Rounds joins bipartisan, bicameral group seeking ongoing funds for Marine Corps modernization

Federal investments must continue to be made in the initiatives of the Marine Corps Force Design 2030, a restructuring plan to modernize and prepare Marine Corps forces for addressing growing threats from China, according to U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) and a bipartisan, bicameral contingent of 15 lawmakers.

“We write to you as you consider the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Department of Defense (DOD) authorization and appropriations bills, to urge your support of budgetary items that invest or accelerate Marine Corps Force Design [2030] initiatives,” wrote Sen. Rounds and his colleagues in a May 15 letter sent to leaders of the appropriations defense subcommittees in both houses of Congress. 

“As members of Congress, we ask for a definable, applicable, and deliverable vision from our Armed Forces to get after the pacing threat while maintaining our stewardship of the taxpayer funding we’ve been entrusted with,” they wrote. “We cannot ask our Marines to stand toe-to-toe with our nation’s adversaries without first standing behind them.” 

Sen. Rounds was joined in signing the letter by members including U.S. Sens. Roger Wicker (R-MS), Thom Tillis (R-NC), and Joe Manchin (D-WV), as well as U.S. Reps. Mike Turner (R-OH) and Jared Golden (D-ME).

According to their letter, the 2022 Annual Threat Assessment from the Intelligence Community identifies the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as working to field a military by 2027 that would be designed to deter U.S. intervention in a Taiwanese cross-Strait crisis, information that is supported by the 2022 National Security Strategy, among others.

“Furthermore, the PRC’s aggressive actions in the Indo-Pacific and significant growth in defense spending have justified the redirection of our National Security priorities,” Sen. Rounds and his colleagues wrote. “Bottom line, Marine Corps Force Design [2030] initiatives have been informed and directed by hard threat data across multiple administrations to accelerate modernization to meet the challenges of the 21st Century environment.”

The ongoing implementation of the Force Design initiatives have prioritized investments toward new technologies, formations, platforms, and capabilities, they wrote, noting that these efforts have increased lethality, mobility, and survivability to maintain a competitive advantage over China.

However, Force Design, while necessary to compete against current and future adversaries, comes at a cost that the Marine Corps has been internally managing while at the same time balancing its role as the nation’s global crisis response force, according to their letter.

“To remain ahead of our adversaries in an operating environment that evolves at a faster pace than ever before, adaptive and iterative change must be continuous and well-conceived,” Sen. Rounds and the lawmakers wrote. “Force Design 2030 is well underway, and we should fully support the commandant’s efforts to uncouple from tradition and conventionally accepted doctrine and systems.”