A Marine Corps force structure review has determined that the service needs to grow to at least 194,000 active-duty Marines, according to Assistant Commandant Gen. Glenn Walters.
Enacted in December, the fiscal 2017 National Defense Authorization Act calls for the Marine Corps to grow from 182,000 to 185,000 active-duty Marines, but lawmakers have not yet funded the increase.
However, a review of how many Marines the Corps needs to dedicate to meet emerging threats has determined the service needs to get even bigger, Walters said in written testimony to Congress on Tuesday.
"We determined that we need to increase active component end strength to at least 194,000, to build new capabilities that will deter, defeat and deny adversaries and meet future Joint Force requirements," according to Walters' written testimony.
Walters also thanked Congress for authorizing the Marine Corps to grow to 185,000 as part of the National Defense Authorization Act.
"An increase of 3,000 Marines per year maintains a rate of growth consistent with effective recruiting and accession while maintaining our high standards and ensuring a balanced force," he said in his written testimony.
The Marine Corps has several versions of its force structure, depending on whether Congress appropriates money for the Corps to grow or not, Commandant Gen. Robert Neller has said.
"We're kind of waiting to see what resources are available, which will tell us which version we're going to go to," Neller said in a Feb. 3 interview. "So we're hopeful that the Congress is going to appropriate the money to take us to 185,000, as it says in the NDAA. That will get us started."
Neller has repeatedly said the Corps end strength review is looking at how to put more Marines in jobs needed to fight future wars, such as information operations, electronic warfare, cyber operations and intelligence analysis.
"It's not the creation of more infantry battalions or artillery batteries or tanks – or even right now – more aviation," Neller said in the interview.
