United States Marine Corps

==History==
{{main|History of the United States Marine Corps}}
<!--This is a summary meant as an overview for general audiences. Please keep concise. Additions should be made to the main article linked above.-->

=== Foundation and American Revolutionary War ===
{{More citations needed|section|date=January 2022}}
[[File:Portrait of First Leader of Marines, Maj. Samuel Nicholas.jpg|thumb|upright|Maj. [[Samuel Nicholas]], first Commandant of the Marine Corps, was nominated to lead the Continental Marines by [[John Adams]] in November 1775.]]

The United States Marine Corps traces its roots to the [[Continental Marines]] of the [[American Revolutionary War]], formed by Captain [[Samuel Nicholas]] by a resolution of the [[Second Continental Congress]] on 10 November 1775, to raise two [[battalion]]s of marines.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Marine Corps University > Research > Marine Corps History Division > People > Who's Who in Marine Corps History > Mackie - Ozbourn > Major Samuel Nicholas |url=https://www.usmcu.edu/Research/Marine-Corps-History-Division/People/Whos-Who-in-Marine-Corps-History/Mackie-Ozbourn/Major-Samuel-Nicholas/ |access-date=2023-12-16 |website=www.usmcu.edu}}</ref> This date is celebrated as the [[United States Marine Corps birthday|birthday of the Marine Corps]]. Nicholas was nominated to lead the Marines by [[John Adams]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Upton|first1=Stewart|date=6 November 2014|title=First Marine Corps Leader All About Institution, Not Self|url=https://www.imef.marines.mil/News/News-Article-Display/Article/554000/first-marine-corps-leader-all-about-institution-not-self/|access-date=29 July 2020|website=www.imef.marines.mil|publisher=U.S. Marine Corps|quote=During this time of the late 1760s and into the 1770s leading up to the War for our Independence … Samuel Nicholas would spend time aboard super-cargo merchant ships traveling to and from China. At the time of his nomination by (future U.S. President) John Adams to lead the Continental Marines in Nov. of 1775, he would have been well known in the community of Philadelphia for his maritime knowledge and experience.|archive-date=25 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201025112036/https://www.imef.marines.mil/News/News-Article-Display/Article/554000/first-marine-corps-leader-all-about-institution-not-self/|url-status=live}}</ref> By December 1775, Nicholas raised one battalion of 300 men by recruitment in his home city of Philadelphia.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=U.S. Marine Corps Birthday and Veterans Day – A Message from the NPS President |url=https://nps.edu/-/u.s.-marine-corps-birthday-and-veterans-day-a-message-from-the-nps-president |access-date=2023-12-16 |website=nps.edu |language=en-US}}</ref>

In January 1776, the Marines went to sea under the command of Commodore [[Esek Hopkins]] and in March undertook their first amphibious landing, the [[Raid of Nassau|Battle of Nassau]] in the Bahamas, occupying the British port of Nassau for two weeks.<ref name="auto">{{cite web |title=Marines at the Battle of Princeton |url=https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/marines-battle-princeton |website=The American Battlefield Trust |date=30 January 2017 |publisher=American Battlefield Trust |access-date=28 July 2020 |archive-date=29 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200729030644/https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/marines-battle-princeton |url-status=live }}</ref> On 3 January 1777, the Marines arrived at the [[Battle of Princeton]] attached to General [[John Cadwalader (general)|John Cadwalader]]'s brigade, where they had been assigned by General [[George Washington]]; by December 1776, Washington was retreating through New Jersey and, needing veteran soldiers, ordered Nicholas and the Marines to attach themselves to the [[Continental Army]]. The [[Battle of Princeton]], where the Marines along with Cadwalader's brigade were personally rallied by Washington, was the first land combat engagement of the Marines; an estimated 130 marines were present at the battle.<ref name="auto"/>

At the end of the American Revolution, both the [[Continental Navy]] and Continental Marines were disbanded in April 1783. The institution was resurrected on 11 July 1798; in preparation for the [[Quasi-War]] with [[French First Republic|France]], Congress created the United States Marine Corps.<ref>{{cite web |author= U.S. Congress |author-link= Congress of the United States |title= An Act for Establishing and Organizing a Marine Corps |date= 11 July 1798 |url= http://www.patriotfiles.com/index.php?name=Sections&req=viewarticle&artid=7833&page=1 |access-date= 6 August 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100610134122/http://www.patriotfiles.com/index.php?name=Sections&req=viewarticle&artid=7833&page=1 |archive-date= 10 June 2010 |url-status=live |df= dmy-all}}</ref> Marines had been enlisted by the [[United States Department of War|War Department]] as early as August 1797<ref>{{cite web |author= Captain John Barry |title= Muster Roll of Officers, Petty Officers, Seamen, and Marines, on the Frigate United States |date= 9 February 1798 |url= http://wardepartmentpapers.org/document.php?id=25096 |access-date= 16 May 2009 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090827075735/http://wardepartmentpapers.org/document.php?id=25096 |archive-date= 27 August 2009 |url-status=live |df= dmy-all}}</ref> for service in the newly-built [[frigate]]s authorized by the Congressional "Act to provide a Naval Armament" of 18 March 1794,<ref>{{cite web |author= U.S. Congress |author-link= Congress of the United States |title= Act to provide a Naval Armament |date= 18 March 1794 |location= NARA |url= https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/new-us-navy/act-draft.html |access-date= 16 May 2009 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110107211812/http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/new-us-navy/act-draft.html |archive-date= 7 January 2011 |url-status=live |df= dmy-all}}</ref> which specified the numbers of marines to recruit for each frigate.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/npswapa/extcontent/usmc/pcn-190-003125-00/sec1.htm | title=A Different War: Marines in Europe and North Africa (Introduction) }}</ref>

