United States Marine Corps

===Global War on Terrorism===
[[File:Marines in Saddams palace DM-SD-04-12222.jpg|thumb|alt=Color photograph of three U.S. marines entering a partially destroyed palace|U.S. marines from [[1st Battalion, 7th Marines]] entering a palace in [[Baghdad]] in 2003]]

Following the [[September 11 attacks|attacks on 11 September 2001]], President [[George W. Bush]] announced the [[War on terror|Global War on Terrorism]]. The stated objective of the Global War on Terror is "the defeat of [[Al-Qaeda]], other terrorist groups and any nation that supports or harbors terrorists".<ref name=WhiteHouse>{{cite web
 |access-date=3 August 2008
|url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2001/09/print/20010920-8.html
 |title=Address to Congress
 |publisher=Whitehouse
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100528020254/http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2001/09/print/20010920-8.html
 |archive-date=28 May 2010
|url-status=live
}}</ref> Since then, the Marine Corps, alongside the other military services, has engaged in global operations around the world in support of that mission.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-09-07 |title=After 9/11, Camp Lejeune Marines recall being first responders in War on Terror |url=https://abc11.com/911-september-11-sept-2001-war-on-terror/10997075/ |access-date=2024-03-14 |website=ABC11 Raleigh-Durham |language=en}}</ref>

In spring 2009, President [[Barack Obama]]'s goal of reducing spending in the Defense Department was led by Secretary [[Robert Gates]] in a series of budget cuts that did not significantly change the Corps's budget and programs, cutting only the [[Lockheed Martin VH-71 Kestrel|VH-71 Kestrel]] and resetting the [[VXX]] program.<ref name=cut>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/04/06/gates.budget.cuts/index.html|title=Gates Announces Major Pentagon Priority Shifts|publisher=CNN|date=9 April 2009|access-date=14 April 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090417041415/http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/04/06/gates.budget.cuts/index.html|archive-date=17 April 2009|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="NYTimes Spending">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/09/us/politics/09gates.html|title=Gates Takes Aim at Pentagon Spending|last=Shanker|first=Thom|date=8 May 2010|work=The New York Times|access-date=9 May 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100509101742/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/09/us/politics/09gates.html|archive-date=9 May 2010|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="WP Spending">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/08/AR2010050802495.html|title=Gates: Cuts in Pentagon bureaucracy needed to help maintain military force|last=Jaffe|first=Greg|date=9 May 2010|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=9 May 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100509101556/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/08/AR2010050802495.html|archive-date=9 May 2010|url-status=live}}</ref> However, the [[National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform]] singled the Corps out for the brunt of a series of recommended cuts in late 2010.<ref>{{cite web|last=Smith|first=Rich|url=http://www.themoneytimes.com/featured/20101113/marines-under-fire-pentagon-cuts-id-10141519.html|title=Marines Under Fire From Pentagon Cuts|work=Money Times|date=13 November 2010|access-date=14 November 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110428134513/http://www.themoneytimes.com/featured/20101113/marines-under-fire-pentagon-cuts-id-10141519.html|archive-date=28 April 2011}}</ref> In light of [[United States budget sequestration in 2013|budget sequestration in 2013]], General [[James F. Amos|James Amos]] set a goal of a force of 174,000 Marines.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.defenseone.com/management/2013/09/amos-america-needs-robust-crisis-response-force/70350/|title=Amos: America Needs a Robust Crisis Response Force|work=Defense One|date=16 September 2013 |access-date=1 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150330025915/http://www.defenseone.com/management/2013/09/amos-america-needs-robust-crisis-response-force/70350/|archive-date=30 March 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> He testified that this was the minimum number that would allow for an effective response to even a single contingency operation, but it would reduce the peacetime ratio of time at home bases to time deployed down to a historical low level.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.militarytimes.com/article/20130918/NEWS/309180016|title=Gen. Amos: 174,000 force would mean 11 fewer battalions, 14 fewer squadrons|work=Military Times|access-date=1 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160123231509/http://www.militarytimes.com/article/20130918/NEWS/309180016|archive-date=23 January 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

====Afghanistan Campaign====
[[File:1st platoon, Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, 24th MEU, Djibouti, 2010.jpg|thumb|U.S. marines dismounting from an [[Assault Amphibious Vehicle]] in Djibouti]]

