# Will the Marine Corps become the smartest US military branch? (Article)



## Deleted member 15200 (Jul 25, 2020)

I was reading through this forum thread from last year: Call to Recruit Infantry as Elite Branch which has some really interesting discussion to read through. A few minutes later I came across this article: Will the Marine Corps become the Smartest US military branch? I'm curious to hear the forums thoughts on this and whether putting up various gates such as higher test scores, or the completion of degrees is an effective way to improve the competence of the average Marine, NCO, Officer etc.? 

Also seems like it follows from the Force Design 2030 which if I remember correctly, specifically states a willingness to give up increased manpower numbers in exchange for better gear, training, and standards.


----------



## Bypass (Jul 26, 2020)

/Cough Air Force /Cough

Edit; The Air Force will always be the epitome of actual measurable intelligence because their members were smart enough not to join the Army, Navy, or Marine Corps.


----------



## Teufel (Jul 26, 2020)

PineTree said:


> I was reading through this forum thread from last year: Call to Recruit Infantry as Elite Branch which has some really interesting discussion to read through. A few minutes later I came across this article: Will the Marine Corps become the Smartest US military branch? I'm curious to hear the forums thoughts on this and whether putting up various gates such as higher test scores, or the completion of degrees is an effective way to improve the competence of the average Marine, NCO, Officer etc.?
> 
> Also seems like it follows from the Force Design 2030 which if I remember correctly, specifically states a willingness to give up increased manpower numbers in exchange for better gear, training, and standards.


Will we say we are the smartest? Yes. Does it matter what anyone else says? No, not really. What was the question again? The answer is Semper Fidelis.


----------



## AWP (Jul 26, 2020)

They will still eat crayons. Marines gonna' Marine.


----------



## CQB (Jul 26, 2020)

As has been observed by another Australia here, the Air Force is the armed wing of the public service.


----------



## Marauder06 (Jul 26, 2020)

I think it's possible.  But is it necessary?

I read the article. For many reasons, including its relatively small size, its massive recruiting and propaganda machine, and the current state of the economy, I think it would be possible for the Marine Corps to reach the goals outlined in the article. But why do they need to do that?

The article doesn't make a compelling argument, IMO. Tech complication and remote distribution of forces is going to happen to everyone. But at the end of the day, to paraphrase Fehernbach, you're still going to have to put your young men in the mud. Make the ASVAB/GT requirements tougher in the more-technical fields. Leave the infantry, artillery, and tankers (whoops, sorry, no more tanks for the Marines) alone.  If you start raising your requirements too high, you're going to have a retention and recruitment problem, especially when the economy recovers. 

Also, because it was brought up in the original post, I still maintain that "elite infantry," in the manner described in the linked article, is the "Green New Deal" of the military and is just as stupid.


----------



## AWP (Jul 26, 2020)

Marauder06 said:


> But at the end of the day, to paraphrase Fehernbach, you're still going to have to put your young men in the mud.



Armies exist to place a 19 YO armed w/ a machine gun on a 10 digit grid coordinate until relieved. All of the theory, hopes, and dreams of academics won't change that requirement. No doubt, a better educated force is a better force, but everything has its limits. We may not want to admit this, but sometimes the 85 IQ with a 240 is better than the MENSA member with a radio.

A military is like a salad, and for a reason.


----------



## Ooh-Rah (Jul 26, 2020)

AWP said:


> They will still eat crayons. Marines gonna' Marine. Marines gotta eat.



Fixed that for ya!


----------



## Steve1839 (Jul 26, 2020)

AWP said:


> We may not want to admit this, but sometimes the 85 IQ with a 240 is better than the MENSA member with a radio.


Unless the MENSA member with a radio is controlling close air support or artillery fire...then, maybe not...


----------



## AWP (Jul 26, 2020)

Steve1839 said:


> Unless the MENSA member with a radio is controlling close air support or artillery fire...then, maybe not...



Totally agree, but my OCS class had a MENSA member who could barely pee on his own....

It takes all kinds.


----------



## Steve1839 (Jul 27, 2020)

AWP said:


> Totally agree, but my OCS class had a MENSA member who could barely pee on his own....


I get it, but once upon a time, I had a squad leader who was one of McNamara's 100,000...and I was the de facto squad leader when it came to anything but police call...


----------



## ThunderHorse (Jul 27, 2020)

Steve1839 said:


> Unless the MENSA member with a radio is controlling close air support or artillery fire...then, maybe not...



I had a MENSA member in my first platoon.  He was almost non-functional as a Soldier, also had an ego the size of the Brigade Footprint.


----------



## Devildoc (Jul 27, 2020)

I hate math.  I LOATHE math.  I suck at math.  Ergo, when I wanted to go to grad school I took the MAT instead of the GRE.  If you score high enough on the MAT you get an invitation to join MENSA.  I got an invitation.  The high-IQ/MENSA thing, it's such a load of back-slapping-naval-gazing-self-aggrandizing bullshit.  You either can do your job, or you can't.


----------

