News

The Corps’ Newest SATCOM Terminal Adds Lethality Through Speed - A satellite communications operator with 9th Communication Battalion, I Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group sets up the Marine Corps Wideband Satellite Communications – Expeditionary, or MCWS-X, aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif. Designed to be transported by a single Marine – and set up by that same Marine in less than 15 minutes – the innovative new system allows Marines on the ground to quickly and securely connect to various SATCOM frequencies while providing high throughput rate.

The Corps’ Newest SATCOM Terminal Adds Lethality Through Speed

Designed to be transported by a single Marine – and set up by that same Marine in less than 15 minutes – MCWS-X will allow Marines on the ground to quickly and securely connect to various SATCOM frequencies while providing high throughput rate.

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Fielding the Radios of the Future with MARCORSYSCOM - A Marine Corps radio operator programs a PRC-152 multiband handheld radio during a blackout communication exercise at Camp Schwab, Okinawa, Japan, Sept. 29, 2020. Expected in the field by 2024, the Corps’ new handheld multichannel radios will provide the Fleet Marine Force with an enhanced capability that increases resiliency and survivability through network interoperability during missions involving both ground and vehicular based forces.

Fielding the Radios of the Future with MARCORSYSCOM

In order to maintain fleet lethality, Marine Corps Systems Command is working on fielding a state-of-the-art multichannel handheld radio system that mitigates against peer adversary threats and enables Marines to quickly add new waveforms and enhanced capabilities to address evolving requirements.

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Tommy West – assistant program manager for engineering, Program Manager Engineering Systems – played four years of professional baseball with the Texas Ranger organization before beginning his career as an engineer at Marine Corps Systems Command. Remembering how he played catch in August 2022 with a Marine Corps master sergeant, West said, “I never made it to the big leagues, but thanks to the Marine Corps, I sure made it to the Field of Dreams.” (Courtesy photo by Tommy West) - Tommy West – assistant program manager for engineering, Program Manager Engineering Systems – played four years of professional baseball with the Texas Ranger organization before beginning his career as an engineer at Marine Corps Systems Command. Remembering how he played catch in August 2022 with a Marine Corps master sergeant, West said, “I never made it to the big leagues, but thanks to the Marine Corps, I sure made it to the Field of Dreams.” (Courtesy photo by Tommy West)

Tommy West: A Ranger in the Corps

Although Tommy West – assistant program manager for engineering, Program Manager Engineering Systems, at Marine Corps Systems Command – spends his days helping equip Leathernecks with the world’s most lethal gear, he likes to joke that he was a Ranger long before coming to work for the Corps.

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U.S. Marines with 1st Landing Support Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force work with Airmen from the 22nd Airlift Squadron, 60th Operations Group, 60th Air Mobility Wing to on-load a MAC 50 all-terrain crane onto a C5-M Super Galaxy at Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi, Oct. 30, 2022. Marine Corps Systems Command has been modernizing the legacy cranes as part of a Service Life Extension Program, which includes upgraded controls and overhauled engines. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Chief Warrant Officer 2 Eric LaClair) - U.S. Marines with 1st Landing Support Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force work with Airmen from the 22nd Airlift Squadron, 60th Operations Group, 60th Air Mobility Wing to on-load a MAC 50 all-terrain crane onto a C5-M Super Galaxy at Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi, Oct. 30, 2022. Marine Corps Systems Command has been modernizing the legacy cranes as part of a Service Life Extension Program, which includes upgraded controls and overhauled engines. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Chief Warrant Officer 2 Eric LaClair)

Flying Cranes: Marines and Airmen Join Forces in MAC-50 Modernization Efforts

Marine Corps Systems Command recently teamed up with I Marine Expeditionary Force, the U.S. Air Force’s 22nd Airlift Squadron, and industry on a job requiring some heavy lifting: transporting two MAC-50 All-Terrain Cranes cross-country from California to Mississippi and back. The joint collaborative effort in late October—which aligns with the Defense Department’s vision of building a resilient joint force and defense ecosystem—ended up saving the Corps valuable time and money, on top of the cost avoidance realized by the Corps’ MAC-50 service life extension program.

