Military Organization, Marine Corps

The U.S. Marine Corps is organized into four components: Headquarters Marine Corps, the Operating Force, the Supporting Establishment, and the Marine Corps Reserve. Headquarters Marine Corps entails the offices of the commandant, the assistant commandant, their staffs, and all personnel who are assigned to assist these senior officers in the formulation of Marine Corps doctrine, equipment, basing needs, relations with other U.S. military services and U.S. government agencies, liaison with the political leadership of the country, and contact with foreign military forces for activities such as joint training and maneuvers.

Even more important is the composition and organization of the Operating Force, especially the fact that in both peacetime and war, it is more clearly organized into what the Marine Corps calls the Marine Air-Ground Task ...