Sustaining the Transformation

by U.S. Marine Corps

The Corps does two things for they make Marines and they win the nation's battles. The ability to successfully accomplish the latter depends on how well the former is done.

Genres: Military Fiction

92 pages, Paperback

First published September 21, 2013

About the author

The U.S. Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States. In the civilian leadership structure of the United States military, the Marine Corps is a component of the United States Department of the Navy, often working closely with U.S. naval forces for training, transportation, and logistic purposes; however, in the military leadership structure the Marine Corps is a separate branch.

Reviews

[Daniel Nunn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has very valuable information for NCO’s and senior leaders in the United States Marine Corps. Clear and concise definitions of the 14 traits and bulleted descriptions of the 11 leadership principles was very eye opening to me and really helps me understand how I can better assist my Marines. Highly recommend for any Enlisted or Officer in the Marine Corps, particularly NCO’s. This book really gives perspective on HOW to sustain the transformation and details what levels of cohesion must exist in a unit. I gave 4 stars because the narrative in the beginning about PFC Smith didn’t seem like it went anywhere and it didn’t tie in to the rest of the book.

[Brian W · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent read for all leaders. Discusses conceptual ways to increase the forgotten art of creating and sustaining unit cohesion and esprit de corps.

[Christian Palmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sustaining the Transformation is one of the four best publications to ever come out of the US Marine Corps, the others being Warfighting, Mastering Tactics, and A Book on Books. It was written in response to complaints by commanders about declining troop quality and increasing disciplinary indidents, and rejects the idea that these are the fault of anyone but those same unit commanders.

It opens with a hypothetical story about two identical twins joining the Marine Corps and going through training together before splitting up when they hit the Fleet, and shows how their different battalion cultures lead one to meritorious promotion while leading the other to becoming a disciplinary problem. It may be a bit overly simplified, but it's still a compelling story that makes its point very well.

The crux of the argument in Sustaining the Transformation is that the recruit depots, despite their various problems, are very successful when it comes to making Marines. The issue is finding ways to reinforce and preserve that transformation during the volatile period between the end of entry level training and a Marine's first years in the Fleet, when Marines are trying to feel out the difference between acting like a boot, being a good Marine, and being a bad Marine. It suggests a variety of ways for commanders to support this process and develop a sense of community and shared experience.

If you're a commander, 1stSgt, SgtMaj, or on the staff of an entry level MOS school, you'll find this book valuable. Between the lines is the idea that the only difference between the battalions of 5th Marines and any other unit is how much effort they commit to sustaining the transformation after boot camp.