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U.S. Marines with 6th Engineer Support Battalion Bulk Fuel Company B, 4th Marine Logistics Group conducting field training with the new Expeditionary Fuel Dispensing System, or EFDS. EFDS is a new program of record that reconfigures capabilities existent in legacy fuel systems, such as the Amphibious Assault Fuel System and the Tactical Airfield Fuel Dispensing System into smaller, more agile expedient capabilities. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Ryan Schmid) - U.S. Marines with 6th Engineer Support Battalion Bulk Fuel Company B, 4th Marine Logistics Group conducting field training with the new Expeditionary Fuel Dispensing System, or EFDS. EFDS is a new program of record that reconfigures capabilities existent in legacy fuel systems, such as the Amphibious Assault Fuel System and the Tactical Airfield Fuel Dispensing System into smaller, more agile expedient capabilities. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Ryan Schmid)

Fueling Future Battlefields: Marine Corps Commands Come Together to Drive Force Modernization Efforts

Marine Corps Systems Command’s Fuel and Water Team recently initiated efforts to develop the Expeditionary Fuel Dispensing System, which provides increased battlefield flexibility to Marines. Also known as EFDS, the new program of record reconfigures capabilities existent in legacy fuel systems, such as the Amphibious Assault Fuel System – AAFS -- and the Tactical Airfield Fuel Dispensing System – TAFDS -- into smaller, more agile expedient capabilities.

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U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Ram Francis, a data systems administrator with Headquarters Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, monitors network traffic and activity on Fort Pickett, Virginia, Feb. 6, 2022. Marine Corps Systems Command recently launched the Technical Management and Analysis Directorate – or TMAD – in a drive to modernize the Marine Corps Enterprise Network, or MCEN. The Marine Corps Enterprise Network, or MCEN, is an interconnected “network of networks” that links service personnel, architecture, processes, physical and logical topology, and cyber operations. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. James Stanfield) - U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Ram Francis, a data systems administrator with Headquarters Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, monitors network traffic and activity on Fort Pickett, Virginia, Feb. 6, 2022. Marine Corps Systems Command recently launched the Technical Management and Analysis Directorate – or TMAD – in a drive to modernize the Marine Corps Enterprise Network, or MCEN. The Marine Corps Enterprise Network, or MCEN, is an interconnected “network of networks” that links service personnel, architecture, processes, physical and logical topology, and cyber operations. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. James Stanfield)

Preparing for future battlefields: MARCORSYSCOM drives Marine Corps Enterprise Network modernization efforts

Marine Corps Systems Command recently launched the Technical Management and Analysis Directorate – or TMAD – in a drive to modernize the Marine Corps Enterprise Network, or MCEN. The MCEN is an interconnected “network-of-networks” that links service personnel, architecture, processes, physical and logical topology, and cyber operations. In line with the Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. David H. Berger’s Planning Guidance – which underscores the need for enterprise IT engineering and the fundamental importance of meeting peer competitors on a complex future battlefield – the move further supports the commandant’s Force Design 2030 goals.

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Program Executive Officer Land Systems Stephen Bowdren’s relationship with the Corps began 43 years ago when he attended the Marine Corps Platoon Leaders Course at Camp Upshur in Quantico, Virginia, while a college student. Bowdren ultimately joined the U.S. Navy in 1982 and served faithfully until he retired from active duty in 2002. He was appointed as PEO Land Systems in 2022. (Courtesy photo provided by Stephen Bowdren) - Program Executive Officer Land Systems Stephen Bowdren’s relationship with the Corps began 43 years ago when he attended the Marine Corps Platoon Leaders Course at Camp Upshur in Quantico, Virginia, while a college student. Bowdren ultimately joined the U.S. Navy in 1982 and served faithfully until he retired from active duty in 2002. He was appointed as PEO Land Systems in 2022. (Courtesy photo provided by Stephen Bowdren)

All Roads Lead to Quantico: New PEO Land Systems Chief Returns to Quantico Four Decades Later

This summer, Mr. Stephen Bowdren was appointed the Program Executive Officer for Land Systems. PEO LS, the Marine Corps’ only Program Executive Office, is located at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia. In his new role, Bowdren leads a team of Marines and civilian Marine acquisition professionals who are developing, delivering and sustaining nearly $8 billion in lethal capabilities across five program offices for the world’s preeminent fighting force – the United States Marine Corps.

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Marine Corps Systems Command Sgt. Maj. Allen Goodyear, left, looks on as Gen. Eric M. Smith, middle, assistant commandant of the Marine Corps, congratulates Col. Kirk D. Mullins (right) on his retirement from the Marine Corps after 31 years of faithful service. The ceremony was held at Marine Corps Base Quantico’s 395-acre Transportation Demonstration Support Area on Sept. 29, 2022. Mullins was instrumental to the development, acquisition and fielding of the ACV, designed and built to replace the Corps’ legacy AAVs, which have been in service since 1972. - Marine Corps Systems Command Sgt. Maj. Allen Goodyear, left, looks on as Gen. Eric M. Smith, middle, assistant commandant of the Marine Corps, congratulates Col. Kirk D. Mullins (right) on his retirement from the Marine Corps after 31 years of faithful service. The ceremony was held at Marine Corps Base Quantico’s 395-acre Transportation Demonstration Support Area on Sept. 29, 2022. Mullins was instrumental to the development, acquisition and fielding of the ACV, designed and built to replace the Corps’ legacy AAVs, which have been in service since 1972.