June
20, 1995
To: All Marines and Marine Options
From:
SGT Grose
Subj: General Krulak’s Five Pillars
As all of you should know, we
have a new Commandant as of June 30th, 1995. General Krulak has issued a
message outlining his priorities for the next four years. Since the following
items represents the General’s most strongly held beliefs in his own words, we
shall read, understand, and comply with them to the letter. General Krulak will
soon issue a 29-page Commandant’s Planning Guidance document that will further
outline the General’s philosophy on where the Corps is headed in the next four
years.
1. Warfighting:
“We have no more important responsibility to the American people than to
win the nation’s battles. We exist today because the American people expect
their Marines to provide a lean, ready, and professional fighting force. A
force that guarantees success when committed. They have such a force now and
are proud of it. But good as we are today, we will be better tomorrow... We
must be ready. No matter what the crisis, no matter what the threat. The nation
must have one thought: “Send in the Marines!”
2. People
“Another of our most important
responsibilities to the American people is to make Marines. Our ability to win battles boils down
today, as it always has, to the Marine. This will not change. People are
our most precious asset and we protect them by the fair, scrupulous, and
unbiased treatment of all Marines as individuals - caring for them, teaching
them, and leading them. I see this as my obligation. It is also the obligation
of each member of the chain of command from top to bottom.”
3. Core Values
“I do not intend these to be
just words. I expect for them to frame the way we live and act as Marines. Our core values of honor, courage and
commitment are at the very soul of our institution. There is no room in our
Marine Corps for either situational ethics or situational morality.”
4. Education and Training
“During times of fiscal
constraint the Marine Corps has always turned to its education and training
systems to keep its warfighting edge. We will do that today. Each dollar spent
in training will bring a solid return. The
use of simulation, virtual reality, models, and various warfighting games can
make subsequent field training more effective and, ultimately, less expensive.
Therefore, we will pursue this type of technology. In the same vein, education
will become central to all Marines - not just a select few. Education and
training provides a foundation for a Marine Corps that can adapt to a changing
world.”
5. Naval character
“The Navy and Marine Corps are inextricably linked. Together, the
sea services provide a tremendously versatile and unique warfighting capability
to the nation. It is important that the doctrine, tactics, techniques and
procedures that have been developed over the years continue to be updated and
refined to meet the challenges of tomorrow. I intend to work closely with the
chief of naval operations to strengthen the bond between the Navy and Marine
Corps and to seek innovative ways to increase the value of naval expeditionary
forces to the national military strategy.”
Jason
D. Grose
SGT/USMC