Marines and other American forces began staging in Pakistan and Uzbekistan on the border of Afghanistan as early as October 2001 in preparation for [[War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)|Operation Enduring Freedom]].<ref>{{Cite news |access-date=27 April 2007 |url=http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0110/07/sm.06.html |title=War Against Terror Will Involve Amorphous Front Lines |publisher=CNN |date=1 October 2001 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071114165807/http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0110/07/sm.06.html |archive-date=14 November 2007 |url-status=live}}</ref> The [[15th Marine Expeditionary Unit|15th]] and [[26th Marine Expeditionary Unit]]s were some of the first conventional forces into Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in November 2001.<ref name=IHT>{{cite web |access-date=3 August 2008 |url=http://www.iht.com/articles/2001/11/27/a1_46.php |title=Marines land in Afghanistan |work=International Herald Tribune |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080522074847/http://www.iht.com/articles/2001/11/27/a1_46.php <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date= 22 May 2008}}</ref>

After that, Marine battalions and squadrons rotated through, engaging the [[Taliban]] and Al-Qaeda forces. Marines of the [[24th Marine Expeditionary Unit]] flooded into the Taliban-held town of [[Battle of Garmsir|Garmsir]] in [[Helmand province campaign|Helmand Province]] on 29 April 2008, in the first major American operation in the region in years.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1907217/Marines-launch-attack-on-Taliban-in-Helmand.html|title=Marines launch attack on Taliban in Helmand|work=The Telegraph|access-date=13 December 2010|date=29 April 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110428121746/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1907217/Marines-launch-attack-on-Taliban-in-Helmand.html|archive-date=28 April 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> In June 2009, 7,000 marines with the [[2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade (United States)|2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade]] (2nd MEB) deployed to Afghanistan in an effort to improve security<ref name="CBS MEB-A">{{cite news |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/06/08/world/main5070688.shtml|title=7,000 Marines Join Fight in Afghanistan|date=8 June 2009|agency=Associated Press|publisher=[[CBS News]]|access-date=3 November 2009|location=Camp Leatherhead <sup>([[sic]])</sup>|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090804083806/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/06/08/world/main5070688.shtml|archive-date=4 August 2009|url-status=live}}</ref> and began [[Operation Strike of the Sword]] the next month. In February 2010, the 2nd MEB launched the largest offensive of the Afghan Campaign since 2001, the [[Operation Moshtarak|Battle of Marjah]], to clear the Taliban from their key stronghold in Helmand Province.<ref>Gal Perl Finkel, [http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=14263 Back to the ground?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817075613/http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=14263 |date=17 August 2016}}, [[Israel Hayom]], 8 November 2015.</ref> After Marjah, marines progressed north up the [[Helmand River]] and cleared the towns of Kajahki and Sangin. Marines remained in Helmand Province until 2014.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/last-of-u-s-marines-leave-afghanistans-helmand-province-1414410005 |title=Last of U.S. Marines Leave Afghanistan's Helmand Province |last=Stancati |first=Margherita |date=22 October 2014 |website=wsj.com |publisher=Wall Street Journal |access-date=19 May 2022 }}</ref>

