Leadership

Marines in Helmand avoid Afghanistan’s Quran-burning violence

By Dan Lamothe on February 24, 2012 Afghanistan, Leadership

U.S. soldiers burning Qurans at Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan has prompted violence and protests across the country, leading to at least 20 deaths. Noticeably absent from the fray, however, is an area that has seen more than its share of violence — Helmand province. Helmand, occupied by some 17,000 Marines, has avoided bloodshed tied to the controversy so far, Maj. Gen. John Toolan told me today during a phone interview. He attributed the success to a plan hatched by Mohammad Gulab Mangal, Helmand’s governor, to quickly respond with several respected mullahs to areas where anger over the burning of…

Marine captain: ‘We don’t know how to supervise anymore’

By Dan Lamothe on February 14, 2012 Leadership, Marines

It has been a rough few months in the public relations department for the Marine Corps. In separate incidents, the Corps has taken hits in the last few months for the hazing-related death of Lance Cpl. Harry Lew, the revelation that Marines in Afghanistan urinated on the corpses of dead Taliban last year and the scout sniper community’s use of the stylized “lighting bolt” SS logo popularized by the notorious Nazi SS organization. Time Magazine’s military blog, Battleland, ties those themes together in a blog post today provocatively titled, “What’s wrong with the Marines?” Some readers will be quick to…

‘Your quarterback is your platoon commander’

By Tony Lombardo on January 5, 2012 Leadership, Recruiting, The Sgt. Major of the Marine Corps

[HTML1] The Marine Corps hosted the inaugural Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl on Jan. 3 in Phoenix. The competition pitted the East against the West in a game featuring 100 of the best high school football athletes from across the country. On Jan. 4, official B-roll surfaced from the East’s locker room, revealing the pep talk given to players by Maj. Gen. Ronald Bailey, commander of 1st Marine Division, and Sgt. Maj. Mike Barrett, the Corps’ top enlisted Marine. While the West would go on to beat the East, 17-14, Barrett had some strong words to pump the players up. At…

Marine baby creates commotion with President Obama

By Dan Lamothe on December 27, 2011 Leadership, Pacific issues

Once again, a reminder: Children are unpredictable. Marine Capt. Greg Wagner and his wife, Meredith, saw that firsthand on Christmas as President Obama visited Marine Corps Base Hawaii. While the couple took a photograph with the president, their 8-month-old son, Cooper, put his hand in Obama’s mouth. Meredith said this morning on Good Morning America that she was “mortified” at the time, even though it appears that Obama laughed it all off. “I was mortified,” she said. “I was embarrassed.” Capt. Wagner gave the president credit for keeping things light. “He kind of laughed and said that Cooper looked up…

A Christmas message from the Commandant and Mrs. Amos

By Gina Cavallaro on December 14, 2011 General officers, Leadership, The CMC

[HTML1] Marines, Marine families, Marine supporters and anyone who’s ever worn the Marine Corps uniform get a Christmas salute from Gen. and Mrs. Bonnie Amos in this 4:43 minute video shot at The Home of the Commandants in Washington, D.C. With “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear” playing softly in the background, the commandant sends a “special shout out” to the “more than 30,000 Marines and sailors forward deployed and forward engaged in the defense of our nation in Helmand province, aboard ships at sea, at embassies and in detachments around the globe.” Taking turns addressing viewers, Bonnie Amos points…

Is Gen. John Allen already at odds with the president on Afghanistan?

By Dan Lamothe on December 8, 2011 Afghanistan, General officers, Leadership

Well, that didn’t take long. With a massive military drawdown in Afghanistan looming, there are plenty of questions about what U.S. forces and NATO can do to consolidate and preserve gains in security that have been made in the war-torn country. Military leadership appears to have accepted that forces will be cut from the estimated 97,000 troops in theater to about 68,000 by the end of next summer. That would leave the U.S. with about the same amount of troops that it had in combat before President Obama ordered the surge of about 33,000 troops into theater in late 2009.…

Marine Lt. Gen. Dennis Hejlik just launched a blog

By Dan Lamothe on November 10, 2011 General officers, Leadership

One of the Marine Corps’ most senior officers has just joined the revolution. The blogging revolution, that is. On the eve of the Corps’ birthday, Lt. Gen. Dennis Hejlik posted his first entry on the new Marine Corps Forces Command Commander’s Blog. He also laid out his plans for the site: I recently have come to appreciate blogs as a way a leader can share his thoughts while also collecting feedback from a broad group with a wide variety of perspectives. I’ve been particularly impressed with the United States Fleet Forces Command Blog started by Admiral J.C. Harvey, and my…

General: Taliban commander in Sangin to assist Marines

By Dan Lamothe on October 7, 2011 Afghanistan, General officers, Infantry, Kajaki, Leadership, Sangin

Maj. Gen. John Toolan spoke from Afghanistan with reporters at the Pentagon yesterday, sharing some positive news from the volatile Sangin district. I wasn’t able to attend the briefing due to another interview at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., but the transcript shows that Toolan gave the brief after sitting down with a Taliban commander earlier in the day. The commander agreed to reintegrate 30 of his fighters within a few days, and up to 300 by the end of October, Toolan said. “Now he did this because he understands that at this stage in Helmand province, he sees the writing…

Behind the Cover: The Basic School just got a lot harder

By Gina Cavallaro on October 3, 2011 Behind the Cover, Leadership, Training

The new program of instruction at The Basic School will show the Marine Corps’ newest officers what it means to walk to work every day. As they go through the six-month course, the lieutenants will no longer be driven to and from the ranges for their individual field exercises. Instead, they will set out on foot from Camp Barrett aboard Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., and — wearing all the gear they think they need — will stay in the woods for their field exercises before walking home again. Some ranges are five miles away… some are a hearty 15…

Behind the Cover: The plan to cut the Marine Corps

By Dan Lamothe on August 15, 2011 Behind the Cover, Capitol Hill, Leadership, Manpower, The CMC, The Sgt. Major of the Marine Corps

For nearly a year, the Marine Corps’ top officials have stayed on message with two main points regarding manpower: A drawdown wouldn’t begin until after the war in Afghanistan, and it would reduce the service to 186,800 Marines. Those points were reinforced early this year with the release of the Corps’ force-structure review recommendations. It called for a 13 percent reduction in ground combat forces, but stuck with that 186,800 end-strength figure. It’s time for a reality check. In light of the nation’s financial trouble, that plan may not be feasible. In this week’s Marine Corps Times cover story, we…

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