The Marines' most famous action of this period occurred during the [[First Barbary War]] (1801–1805) against the [[Barbary pirates]],<ref>Richard Leiby, [https://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A59720-2001Oct14 Terrorists by Another Name: The Barbary Pirates] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180810132404/https://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A59720-2001Oct14 |date=10 August 2018}}, [[The Washington Post]], 15 October 2001</ref> when [[William Eaton (soldier)|William Eaton]] and First Lieutenant [[Presley O'Bannon]] led 8 marines and 500 [[mercenary|mercenaries]] in an effort to capture [[Tripoli, Libya|Tripoli]]. Though they only reached [[Battle of Derna (1805)|Derna]], the action at Tripoli has been immortalized in the [[Marines' Hymn]] and the [[Mameluke sword]] carried by Marine officers.<ref name="Simmons">{{Cite book |last= Simmons |first= Edwin H. |title= The United States Marines: A History, Fourth Edition |publisher= Naval Institute Press |year= 2003 |location= Annapolis, Maryland |isbn= 1-59114-790-5 |url-access= registration |url= https://archive.org/details/unitedstatesmari0000simm_r8b9}}</ref>

===War of 1812 and afterward===
[[File:Wiki Capture Penguin.jpg|thumb|British and U.S. troops garrisoned aboard ''Hornet'' and ''Penguin'' exchanging [[small arms]] musket fire with Tristan da Cuna in the background during the [[Capture of HMS Penguin|final engagement]] between British and U.S. forces in the [[War of 1812]]]]

During the [[War of 1812]], Marine detachments on Navy ships took part in some of the great frigate duels that characterized the war, which were the first and last engagements of the conflict. Their most significant contribution was holding the center of General [[Andrew Jackson]]'s defensive line at the 1815 [[Battle of New Orleans]], the final major battle and one of the most one-sided engagements of the war. With widespread news of the battle and the [[Capture of HMS Cyane and HMS Levant|capture of HMS ''Cyane'', HMS ''Levant'']] and [[Capture of HMS Penguin|HMS ''Penguin'']], the final engagements between British and U.S. forces, the Marines had gained a reputation as expert [[marksman|marksmen]], especially in defensive and ship-to-ship actions.<ref name="Simmons" /> They played a large role in the 1813 [[Second Battle of Sacket's Harbor|defense of Sacket's Harbor]], New York and [[Battle of Craney Island|Norfolk and Portsmouth]], Virginia,<ref>[[Theodore Roosevelt|Roosevelt, Theodore]], ''The Naval War of 1812'', Random House, New York, {{ISBN|0-375-75419-9}}</ref> also taking part in the 1814 [[Battle of Plattsburgh|defense of Plattsburgh]] in the [[Champlain Valley]] during one of the final British offensives along the Canadian-U.S. border. The [[Battle of Bladensburg]], fought 24 August 1814, was one of the worst days for American arms, though a few units and individuals performed heroic service. Notable among them were Commodore Joshua Barney's 500 sailors and the 120 marines under Captain Samuel Miller USMC, who inflicted the bulk of British casualties and were the only effective American resistance during the battle. A final desperate Marine counter attack, with the fighting at close quarters, however was not enough; Barney and Miller's forces were overrun. In all of 114 marines, 11 were killed and 16 wounded. During the battle Captain Miller's arm was badly wounded, for his gallant service in action, Miller was brevetted to the rank of Major USMC.<ref>Sharp, John G., ''Register of Patients at Naval Hospital Washington DC 1814 With The Names of American Wounded from the Battle of Bladensburg'', Naval History and Heritage Command, 2018, https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/r/register-patients-naval-hospital-washington-dc-1814.html {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210318070833/https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/r/register-patients-naval-hospital-washington-dc-1814.html |date=18 March 2021 }}</ref>[[File:Chapultepec.jpg|thumb|Marines [[Battle of Chapultepec|storming Chapultepec Castle]] with a large American flag during the [[Mexican-American War]]]]

