Marine Corps Human Resource Management for the 21st Century

The Marine Corps must examine new methods to manage an officer's career in under pressure from budget cuts and geographic specialties outlined in Expeditionary Force 21. The USMC's large centralized manpower management system struggles effectively match talented individuals with an ideal command. These processes are outdated, and must be restructured. Not all officers will be future general officers, and there is no requirement for the structure to function under that assumption. The current culture of facilitating well roundedness limits the effectiveness as well as the quality of officers that the USMC can attract and retain. The catalyst for the change is to increase the PCS orders from 36 to 48 months for officers. This change will save money right away in an era of shrinking defense budgets; it will also save money over time by increasing the return on investment in its Marines. This new process will develop greater officer specialization and allow the USMC to capitalize on its investments in training, as well as capitalize on the experience officers gain during operations. In response to the specialized officers, the USMC must establish alternate career tracks based on performance, streamline the personnel assignment process, and make adjustments to the culture that drives the officer promotion process.