USMC must transform to compete with China
The US Marine Corps has a long and storied history in the Pacific, but the rise of China’s military is forcing the corps to either react dramatically or risk irrelevancy in the Asia-Pacific region.
In World War II, the USMC fought bitter engagements across numerous atolls and islands as part of the Pacific campaign. Indeed, names such as Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Saipan, Guam, Peleliu, Iwo Jima and Okinawa are forever written in blood in corps lore.
Yet those bloody assaults across bullet-lashed beaches are consigned to history for the USMC. New weapons such as cruise missiles, long-range anti-ship missiles, guided
Already have an account? Log in
Want to keep reading this article?
More from Defence Notes
-
![Why small guns have been critical to layered CUAS architectures]()
Why small guns have been critical to layered CUAS architectures
Multiple countries have been deploying small arms as the last line of drone defence due to their multiple operational and tactical advantages.
-
![Singapore Airshow 2026: ST Engineering hints at export success for AME assault rifle family]()
Singapore Airshow 2026: ST Engineering hints at export success for AME assault rifle family
The Singapore-based technology company unveiled its new rifle family at this week’s airshow. Chen Chuanren spoke with the ST Engineering’s head of small arms to find out more about how the weapons have been refined.
-
![High tension in the High North – a wake-up call for NATO’s future Arctic defence efforts?]()
High tension in the High North – a wake-up call for NATO’s future Arctic defence efforts?
Any potential ‘Arctic Sentry’ mission would be months in the planning, but with tensions high in the region given the US’s push for Greenland, NATO countries will need to continue to emphasise their commitment to the region, analysts have said.
-
![Venezuela prepares personnel and equipment for a potential second US attack]()
Venezuela prepares personnel and equipment for a potential second US attack
Defence Minister Gen Vladimir Padrino López has declared that the Venezuelan armed forces “will continue to employ all its available capabilities for military defence”.
-
![As the new year starts, the UK defence spending delay continues]()
As the new year starts, the UK defence spending delay continues
The UK’s defence spending commitments remain uncertain as the government’s Defence Investment Plan, which had been due by the end of 2025, is yet to be published.