After the war, the Marine Corps fell into a malaise that ended with the appointment of [[Archibald Henderson]] as its fifth commandant in 1820. Under his tenure, the Corps took on expeditionary duties in the Caribbean, the [[Gulf of Mexico]], [[Key West]], West Africa, the [[Falkland Islands]], and [[Sumatra]]. Commandant Henderson is credited with thwarting President Jackson's attempts to combine and integrate the Marine Corps with the Army.<ref name="Simmons" /> Instead, Congress passed the ''Act for the Better Organization of the Marine Corps'' in 1834, stipulating that the Corps was part of the Department of the Navy as a sister service to the Navy.<ref>{{cite web|author=U.S. Congress |author-link=Congress of the United States |title=An Act for the Better Organization of the United States Marine Corps |date=30 June 1834 |url=http://www.tecom.usmc.mil/hd/Docs_Speeches/Establishingamarinecorps.htm |access-date=3 August 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101007205958/http://www.tecom.usmc.mil/HD/Docs_Speeches/Establishingamarinecorps.htm |archive-date= 7 October 2010}}</ref> This would be the first of many times that the independent existence of the Corps was challenged.{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}

Commandant Henderson volunteered the Marines for service in the [[Seminole Wars]] of 1835, personally leading nearly half of the entire Corps (two battalions) to war. A decade later, in the [[Mexican–American War]] (1846–1848), the Marines made their famed [[Battle of Chapultepec|assault on Chapultepec Palace]] in Mexico City, which would be later celebrated as the "Halls of Montezuma" in the Marines' Hymn. In fairness to the U.S. Army, most of the troops who made the final assault at the Halls of Montezuma were soldiers and not marines.<ref>Eisenhower, John S. D (26 September 2018). "So far from God: the U.S. war with Mexico 1846–1848". Easton Press. Retrieved 26 September 2018.</ref> The Americans forces were led by Army General [[Winfield Scott]]. Scott organized two storming parties of about 250 men each for 500 men total including 40 marines.{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}

In the 1850s, the Marines engaged in service in Panama and Asia and were attached to Commodore [[Matthew C. Perry|Matthew Perry's]] [[East India Squadron]] on its historic trip to the Far East.<ref name="Moskin">{{Cite book |last= Moskin |first= J. Robert |title= The U.S. Marine Corps Story |publisher= McGraw-Hill |year= 1987 |location= New York}}</ref>

===American Civil War to World War I===
[[File:Marines01.jpg|thumb|Five USMC privates with fixed [[bayonet]]s, and their NCO with his sword at the [[Washington Navy Yard]], 1864|alt=black & white photograph of six U.S. marines standing in line, five with Civil War-era rifles and one with an NCO sword.]]

The Marine Corps played a small role in the [[American Civil War|Civil War]] (1861–1865); their most prominent task was [[blockade]] duty. As more and more states [[Ordinance of Secession|seceded]] from the [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]], about a third of the Corps's officers left the United States to join the [[Confederate States of America|Confederacy]] and form the [[Confederate States Marine Corps]], which ultimately played little part in the war. The battalion of recruits formed for the [[First Battle of Bull Run]] performed poorly, retreating with the rest of the Union forces.<ref name="ChenowethNihart"/> Blockade duty included sea-based amphibious operations to secure forward bases. In late November 1861, Marines and sailors landed a reconnaissance in force from {{USS|Flag|1861|6}} at Tybee Island, Georgia, to occupy the lighthouse and [[Martello tower]] on the northern end of the island. It would later be the Army base for [[Siege of Fort Pulaski|bombardment of Fort Pulaski]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://shapiro.anthro.uga.edu/Lamar/images/PDFs/publication_127.pdf |title=Archaeological Reconnaissance at the Drudi Tract, Tybee Island, Chatham County, Georgia |publisher=LAMAR Institute Publication Series |first=Daniel T. |last=Elliott |location=Savannah, Georgia |year=2008 |page=9 |access-date=7 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111001013945/http://shapiro.anthro.uga.edu/Lamar/images/PDFs/publication_127.pdf |archive-date=1 October 2011}}</ref> In April and May 1862, Marines participated in [[Capture of New Orleans|the capture and occupation of New Orleans]] and the occupation of Baton Rouge, Louisiana,<ref>Hoffman, Colonel Jon T., ''USMC: A Complete History'', Marine Corps Association, Quantico, VA, (2002), p. 92.</ref> key events in the war that helped secure Union control of the lower [[Mississippi River]] basin and denied the Confederacy a major port and naval base on the [[Gulf Coast of the United States|Gulf Coast]].{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}

