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Be Ready, Make Ready - Marine Corps Installations Test Mettle in Vigilant Shield

25 Mar 2024 | Courtesy Story Marine Corps Installations Command, MCICOM

Marine Corps Installations Command tested its ability to operate installations in a contested environment with the execution of U.S. Northern Command’s (USNORTHCOM) Exercise Vigilant Shield, March 11-15.

Vigilant Shield provided training opportunities for North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and USNORTHCOM components, units and task forces to deter, and if necessary defeat, a military attack against the United States and to employ forces as directed by the President. Marine Corps bases and stations leveraged this opportunity to assess and enhance current plans to defend tenant commands, personnel, and families while simultaneously supporting power projection from those installations in the USNORTHCOM area of responsibility. Vigilant Shield tested the installations’ abilities to defeat simulated threats in the air, land, maritime, space, and cyber domains.

“This exercise stressed our ability to maintain continuous operations, enable Fleet Marine Force (FMF) readiness, and work through mutual support with our community partners,” said Maj. Gen. David Maxwell, Commander, Marine Corps Installations Command. “New threats, emerging technologies, and the geostrategic environment highlight the importance of the installations within the Marine Corps operating concepts”

The 2022 National Security Strategy identified that U.S. forces will make disciplined choices to focus attention on capability to defend and deter attacks and aggression against the U.S. homeland. Marine Corps’ force planning document Installations and Logistics 2030 directed Marine Corps Installations Command to build resiliency in a contested environment, enable FMF readiness, implement Force Design, and review the distribution capability of the installations – a majority of which reside in the U.S. homeland.

The MCICOM team constantly works to ‘Be Ready’ today and ‘Make Ready’ for tomorrow.


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