In September 2018, the Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. Robert B. Neller directed that various Marine Corps units incorporate forced marches into combat readiness evaluations.
That directive has resulted in new changes to training and readiness manuals that will see grunts moving farther distances while also testing combat effectiveness after a long hike carrying considerable weight.
According to an administrative message posted Friday, the Corps is updating the “forced march” portion of the training and readiness manuals for grunts and reconnaissance units.
The changes now require these Marines to be able to move 32 km carrying an assault load of roughly 70 pounds in eight hours.
“The forced march will culminate and transition directly into an evaluated tactical exercise to test the unit’s ability to execute an extended foot movement under load and remain combat effective,” the MARADMIN reads.
According to the Marine Corps order covering the Marine Corps Combat Readiness Evaluation, or MCCRE, the evaluated tactical event can be “offensive or defensive exercise, NBC [nuclear, biological, chemical] exercise, patrolling exercise” or an event related to a unit’s mission-essential tasks. That order was signed in February 2019.