The remainder of the 19th century was marked by declining strength and introspection about the mission of the Marine Corps. The Navy's transition from [[sailing ship|sail]] to [[steamboat|steam]] put into question the need for Marines on naval ships. Meanwhile, Marines served as a convenient resource for interventions and landings to protect American interests overseas. The Corps was involved in over 28 separate interventions in the 30 years from the end of the American Civil War to the end of the 19th century.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mcu.usmc.mil/historydivision/pages/frequently_requested/Casualties.aspx|title=Marine Corps Casualties: 1775–2015|work=Frequently Requested|author=Reference Branch|publisher=USMC History Division|year=2016|access-date=23 April 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160426035939/http://www.mcu.usmc.mil/historydivision/pages/frequently_requested/Casualties.aspx|archive-date=26 April 2016}}</ref> They were called upon to stem political and labor unrest within the United States.<ref name="Ellsworth">{{Cite book |last= Ellsworth |first= Harry Allanson |title= One Hundred Eighty Landings of United States Marines 1800–1934 |publisher= History and Museums Division, HQ, USMC |year= 1934 |location= Washington, D.C.}}</ref> Under Commandant [[Jacob Zeilin]]'s tenure, Marine customs and traditions took shape: the Corps adopted the [[Eagle, Globe, and Anchor|Marine Corps emblem]] on 19 November 1868. It was during this time that "The Marines' Hymn" was first heard. Around 1883, the Marines adopted their current motto "''[[Semper fidelis]]''" (''Always Faithful'').<ref name="Simmons" /> [[John Philip Sousa]], the musician and composer, enlisted as a Marine apprentice at age 13, serving from 1867 until 1872, and again from 1880 to 1892 as the leader of the [[United States Marine Band|Marine Band]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=John Philip Sousa |url=https://www.marineband.marines.mil/About/Our-History/John-Philip-Sousa/ |access-date=2023-12-16 |website=www.marineband.marines.mil}}</ref>

During the [[Spanish–American War]] (1898), Marines led American forces ashore in the Philippines, Cuba, and [[Puerto Rico]], demonstrating their readiness for deployment. At [[Guantánamo Bay]], Cuba, the Marines seized an [[Guantanamo Bay Naval Base|advanced naval base]] that remains in use today. Between 1899 and 1916, the Corps continued its record of participation in foreign expeditions, including the [[Philippine–American War]], the [[Boxer Rebellion]] in China, Panama, the Cuban Pacifications, the [[Perdicaris affair|Perdicaris incident]] in Morocco, [[United States occupation of Veracruz|Veracruz]], [[Santo Domingo]], and the [[Banana Wars]] in [[United States occupation of Haiti|Haiti]] and [[United States occupation of Nicaragua|Nicaragua]];{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}} the experiences gained in counterinsurgency and [[Guerrilla warfare|guerrilla operations]] during this period were consolidated into the ''Small Wars Manual''.<ref>{{Cite report|title=Report on Marine Corps Duplication of Effort between Army and Navy |publisher= U.S. Marine Corps |date= 17 December 1932}} Contains a very detailed account of almost all the actions of the Continental Marines and USMC until 1932. It is available in scanned TIFF format from the archives of the Marine Corps University.</ref>{{Better source needed|date=March 2021}}

===World War I===
[[File:Scott Belleau Wood.jpg|thumb|alt=monochromatic artwork of marines fighting Germans in a forest|Georges Scott, [[Battle of Belleau Wood|''American Marines in Belleau Wood'']], 1918]]

During [[World War I]], Marines served as a part of the [[American Expeditionary Forces|American Expeditionary Force]] under General [[John J. Pershing]] when [[American entry into World War I|America entered into the war]] on 6 April 1917. The Marine Corps had a deep pool of officers and [[non-commissioned officer]]s with battle experience and thus experienced a large expansion. The U.S. Marine Corps entered the war with 511 officers and 13,214 enlisted personnel and by 11 November 1918 had reached a strength of 2,400 officers and 70,000 enlisted.<ref>{{cite web|title=History of Marine Corps Aviation – World War One |publisher=AcePilots.com |url=http://www.acepilots.com/usmc/hist2.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060111063805/http://www.acepilots.com/usmc/hist2.html |archive-date=11 January 2006}}</ref> African-Americans were entirely excluded from the Marine Corps during this conflict.<ref>Chad L. Williams, ''Torchbearers of Democracy: African American Soldiers in the World War I Era.'' Chapel Hill, North Carolina: University of North Carolina Press, 2010; p. 6.</ref> [[Opha May Johnson]] was the first woman to enlist in the Marines; she joined the [[Marine Forces Reserve|Marine Corps Reserve]] in 1918 during World War I, officially becoming the first female Marine.<ref name="History">{{cite book|last=Hewitt|first=Linda J.|title=Women Marines in World War I (1974)|year=1974|publisher=United States Marine Corps History and Museums Division|url=https://archive.org/details/WomenMarinesInWorldWarI|access-date=31 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160315070622/https://archive.org/details/WomenMarinesInWorldWarI|archive-date=15 March 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> From then until the end of World War I, 305 women enlisted in the Corps.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.usmcpress.com/heritage/women_marines.htm |title=Women Marines |publisher=Usmcpress.com |access-date=11 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150819072746/http://www.usmcpress.com/heritage/women_marines.htm |archive-date=19 August 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> During the [[Battle of Belleau Wood]] in 1918, the Marines and U.S. media reported that Germans had nicknamed them ''<!--Do not use a spell checker here-->Teufel Hunden,<!--Look at the hyperlink, before correcting the word, it is supposed to be misspelled--->'' meaning "[[Devil Dog]]s" for their reputation as [[shock troops]] and marksmen at ranges up to 900 meters; there is no evidence of this in German records (as ''Teufelshunde'' would be the proper German phrase). Nevertheless, the name stuck in U.S. Marine lore.<ref>{{cite magazine |magazine=Life |title=Teufel-Hunden |year=1918 |first=John Ames |last=Mitchell |volume=72 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qahGAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA759 |page=759 |access-date=7 October 2011 |archive-date=26 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211026212033/https://books.google.com/books?id=qahGAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA759 |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Interwar period|Between the World Wars]], the Marine Corps was headed by Commandant [[John A. Lejeune]], and under his leadership, the Corps studied and developed amphibious techniques that would be of great use in World War II. Many officers, including Lieutenant Colonel [[Earl Hancock Ellis|Earl Hancock "Pete" Ellis]], foresaw a war in the Pacific with [[Empire of Japan|Japan]] and undertook preparations for such a conflict. Through 1941, as the prospect of war grew, the Corps pushed urgently for joint amphibious exercises with the Army and acquired amphibious equipment that would prove of great use in the upcoming conflict.<ref name="Ballendorf">{{Cite book
 |last= Ballendorf
 |first= Dirk Anthony
 |title= Pete Ellis: an amphibious warfare prophet, 1880–1923
 |publisher= Naval Institute Press
 |year= 1997
 |location= Annapolis, Maryland
}}</ref>

