The Marine Corps Way of War: The Evolution of the U.S. Marine Corps from Attrition to Maneuver Warfare in the Post-Vietnam Era examines the evolving doctrine, weapons, and capability of the United States Marine Corps during the four decades since our last great conflict in Asia. As author Anthony Piscitelli demonstrates, the USMC has maintained its position as the nation’s foremost striking force while shifting its thrust from a reliance upon attrition to a return to maneuver warfare. Piscitelli methodically explains the evolution by using traditional and first-person accounts by the prime movers of this paradigm shift.

In Indochina, for example, the Marines not only held territory but engaged in now-legendary confrontational battles at Hue and Khe Sanh. As a percentage of those engaged, the Marines suffered higher casualties than any other branch of the service. In the post-Vietnam assessment, however, the USMC absorbed Sun Tzu’s aspects of Asian warfare and returned to its historical DNA in fighting “small wars” to evolve a superior alternative to the battlefield.

The institutionalization of maneuver philosophy began with the Marine Corps’ educational system, analyzing the actual battlespace of warfare—be it humanitarian assistance, regular set-piece battles, or irregular guerrilla war—and the role that the leadership cadre of the Marine Corps played in this evolutionary transition from attrition to maneuver. This change has sometimes been incorrectly portrayed (including by the Congressional Military Reform Caucus) as a disruptive or forced evolution. Analysis from former commandants of the Marine Corps to junior officers on the ground in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere demonstrate otherwise. The ability of the Marines to impact the battlefield—and help achieve our strategic goals—has only increased during the post-Cold War era.

Throughout The Marine Corps Way of War, the voices of the Marines themselves, in action or through analysis, describe how “the few, the proud” will continue to be America’s cutting-edge force in the future as we move through the 21st Century. This new work is must-reading for not only every Marine, but for everyone interested in the evolution of the world’s finest military force.

“The Service that wrote the book on insurgencies, amphibious warfare, helicopters, close air support and maneuver warfare continues to show the way into the cyber age. The author does an admirable job of chronicling the ingenuity and adaptability of the Marine Corps in cutting through the fog of war to stay ahead of potential enemies. A dramatic and intriguing story.”

“Dr. Piscitelli has filled in a key gap in the evolution of how the Marine Corps fights. His study of the adaptation of the philosophy of maneuver warfare, from its introduction in the training areas of Camp Lejeune to its ultimate validation in Iraq, Afghanistan, and small actions worldwide, details the struggle to prepare the Marine Corps for the world, post-Vietnam. The import of that change cannot be overstated, nor can the struggle it took to make that change. Brilliant stuff.”

Robert Coram, author of Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War

“An impressively informed and informative study, "The Marine Corps Way of War: The Evolution of the U.S. Marine Corps from Attrition to Maneuver Warfare in the Post-Vietnam Era" is a singularly original work of outstanding scholarship that is so exceptionally well written, organized and presented as to make it fully accessible for academia and non-specialist general readers alike.”

"…a helpful introduction into maneuver warfare's main doctrinal tenets: commander's intent, mission-type orders, trust tactics, speed of decision making, attacking weak spots, surprise, shock, and shattering the enemy's cohesion.”

"Author Anthony Piscitelli leverages his years of State Department and academic experience to map the evolution of the Marine Corps’s approach to war in the post–Vietnam War era, all the while highlighting the personalities involved in that process."