Marine Corps Program Wide Support

Mission — Marine Corps Program Wide Supt source

This program element (PE) provides the analytical foundation for the Marine Corps Studies System (MCSS), including mandated Mission Area Analyses and Cost and Operational Effectiveness Analyses. It also includes capabilities that facilitate force development, war plan assessment, and concept and combat development. The MCSS is the front end of the Marine Corps' acquisition system. This PE also supports the material acquisition process as follows: managing Marine Corps Operational Test and Evaluations; providing Chemical and Biological Consequence Management capabilities for Weapons of Mass Destruction incident response forces; development of the Wargaming capability; and conducting analyses to inform the development and integration of Marine Corps Information Environment Operations (IE Ops).

Mission — Studies & Analysis/MC source

Marine Corps Requirements Oversight Council (MROC) established Operations Analysis Directorate (OAD), as the sole operations research, analytic support, and studies management program for the Marine Corps Study System (MCSS). MCSS analysis is achieving greater efficiency, productivity, and innovation through operations research methodologies such as: operational analysis, statistical analysis, multi-objective decision methods, optimization, cost analysis, and a wide range of computer-based models and combat simulations ensuring the optimization of resources now and in the future. Analyses span the spectrum of conflict in a Joint, Interagency, Intergovernmental, and Multinational (JIIM) context to inform critical senior level decision makers of current and future national security issues and provides unique and distinct analytic capabilities that enable the collaboration and sharing of analyses that reduces the duplication of topics that are of broad interest. MCSS is an integral part of the Marine Corps and Joint Chiefs decision-making processes to organize, man, train, equip, sustain, and transform resources from the current to the future force.

Mission — OT&E Support source

The Marine Corps Operational Test and Evaluation Activity (MCOTEA) supports the material acquisition process by managing the Marine Corps Operational Test (OT) programs for Acquisition Categories (ACAT) I through ACAT IV (less OT of manned aircraft) and performs other functions that may be directed by the Commandant of the Marine Corps. The primary purpose of Operational Test and Evaluation (OT&E) is to provide information to the Milestone Decision Authority (MDA) regarding the Operational Effectiveness (OE) and Operational Suitability (OS) of the system addressed at a decision point. MCOTEA must ensure that the Marines in the Operating Forces receive the very best possible equipment and support. MCOTEA must also ensure each system proposed for acquisition is tested adequately, evaluated objectively, and reported independently. Marine Corps Operational Test and Evaluation Activity (MCOTEA) is the only unit that provides the Marine Corps with required operational test and evaluation (OT&E) capability, ensuring the Marine Corps is compliant with laws and regulations, and ensuring that training and equipment are operationally effective, relevant, and suitable. Additionally, MCOTEA's early involvement, coordination, and oversight in developmental testing and evaluation of new combat and combat support systems ensures that our Marines are the best trained, and have the best equipment, with the lowest test costs for taxpayers. Finally, MCOTEA's support of rapid acquisitions ensures that Marines in the fight are supported with the newest and most advanced equipment and that the Marine Corps is compliant with regulations.

Mission — Office of Net Assessment source

The Commandant of the Marine Corps' (CMC) Office of Net Assessment (ONA) was established in July 2022 as a result of a CMC tasking in the April 2021 Annual Force Design Update. ONA provides long-term comparative assessments of trends, key competitions, risks, opportunities, and future prospects of USMC roles and missions in order to support strategic decision making for the CMC and Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps (ACMC). Previously executed in Center for Naval Analysis PE: 0605154N RDTE PRJ: 0031

Mission — Marine Corps Wargaming Capability source

The enhanced Wargaming Capability (WGC) facilitates Force Design by utilizing advanced modeling and simulation systems and analytic assessments of current Operation Plans, Concepts of Operations, future operational and functional concepts, and operational and technology-based approaches. These results will refine our Force Design through our campaign of learning and increase research capacity to maintain the USMC as a "force-in-readiness." The USMC WGC consists of Wargaming software, modeling, and simulation tools and systems, a Wargaming and Analysis Center (MILCON Project P-719), and the necessary personnel supporting the new capability. The WGC solution will provide an enhanced basis for analytically informed decision support to capability development prioritization and resourcing. The WGC program acquisition strategy utilizes 10 U.S.C 2302 Middle Tier of Acquisition (MTA). During 1st quarter of FY 2023 the program learned of delays with the facility construction impacting entry into the building for infrastructure installation and system accreditation. This delay shifted the program's planned transition to an MTA Rapid Fielding to no later than the 3rd quarter of FY 2024. The program gained entry into the facility in the 1st quarter of FY 2024 and began the Information Technology (IT) and Audio-Visual (AV) infrastructure installation to support the accreditation process for certifying the complex technologies. The overarching strategy consists of four phases: Phase I: Risk Reduction Prototyping (FY 2019 - FY 2020); Phase II: Integrated Prototyping (FY 2020 - FY 2022); Phase III: Baselining (FY 2023 - FY 2024) and Production; Phase IV: Sustainment/Operations.

Mission — Information Environment Strategy, Policy and Governance source

The Information Environment (IE) is a global, interconnected, complex, continuously changing eco-system that is increasingly connected across our war fighting functions. Given the complexity and the speed of changes in the IE and to address the significant role information now plays in current and future conflicts, a unifying operational and technical strategy must be developed to outpace our adversaries. Analysis will inform the development and integration of Marine Corps Information Environment Enterprise (MCIEE) that are guided by the Commandant's Planning Guidance (CPG) and Marine Corps Force Design. Research and analysis efforts support: design and coordinated implementation of an Objective Network to fight on and through a contested environment; design structure to engage and collaborate with Joint and Coalition partners; and conduct analysis to inform the development and fielding of an integrated information capability. These efforts will be accomplished leveraging analytic support from government Labs and Industry to dynamically exploit our National Defense Strategy (NDS) priority operational problems related to the Information Environment through demonstration, limited user evaluations, and functional capability assessments with the Fleet Marine Forces.

Accomplishments & Planned Programs (1)