====Iraq Campaign====
[[File:Second Battle of Fallujah, mosque firefight and house searches.ogv|thumb|U.S. marines during the [[Second Battle of Fallujah]] in 2004]]
U.S. Marines served in the [[Iraq War]], along with its sister services. The [[I Marine Expeditionary Force]], along with the U.S. Army's [[3rd Infantry Division (United States)|3rd Infantry Division]], spearheaded the [[2003 invasion of Iraq]].<ref>{{Cite book |last= West |first= Bing |author-link= Bing West |author2= General Ray L. Smith |title= The March Up: Taking Baghdad with the 1st Marine Division |publisher= Bantam Books |date= September 2003 |location= New York |page= [https://archive.org/details/marchuptakingbag00west/page/17 17] |isbn= 0-553-80376-X |url= https://archive.org/details/marchuptakingbag00west/page/17}}</ref> The Marines left Iraq in the summer of 2003 but returned in the beginning of 2004. They were given [[Multi-National Force West|responsibility]] for the [[Anbar campaign (2003–2011)|Al Anbar Province]], the large desert region to the west of [[Baghdad]]. During this occupation, the Marines lead assaults on the city of [[Fallujah]] in April ([[First Battle of Fallujah|Operation Vigilant Resolve]]) and November 2004 ([[Second Battle of Fallujah|Operation Phantom Fury]]) and saw intense fighting in such places as [[Ramadi]], [[Al-Qa'im (town)|Al-Qa'im]] and [[Hit, Iraq|Hīt]].<ref>{{Cite book |last= West |first= Bing |author-link= Bing West |title= No True Glory: A Frontline Account of the Battle for Fallujah |publisher= Bantam Dell |date= October 2005 |location= New York |pages= [https://archive.org/details/notruegloryfront00west/page/111 111–113] |isbn= 978-0-553-80402-7 |url= https://archive.org/details/notruegloryfront00west/page/111}}</ref> The service's time in Iraq courted controversy with events such as the [[Haditha massacre|Haditha killings]] and the [[Hamdania incident]].<ref>{{Cite news |access-date=27 April 2007 |url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/12/21/iraq.haditha/index.html |title=Marines face charges in Haditha killings |publisher=CNN |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070124204653/http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/12/21/iraq.haditha/index.html |archive-date= 24 January 2007}}</ref><ref name=Post>{{Cite news |access-date=3 August 2008 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/21/AR2006062100887.html |title=8 Troops Charged in Death of Iraqi |publisher=CNN |first1=Josh |last1=White |first2=Sonya |last2=Geis |date=22 June 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110428123414/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/21/AR2006062100887.html |archive-date=28 April 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Sons of Iraq|Anbar Awakening]] and [[Iraq War troop surge of 2007|2007 surge]] reduced levels of violence. The Marine Corps officially ended its role in Iraq on 23 January 2010 when it handed over responsibility for Al Anbar Province to the U.S. Army.<ref name="outofiraq?">{{cite news |url=http://www.military.com/news/article/are-marines-out-of-iraq-for-good.html?ESRC=marine-a.nl |title=Are Marines Out of Iraq for Good? |last=Burns |first=Robert |date=25 January 2010 |agency=Associated Press |publisher=[[Military.com]] |access-date=28 January 2010 |archive-date=27 May 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100527000138/http://www.military.com/news/article/are-marines-out-of-iraq-for-good.html?ESRC=marine-a.nl |url-status=live }}</ref> Marines [[American-led intervention in Iraq (2014–present)|returned to Iraq in the summer of 2014]] in response to growing violence there.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ktla.com/2014/06/16/u-s-to-send-275-marines-to-iraq-wont-rule-out-cooperation-with-iran/|title=U.S. to Send 275 Marines to Iraq, Won't Rule Out Cooperation With Iran|work=KTLA|date=17 June 2014|access-date=1 April 2015|archive-date=4 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150804081001/http://ktla.com/2014/06/16/u-s-to-send-275-marines-to-iraq-wont-rule-out-cooperation-with-iran/|url-status=live}}</ref>

====Operations in Africa====
Throughout the Global War on Terrorism, the U.S. Marines have supported operations in Africa to counter Islamic extremism and piracy in the [[Red Sea]]. In late 2002, [[Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa]] was stood up at [[Camp Lemonnier]], Djibouti to provide regional security.<ref name="CJTF-HOA2">{{cite web |access-date = 3 August 2008|url = http://www.hoa.centcom.mil/resources/english/facts.asp|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080103014254/http://www.hoa.centcom.mil/resources/english/facts.asp|archive-date = 3 January 2008|title = Fact Sheet – CJTF-HOA|publisher = Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa}}</ref> Despite transferring overall command to the Navy in 2006, the Marines continued to [[Operation Enduring Freedom – Horn of Africa|operate in the Horn of Africa]] into 2007.<ref name="USMC2">{{cite web |access-date = 3 August 2008|url = http://www.marines.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/lookupstoryref/20072844311|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071210224157/http://www.marines.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/lookupstoryref/20072844311|archive-date = 10 December 2007|title = 26th MEU lands in Djibouti for deployment's first exercise |date=Feb 7, 2007 |first1=Jeremy |last1=Ross |publisher = United States Marine Corps}}</ref>