WHAT MAKES A MARINE
Our Mission is Our Promise
Marines are different. We share an uncommon willingness to fight and win battles—a distinction that sets the Marine Corps apart. Through basic and advanced training we make Marines adaptable to defeat unknown and unpredictable threats to our Nation. Those who share this determination and meet our basic requirements are challenged to answer our call to serve.
Earning the Title Marine
With a determined mindset as their foundation, enlisted recruits and officer candidates must endure basic training that tests both their physical and mental resolve. Through this training they begin to embody our willingness to fight so they can instinctively adapt to the unpredictable threats they'll face in combat.
There are two distinct but equally worthy paths to earn the title Marine. Some pursue the enlisted path, where they are formed into basically trained Marines through 13 weeks of recruit training at either Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, SC, or Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, CA.
Others choose the officer's path where they are screened for the characteristics required to lead Marines at Officer Candidate School at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va. After they complete five phases of training and prove they are worthy of the charge, candidates can accept an officer's commission and become second lieutenants of the United States Marine Corps.
Combat Ready for Every Threat
Training doesn't stop once the title is earned. For enlisted Marines it continues immediately after recruit training at either School of Infantry-East at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, NC, or School of Infantry-West at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, CA. Here these new Marines become combat ready by training in infantry tactics.
Newly commissioned Marine Officers learn to lead and inspire their Marines at The Basic School at Marine Corps Base Quantico, VA. This six-month course is also where Marine Officers determine their Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) in one of either four fields: Ground, Aviation, Law or Cyber.
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Specialized Roles, Adaptive Mindsets
Only after they prove they are combat ready do Marines begin specialized training in their assigned role. Every Marine is assigned a Military Occupational Specialty (MOS), or job. Even though they are trained in a specific role, Marines never forget that they win the fight together. Critical thinking and adaptability are values woven into the curriculum of every occupational field.
Training is Continuous
Just as threats to our nation are constant and evolving, so too is our commitment to defeating them. Marines train continuously even after they're assigned roles within the operating forces. Critical thinking and adaptability are values honed in Marines across every role and rank.
Marines can pursue advanced training within their assigned roles or expand their adaptive mindsets through secondary Military Occupational Specialties (MOSs) and special assignments.
COMMUNITY, COUNTRY, GROWTH
Marines share a collective purpose and uphold a commitment to fight for democracy and human rights. To defeat the unpredictable threats that our Nation faces, you must be able to adapt. Marines train tirelessly both mentally and physically to be able to overcome any scenario. Be it air, land sea, or an evolving digital landscape, in the battles for America’s future, there is only one constant: Marines who will win them. The battle to belong begins here.
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