Marines Come From the Sea—What Comes Next?

For generations, Marines have launched from the sea to fight and win our Nation’s battles. Whether delivering crisis response, deterring aggression, or projecting combat power, the Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), embarked on an Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), has stood as the Corps’ most agile and lethal forward-deployed force.

Now it’s your turn to shape the future.

Announcing the Commandant’s Rapid Response Essay Contest – MEU 2035

What should the MEU of 2035 look like? Given a shipbuilding baseline that sustains three continuously deployed, three-ship ARG/MEUs, how should the MEU be task-organized, equipped, and what mission essential tasks should they be capable of accomplishing to meet the demands of Geographic Combatant Commanders across the globe?

This is your opportunity to influence the future force. Submissions need to offer realistic, feasible proposals that leverage near-term capabilities, emerging technologies, and creative applications of non-standard platforms to deter and win in the future environment. For this contest, proposals are constrained to no more than a three-ship ARG/MEU construct which can include one big-deck.

Whether you’re a warfighter, planner, or innovator—bring your best ideas forward.

Contest Runs: May 22 – August 31

Length: 2000-3000 words

Submit essays as MS Word documents to Gazette@mca-marines.org

Cash prizes and awards will be presented to the three winning authors at the MCA’s Annual Meeting and Luncheon on December 4, 2025 at the Army Navy Country Club.

Prizes:

First Prize $1000

Second Prize $750

Third Prize $500

Event Info

Need Some Inspiration? Listen to the Latest Scuttlebutt!

#196: Puncturing the Myths of Modern War with Dr. Ben Connable

Tune into the latest episode of the Scuttlebutt podcast featuring Dr. Ben Connable — retired Marine, Georgetown professor, and author of the new book Ground Combat: Puncturing the Myths of Modern War.

In Episode 196, Dr. Connable discusses his combat experience, his transition to academia, and the gaps in how modern warfare is understood — all grounded in empirical research and hard-earned insights. His message is clear: the future of war demands critical thinking, historical grounding, and innovation.

Tune in here