United States Marine Corps
From Conservapedia
The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is a branch of the United States armed forces responsible for mounting infantry assaults from the sea utilizing the mobility of the United States Navy. Alongside the U.S. Navy, the Marine Corps operates under the United States Department of the Navy.
While concerned almost exclusively with shipboard security service and amphibious warfare in its formative years, the Marine Corps has evolved to fill a unique, multi-purpose role within the modern United States military.
Originally organized as the Continental Marines on November 10, 1775 as naval infantry, the Marine Corps has evolved its mission with changing military doctrine and American foreign policy. The Marine Corps has served in every American armed conflict including the Revolutionary War. It attained prominence in the 20th century when its theories and practice of amphibious warfare proved prescient, and ultimately formed the cornerstone of the Pacific campaign of World War II. By the early 20th century, the Marine Corps had become the dominant theorist and practitioner of amphibious warfare. Its ability to rapidly respond to regional crises has made and continues to make it an important body in the implementation and execution of American foreign policy.
The U.S. Marine Corps, with 186,500 active duty and 40,000 reserve Marines as of 2007, is the smallest of the United States' armed forces in the Department of Defense (the United States Coast Guard, about one fifth the size of the Marine Corps, is under the Department of Homeland Security). The Corps is nonetheless larger than the entire armed forces of many significant military powers.
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| Pay grade | O-10 | 0-9 | O-8 | O-7 | O-6 | O-5 | O-4 | O-3 | O-2 | O-1 |
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| Title | General | Lieutenant General | Major General | Brigadier General | Colonel | Lieutenant Colonel | Major | Captain | 1st Lieutenant | 2nd Lieutenant |
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| CWO-5 | CWO-4 | CWO-3 | CWO-2 | WO-1 (discontinued) | ||||||
| W-5 | W-4 | W-3 | W-2 | W-1 | ||||||
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| Enlisted | ||||||||||||
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| Pay grade | E-9 | E-9 | E-9 | E-8 | E-8 | E-7 | E-6 | E-5 | E-4 | E-3 | E-2 | E-1 |
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| Title | Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps | Sergeant Major | Master Gunnery Sergeant | First Sergeant | Master Sergeant | Gunnery Sergeant | Staff Sergeant | Sergeant | Corporal | Lance Corporal | Private First Class | Private (no insignia) |
