Marine Corps Future & Innovation
Future-proofing our fighters
Marines have a long and storied history of winning battles against the longest of odds, on remote battlefields abroad, and in communities here at home. But the trust our Nation places in its Marines is a forward-looking trust, that the crucial battles ahead will be decided just as convincingly. For Marines to keep this promise of winning battles on every front, they must prepare for the challenges that will be fought in the future, on new battlefields that are fought with futuristic technology.
THE FUTURE OF THE CORPS
"I believe in my soul that Marines are different. Our identity is firmly rooted in our warrior ethos. This is the force that will always adapt and overcome no matter what the circumstances are. We fight and win in any clime and place."
General David H. Berger
38th Commandant of the Marine Corps
To ensure Marines have the technological advantage on the battlefields where future battles will be fought, General Berger has set forth a mandate to focus on five priority areas:
1. Force Design
2. Warfighting
4. Core Values
To learn more about Gen Berger's vision for the future of the Marine Corps, read the 38th Commandant's Planning Guidance.
THE MARINE CORPS WARFIGHTING LABORATORY
This is where warfighting and innovation collide. Created in 1995 and located at Marine Base Quantico, Virginia, the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab enhances the Corps’ warfighting capabilities by field testing and developing the weapons and technology utilized by Marines who fight for our Nation’s causes. Marines that serve in the Warfighting Lab are assigned the Corps’ Science & Technology Division, where the latest in all things innovation remain top priority.
THE LATEST MILITARY TECHNOLOGY
New and future battlefield realities require Marines to utilize the latest in evolutionary technologies. From satellite drones used to gather intel to lighter, 3D-printed equipment carried by infantry Marines, the Warfighting Lab stands ready to meet the challenges of current and future environments.
TESTING MILITARY WEAPONS
In 1995, the Warfighting Lab hosted the first of what turned out to be hundreds of war games. Designed to field test new, improved, and concept weaponry, war games allow Corps leadership to examine, identify, and select the technologies, systems and approaches that are best suited for Marines in their varied situations. War games are conducted annually to stay up to date on the issues vital to the future of the Marine Corps.
"SPOT" THE ROBOT
In 2015, Marines in the Warfighting Lab were trained to operate a quadruped prototype robot named Spot, developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
URBAN WARRIOR PROGRAM
Developed in the mid-1990s by the Warfighting Lab, the program was created by the Corps to plan and test military response to urban warfare like the type that followed the Battle of Mogadishu in 1993 and was featured in the book and film Black Hawk Down.
INSIDE THE LAB
First held in 2016, this month-long challenge invited any Marine, Sailor, or government civilian to identify and develop autonomous systems that Marines could tuilize for missions wihtout being physically present. Winners partenered with the Warfighting Lab to potentially further develop their ideas.
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