===World War II===
[[File:Peter Ortiz.jpg|thumb|upright|Former [[List of French Paratrooper Units|French Foreign Legion]] Lieutenant, and U.S. Marine Corps officer [[Peter J. Ortiz]], who served in the European theater, often behind enemy lines]]

In [[World War II]], the Marines performed a central role in the [[Pacific War]], along with the U.S. Army. The battles of [[Guadalcanal campaign|Guadalcanal]], [[Bougainville campaign|Bougainville]], [[Battle of Tarawa|Tarawa]], [[Second Battle of Guam|Guam]], [[Battle of Tinian|Tinian]], [[New Britain campaign|Cape Gloucester]], [[Battle of Saipan|Saipan]], [[Battle of Peleliu|Peleliu]], [[Battle of Iwo Jima|Iwo Jima]], and [[Battle of Okinawa|Okinawa]] saw fierce fighting between marines and the [[Imperial Japanese Army]]. Some 600,000 Americans served in the U.S. Marine Corps in World War II.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/daily/wwii/expanding-the-size-of-the-u-s-military-in-world-war-ii/|title=Expanding the Size of the U.S. Military in World War II|website=warfarehistorynetwork.com|access-date=13 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180812194913/http://warfarehistorynetwork.com/daily/wwii/expanding-the-size-of-the-u-s-military-in-world-war-ii/|archive-date=12 August 2018|url-status=live|date=26 June 2017}}</ref>

The Battle of Iwo Jima, which began on 19 February 1945, was arguably the most famous Marine engagement of the war. The Japanese had learned from their defeats in the [[Mariana and Palau Islands campaign|Marianas Campaign]] and prepared many fortified positions on the island including [[Pillbox (military)|pillboxes]] and network of tunnels. The Japanese put up fierce resistance, but American forces [[Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima|reached the summit]] of [[Mount Suribachi]] on 23 February. The mission was accomplished with high losses of 26,000 American casualties and 22,000 Japanese.<ref>Derrick Wright and Jim Laurier, ''Iwo Jima 1945: The Marines raise the flag on Mount Suribachi'' (2012)</ref>

The Marines played a comparatively minor role in the [[European theatre of World War II|European theater]]. Nonetheless, they did continue to provide security detachments to U.S. embassies and ships, contributed personnel to small [[Special operations|special ops]] teams dropped into [[Wehrmacht|Nazi]]-occupied Europe as part of [[Office of Strategic Services]] (OSS, the precursor to the [[CIA]]) missions, and acted as staff planners and trainers for U.S. Army amphibious operations, including the [[Normandy landings]].<ref>Chenoweth (2005), pp. 270–71</ref><ref>Smith Jr., Thomas W., "Rivalry at Normandy", ''National Review'', 4 June 2004</ref> By the end of the war, the Corps had expanded from two brigades to six [[division (military)|divisions]], five [[Wing (military unit)|air wings]], and supporting troops, totaling about 485,000 marines. In addition, 20 [[Marine defense battalions|defense battalions]] and a [[paramarines|parachute battalion]] were raised.<ref>{{cite web|title=Marines in World War II Commemorative Series |publisher=Marine Corps Historical Center |url=http://www.nps.gov/archive/wapa/indepth/extContent/usmc/index.htm |access-date=17 January 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080208103845/http://www.nps.gov/archive/wapa/indepth/extcontent/usmc/index.htm |archive-date=8 February 2008}}</ref> Nearly 87,000 marines were casualties during World War II (including nearly 20,000 killed), and 82 were awarded the [[Medal of Honor]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Medal of honor: historical facts & figures |first=Ron |last=Owens |page=110|publisher =Turner Publishing Company|year=2004 |isbn =978-1-56311-995-8}}</ref>

