign to reshape the Corps around emerging technologies and new operational concepts.
According to the report, early results have already delivered new capabilities – from long-range precision fires and unmanned systems to advanced sensing networks and resilient air defense – that are now in the hands of Marines.
Key initiatives include Project Dynamis, a new Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control accelerator run alongside the Navy’s Project Overmatch. The effort seeks to create a “military internet of things” connecting every sensor and shooter across the Naval Operational Architecture through rapid, 90-day innovation cycles.
According to the report, the Marine Air Command and Control System is also undergoing its “most significant overhaul in a generation,” merging legacy air support and defense roles while reorganizing units to train Marines in multiple command and control functions.
At Marine Corps Base Quantico, the newly established Marine Corps Attack Drone Team is advancing first-person-view and one-way attack drone development through training and experimentation. Additional programs focus on integrating artificial intelligence, machine learning, and collaborative combat aircraft.
Beyond fielding new tools, the update stresses the need to modernize how the Corps develops them. For instance, a new capability portfolio approach allows managers to oversee related programs together, ensuring faster delivery and real-time feedback from Marines in the field.
The plan highlights that modernization is a continuous process, one driven as much by adaptability as by technology. According to Smith, modernization efforts aim to ensure Marines remain “lethal, resilient, and adaptable” in contested environments.
“We are equipping Marines with the tools to thrive,” he wrote, emphasizing that “technology alone will never define us. We do not man the equipment; we equip the Marine.”