CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- Marine Corps Tactical Systems Support Activity (MCTSSA), Marine Corps Systems Command’s Science and Technology Reinvention Lab (STRL), has deployed its latest Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) Command and Control (C2) Prototype (MCP) to the 12th Marine Littoral Regiment (MLR) in Okinawa, Japan, Sept. 8, 2025. This is effort represents a key activity under the Marine Corps’ new Project Dynamis initiative.
The MCP is a small form factor (SFF) device that integrates multiple existing USMC fire support, C2, and other systems across air and ground domains, into a single, unified multi-domain MAGTF C2 prototype solution. This convergence allows Marines to operate the traditional functions of a command operations center from one device.
“The MCP enables communications, data, and decision tools across the MAGTF,” said Capt. Guadalupe Menera, MCP Lead and Cyber Network Operations Officer at MCTSSA. “It allows commanders to see, decide, and act faster across all domains and echelons, while staying agile in constantly shifting battlefield conditions. MCP leverages both proven and emerging software through rapid development cycles to provide shared situational awareness, integrated fires and logistics coordination, and resilience in degraded environments.”
The MCP was developed and tested at MCTSSA with support from various USMC units worldwide, and incorporated lessons learned during Marine Corps Warfighting Lab driven experiments. The MCP saw its initial deployment in Australia with the Marine Rotational Force – Darwin (MRF-D). The recent delivery to 12th MLR marks the second MCP delivery as part of a broader global distribution effort to nine prioritized units.
“We’re excited to test and employ the capabilities of MCP in a dynamic and distributed environment across the First Island Chain,” said Col. Richard Neikirk, Commanding Officer of 12th MLR. “This capability enables 12th MLR to extend critical applications to our forward-deployed Early Entry C2, increasing lethality, resilience, and decision-making speed across the battlespace and enabling our Japanese allies.”
Designed for flexibility, the MCP can be employed at the command post or forward deployed alongside small units, offering scalable support in a variety of operational scenarios. Col. Arlon Smith, who is leading a new service level technology accelerator known as Project Dynamis, emphasized that "as a stand-in force, our ability to aggregate, orchestrate, analyze, and share fused data at machine speeds across the joint and combined force is a warfighting imperative.” He noted that "the MCP edge node being fielded now provides ‘fight tonight’ capabilities that are informing the modernization of our command, control, communication, and computers portfolio.” Adding that “it’s an epic time to be a U.S. Marine.”
“Specific Fleet Marine Force (FMF) units are receiving MCPs as we roll them out in phases,” said MCTSSA’s Commanding Officer, Col. Craig Clarkson. “Every unit that receives the MCP will also receive training and integrated support to ensure mission readiness.”
Importantly, the MCP isn’t a static solution—it’s designed for continuous improvements based on feedback from the field. That feedback informs program managers as they plan capabilities for the future.
“This isn’t a one-and-done piece of gear,” said Clarkson. “We see the MCP as a platform for innovation, and we are using a ‘build, deploy, measure, report…rinse and repeat’ approach to inform program managers who are planning to deliver program of record capabilities at scale. End users of the MCP should have the opportunity to shape its future development based on real-world needs and operational conditions. As an institution, we need to move beyond the paradigm of big-bang fielding of new programs with yesterday’s tech delivered tomorrow. Rapid incremental delivery of end-user defined capabilities is the model necessary to outpace our adversaries, and the nation that can build and deploy software the fastest will win the next fight. The MCP is a vehicle to demonstrate these concepts – taking commercially available high-compute and high-store hardware and landing new software applications on that hardware as needed.”
As one of the first units to adopt the MCP, 12th MLR is actively working to integrate the system into its daily operations and mission planning.
“The MCP’s small footprint is important for our concept of employment, enabling agile, self-sufficient teams to conduct C2 from a variety of platforms and discreet locations with the same tools and common operational picture as higher echelon formations,” said Neikirk. “At the onset of crisis/conflict, the MCP could accelerate 12th MLR’s ability to tie the partner force into the Joint Force, enabling the fusion of critical data from across numerous collection platforms and providing organic/bilateral/Joint effects to enable joint force operations.”