[[File:2018-10-31 15 25 21 The west side of the Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington County, Virginia.jpg|thumb|Photograph of the [[Marine Corps War Memorial]], which depicts the second U.S. flag-raising atop [[Mount Suribachi]], on Iwo Jima. The memorial is modeled on [[Joe Rosenthal]]'s famous [[Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima]].|alt=Color photo of the [[Marine Corps War Memorial]], a bronze statue of six marines raising a U.S. flag attached unto a Japanese pipe atop [[Mount Suribachi]].]]
In 1942, the Navy [[Seabee]]s were created with the Marine Corps providing their organization and military training. Many Seabee units were issued the USMC standard issue and were re-designated "Marine". Despite the Corps giving them their military organization and military training, issuing them uniforms, and redesignating their units, the Seabees remained Navy.{{NoteTag|See: [[17th Marines]], [[18th Marines]], [[19th Marines]], and [[20th Marines]]}}<ref>Battle Orders – US Marine Corps Pacific Theater of Operations 1943–44, Gordon L Rottman, Osprey Publishing, [https://books.google.com/books?id=eCwVDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA13 p.&nbsp;13] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170312130832/https://books.google.com/books?id=eCwVDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA13&lpg=PA13&source=bl&ots=5BxH0UdfEJ&sig=ZO95VT9M57BofYTQFW-AhcQwCmM&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjikaeU7srSAhWo34MKHcSZB2c4ChDoAQg0MAc#v=onepage&f=false |date=12 March 2017}}.</ref><ref name="history.navy.mil">{{Cite web|url=https://www.history.navy.mil/content/dam/museums/Seabee/Online%20Reading%20Room/Seabee%20FAQs/SeaBees%20and%20the%20US%20Marine%20Corps%20II.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525180137/https://www.history.navy.mil/content/dam/museums/Seabee/Online%20Reading%20Room/Seabee%20FAQs/SeaBees%20and%20the%20US%20Marine%20Corps%20II.pdf|title=Seabees with the Marines, U.S. Navy Seabee Museum Archives, Port Hueneme, CA 93043|archive-date=25 May 2017}}</ref> USMC historian Gordon L. Rottmann writes that one of the "Navy's biggest contributions to the Marine Corps during WWII was the creation of the Seabees."<ref>{{cite book |title=U.S. Marine Corps World War II Order of Battle: Ground and Air units in the Pacific War, 1939–1945 |first=Gordon L. |last=Rottman |location=Westport, Connecticut |publisher=Greenwood Press |year=2002 |page=31 |isbn=978-0-31331-906-8}}</ref>

Despite [[United States Secretary of the Navy|Secretary of the Navy]] [[James Forrestal]]'s prediction that the Marine flag raising at Iwo Jima meant "a Marine Corps for the next five hundred years",<ref name="Warren2007">{{cite book |last=Warren |first=James A. |title=American Spartans: The U.S. Marines: A Combat History from Iwo Jima to Iraq | url=https://archive.org/details/americanspartans00jame |url-access=registration |year=2007 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |location=New York |isbn=978-1-4165-3297-2 |page=[https://archive.org/details/americanspartans00jame/page/70 70]}}</ref><ref name="Clancy1996">{{cite book |last=Clancy | first=Tom |author-link=Tom Clancy |title=Marine: A Guided Tour of a Marine Expeditionary Unit |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wQG95Vd5iYYC&pg=PT670 |year=1996 |publisher=Penguin Group US |isbn=978-1-4295-2009-6 |page=670 |access-date=6 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140708150644/http://books.google.com/books?id=wQG95Vd5iYYC&pg=PT670 |archive-date=8 July 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> the Corps faced an immediate institutional crisis following the war because of a suddenly shrunken budget. Army generals pushing for a strengthened and reorganized defense establishment attempted to fold the Marine mission and assets into the Navy and Army. Drawing on hastily assembled Congressional support, and with the assistance of the so-called "[[Revolt of the Admirals]]", the Marine Corps rebuffed such efforts to dismantle the Corps, resulting in statutory protection of the Marine Corps in the [[National Security Act of 1947]].<ref name="Krulak">{{Cite book |last= Krulak |first= Victor H. |author-link= Victor H. Krulak |title= First To Fight: An Inside View of the U.S. Marine Corps |publisher= Naval Institute Press |year= 1984 |location= Annapolis, Maryland |isbn= 0-87021-785-2}} Chapter 7, ''The Marines' Push Button'' pp. 113–119.</ref> Shortly afterward, in 1952 the Douglas–Mansfield Act afforded the commandant an equal voice with the [[Joint Chiefs of Staff]] on matters relating to the Marines and established the structure of [[List of United States Marine Corps divisions|three active divisions]] and [[List of United States Marine Corps aircraft wings|air wings]] that remain today.{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}

