Notes to the New CNO Series

By Steven Bancroft and Benjamin Van Horrick

The Amphibious Ready Group/Marine Expeditionary Unit (ARG/MEU) team serves as the cornerstone of America’s forward-deployed, rapid-response capability. The MEU’s ability to blend land, air, and sea power to project maritime force and respond to global crises gives the joint force an exquisite capability.

However, as the 21st century’s strategic environment becomes increasingly complex with peer competitors, the enemy’s advanced anti-access/area-denial capabilities, and the proliferation of long-range precision fires, the Navy and Marine Corps must embark on a new phase of naval integration. The CNO, in conjunction with the CMC, should provide guidance on how to enhance maritime lethality to transcend the traditional ARG/MEU construct, thereby forging an integrated naval force capable of securing contested littorals and responding to emergent threats. 

Adversaries are challenging U.S. dominance at sea with the rapid modernization of their naval, air, and missile forces. The proliferation of sophisticated sensors, cyber capabilities, and hypersonic weapons exposes isolated task forces or expeditionary units to new vulnerabilities. To maintain credible deterrence, the Navy and Marine Corps are moving toward complementary operational concepts: Distributed Maritime Operations and Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations. These service-level concepts demand seamless integration and rapid maneuver to mass effects across multiple domains. 

The primary aim of naval integration is to enhance maritime lethality—the ability to locate, identify, and neutralize adversary forces at sea and in the littorals. This requires effective use of limited assets. The Navy, Marine Corps, and Army are investing in long-range precision fires, such as the Naval Strike Missile and the Maritime Strike Tomahawk. Moreover, integrated training and joint wargaming are forging a culture of interoperability and mutual understanding.

While the ARG/MEU team remains a vital tool, its relatively small footprint and limited stand-off capabilities prove insufficient against modern threats. 21st-century naval integration requires a maritime network with access to various platforms, sensors, and weapons systems that enable distributed forces to operate in concert. For example, a Marine Corps unit operating from an expeditionary advanced base can cue maritime or joint fires, while Navy assets provide mutual support with air defense and logistics. 

A notable example of this evolving integration was the Task Force 76/3 (TF-76/3) experiment, a combined Navy-Marine Corps formation designed to enhance operational synergy in the Indo-Pacific. TF-76/3 merged the capabilities of Expeditionary Strike Group SEVEN/Commander, Task Force 76 with the rapid response expertise of 3d Marine Expeditionary Brigade. Deploying as a single, integrated naval task force, TF-76/3 demonstrates how integrated command structures can enhance responsiveness and lethality. This synergy was enabled by advancements in command, control, communications, computers, cyber, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance. 

Beyond the ARG/MEU team, 21st-century naval integration is more than a technological or organizational shift — it is an operational imperative. Combining the agility and expeditionary mindset of the Marine Corps with the firepower and reach of the Navy into a single, lower-level command, the naval service can build a more lethal, resilient, agile maritime force. This integrated approach—exemplified by formations such as TF-76/3, TF 61/2, and TF-51/5—ensures that U.S. naval power projection and dominance remain ready to meet the demands of the modern era. 

Lieutenant Colonel Steven Bancroft, USMC, is the commanding officer of 7^th Engineer Support Battalion.

Major Benjamin Van Horrick, USMC, serves at the Department of Defense Inspector General.

The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official views of the United States Navy, the Marine Corps, the Department of Defense Inspector General, or the U.S. government.

Featured Image: PHILIPPINE SEA (Jan. 28, 2022) An MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft and a CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) refuel on the flight deck of USS Miguel Keith (ESB 5). (U.S. Navy photo)