The Marine Corps Way of War: The Evolution of the U.S. Marine Corps from Attrition to Maneuver Warfare in the Post-Vietnam Era examines the evolving doctrine, weapons, and capability of the United States Marine Corps during the four decades since our last great conflict in Asia.
\nAs author Anthony Piscitelli demonstrates, the USMC has maintained its position as the nation\u2019s foremost striking force while shifting its thrust from a reliance upon attrition to a return to maneuver warfare. Piscitelli methodically explains the evolution by using traditional and first-person accounts by the prime movers of this paradigm shift. In Indochina, for example, the Marines not only held territory but engaged in now-legendary confrontational battles at Hue and Khe Sanh.
\nAs a percentage of those engaged, the Marines suffered higher casualties than any other branch of the service. In the post-Vietnam assessment, however, the USMC absorbed Sun Tzu\u2019s aspects of Asian warfare and returned to its historical DNA in fighting \u201csmall wars\u201d to evolve a superior alternative to the battlefield. The institutionalization of maneuver philosophy began with the Marine Corps\u2019 educational system, analyzing the actual battlespace of warfare\u2014be it humanitarian assistance, regular set-piece battles, or irregular guerrilla war\u2014and the role that the leadership cadre of the Marine Corps played in this evolutionary transition from attrition to maneuver.
\nThis change has sometimes been incorrectly portrayed (including by the Congressional Military Reform Caucus) as a disruptive or forced evolution. Analysis from former commandants of the Marine Corps to junior officers on the ground in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere demonstrate otherwise. The ability of the Marines to impact the battlefield\u2014and help achieve our strategic goals\u2014has only increased during the post-Cold War era.
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