===Korean War===
[[File:Koreacloseairsupport1950.JPEG|thumb|[[Vought F4U Corsair|F4U Corsairs]] providing close air support to marines of the [[1st Marine Division (United States)|1st Marine Division]] fighting Chinese forces in North Korea, December 1950]]

The beginning of the [[Korean War]] (1950–1953) saw the hastily formed [[1st Provisional Marine Brigade|Provisional Marine Brigade]] holding the defensive line at the [[Battle of Pusan Perimeter|Pusan Perimeter]]. To execute a [[flanking maneuver]], General [[Douglas MacArthur]] called on United Nations forces, including U.S. Marines, to make an amphibious landing at [[Battle of Inchon|Inchon]]. The successful landing resulted in the collapse of North Korean lines and the pursuit of North Korean forces north near the [[Yalu River]] until the entrance of the People's Republic of China into the war. Chinese troops surrounded, surprised, and overwhelmed the overextended and outnumbered American forces. The U.S. Army's X Corps, which included the [[1st Marine Division (United States)|1st Marine Division]] and the Army's [[7th Infantry Division (United States)|7th Infantry Division]] regrouped and inflicted heavy casualties during their fighting withdrawal to the coast, known as the [[Battle of Chosin Reservoir]].

The fighting calmed after the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir, but late in March 1953, the relative quiet of the war was broken when the [[People's Liberation Army]] launched a massive offensive on three outposts manned by the [[5th Marine Regiment]]. These outposts were codenamed "Reno", "Vegas", and "Carson". The campaign was collectively known as the Nevada Cities Campaign. There was brutal fighting on Reno Hill, which was eventually captured by the Chinese. Although Reno was lost, the 5th Marines held both Vegas and Carson through the rest of the campaign. In this one campaign, the Marines suffered approximately 1,000 casualties and might have suffered much more without the U.S. Army's [[Task Force Faith]]. Marines would continue a battle of attrition around the [[38th parallel north|38th Parallel]] until the [[Korean Armistice Agreement|1953 armistice]].<ref name="Fehrenbach">{{Cite book
 |last= Fehrenbach
 |first= T. R.
 |author-link = T. R. Fehrenbach
 |title= This Kind of War: The Classic Korean War History
 |publisher= Brassey's
 |year= 1994
 |isbn= 1-57488-259-7}}</ref> During the war, the Corps expanded from 75,000 regulars to a force of 261,000 marines, mostly reservists; 30,544 marines were killed or wounded during the war, and 42 were awarded the [[Medal of Honor]].<ref>{{cite web
 |title= Fast Facts on the Korean War
 |publisher= History Division, U.S. Marine Corps
 |url= http://hqinet001.hqmc.usmc.mil/HD/Special_Interests/KWC/Fast_Facts.htm
 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070806010111/http://hqinet001.hqmc.usmc.mil/HD/Special_Interests/KWC/Fast_Facts.htm
 |archive-date=6 August 2007
}}</ref>

===Vietnam War===
[[File:U.S. Marines in Operation Allen Brook (Vietnam War) 001.jpg|thumb|U.S. marines of "G" Company, [[2nd Battalion, 7th Marines]] in action during [[Operation Allen Brook]] in South Vietnam, 1968]]

The Marine Corps served in the [[Vietnam War]], taking part in such battles as the [[Battle of Huế|Battle of Hue]] and the [[Battle of Khe Sanh]] in 1968. Individuals from the USMC generally operated in the Northern I Corps Regions of [[South Vietnam]]. While there, they were constantly engaged in a guerrilla war against the [[Viet Cong]], along with an intermittent conventional war against the [[People's Army of Vietnam|North Vietnamese Army]], this made the Marine Corps known throughout Vietnam and gained a frightening reputation from the Viet Cong. Portions of the Corps were responsible for the less-known [[Combined Action Program]] that implemented unconventional techniques for counterinsurgency and worked as military advisors to the [[Republic of Vietnam Marine Division|Republic of Vietnam Marine Corps]]. Marines were withdrawn in 1971 and returned briefly in 1975 to evacuate [[Ho Chi Minh City|Saigon]] and attempt a rescue of the crew of the [[Mayaguez incident|SS ''Mayaguez'']].<ref name="Millet">{{Cite book |last= Millet |first= Alan R. |title= Semper Fidelis: The History of the United States Marine Corps |publisher= Simon & Schuster |year= 1991 |location= New York |page=605 |isbn=978-0-02-921596-8}}</ref> Vietnam was the longest war up to that time for the Marines; by its end, 13,091 had been killed in action,<ref>[http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq56-1.htm Casualties: U.S. Navy and Marine Corps] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070605234857/http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq56-1.htm |date= 5 June 2007}}, United States Navy.</ref><ref name="CasualtiesTheWall">Official Navy figures number the marine deaths at 13,091. This source provides a number of 14,837. {{cite web |url=http://www.thewall-usa.com/summary.asp |date=31 March 1997 |title=U.S. Military Casualties in Southeast Asia |publisher=The Wall-USA |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060902063652/http://thewall-usa.com/summary.asp |archive-date=2 September 2006}}</ref> 51,392 had been wounded, and 57 Medals of Honor had been awarded.<ref name="CasualtiesUSN">{{cite web|url=http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq56-1.htm |title=Casualties: U.S. Navy and Marine Corps Personnel Killed and Wounded in Wars, Conflicts, Terrorist Acts, and Other Hostile Incidents |date=7 August 2006 |publisher=Naval Historical Center, Department of the Navy |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070605234857/http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq56-1.htm |archive-date= 5 June 2007}}</ref><ref name="USMC-MOH">{{cite web|url=http://hqinet001.hqmc.usmc.mil/HD/Historical/Frequently_Requested/Medal_of_Honor.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070806030250/http://hqinet001.hqmc.usmc.mil/HD/Historical/Frequently_Requested/Medal_of_Honor.htm|archive-date=6 August 2007 |title= Marines Awarded the Medal of Honor |publisher=United States Marine Corps}}</ref> Because of policies concerning rotation, more marines were deployed for service during Vietnam than World War II.<ref>Simmons, 247.</ref>

While recovering from Vietnam, the Corps hit a detrimental low point in its service history caused by [[court-martial|courts-martial]] and non-judicial punishments related partially to increased [[desertion|unauthorized absences and desertions]] during the war. Overhaul of the Corps began in the late 1970s, discharging the most delinquent, and once the quality of new recruits improved, the Corps focused on reforming the non-commissioned officer Corps, a vital functioning part of its forces.<ref name="Warren" />

===Interim: Vietnam War to the War on Terror===
[[File:Beirut Memorial 1.jpg|thumb|Beirut Memorial at [[Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune]]]]

After the Vietnam War, the U.S. Marines resumed their expeditionary role, participating in the failed 1980 [[Iran hostage crisis|Iran hostage]] rescue attempt [[Operation Eagle Claw]], the [[United States invasion of Grenada|Operation Urgent Fury]] and the [[United States invasion of Panama|Operation Just Cause]]. On 23 October 1983, the Marine barracks [[1983 Beirut barracks bombings|in Beirut was bombed]], causing the highest peacetime losses to the Corps in its history (220 marines and 21 other service members were killed) and leading to the American withdrawal from Lebanon. In 1990, Marines of the [[Operation Sharp Edge|Joint Task Force Sharp Edge]] saved thousands of lives by evacuating British, French and American nationals from the violence of the [[First Liberian Civil War|Liberian Civil War]].

During the [[Gulf War|Persian Gulf War]] of 1990 to 1991, Marine task forces formed for Operation Desert Shield and later liberated Kuwait, along with Coalition forces, in Operation Desert Storm.<ref name="Simmons"/> Marines participated in combat operations in Somalia (1992–1995) during Operations [[Unified Task Force|Restore Hope, Restore Hope II]], and [[Operation United Shield|United Shield]] to provide humanitarian relief.<ref>{{cite web|title=The preannounced landing of U.S. Marines was witnessed by millions of U.S. primetime television viewers |work=United States Naval Aviation, 1910–1995 |publisher=U.S. Navy |url=http://www.history.navy.mil/avh-1910/PART12.PDF |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011005191719/http://www.history.navy.mil/avh-1910/PART12.PDF |url-status=dead |archive-date=5 October 2001}} (PDF file, see "1992, 9 December" on p. 16)</ref> In 1997, Marines took part in [[Operation Silver Wake]], the evacuation of American citizens from the U.S. Embassy in [[Tirana]], Albania.{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}

===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>

===Reshaped for China threat===
{{see also|Force Design 2030}}
In the 2020s, as the U.S. national strategy shifted from the war on terrorism to [[United States foreign policy toward the People's Republic of China|competition with China]], the Marine Corps abandoned its previous plan to focus on land operations and strengthened its firepower configuration in the [[Indo-Pacific]] region to defeat the [[Chinese People's Liberation Army]] in possible island operations.<ref>{{cite web |title=How US Marines are being reshaped for China threat |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64294915 |date=31 January 2023 |website=BBC |access-date=31 January 2023}}</ref> As part of this shift the USMC has established a [[Marine Rotational Force – Darwin|joint deployment]] with the Australian military in Darwin starting with 200 Marines in 2011.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2024-02-05 |title=Since soldiers moved to this former cattle station, a deeply respectful relationship has unfolded |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-06/back-roads-timber-creek-unlikely-friendship-adf-us-marines/103185138 |first1=Kristy |last1=O'Brien |work=ABC News |language=en-AU |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240210003821/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-06/back-roads-timber-creek-unlikely-friendship-adf-us-marines/103185138 |archive-date= Feb 10, 2024 }}</ref>