From Grok it looks like the Marines are still making changes, but not moving as far as previously planned:
The U.S. Marine Corps is not entirely moving away from the use of artillery but is significantly reshaping its artillery capabilities as part of its Force Design 2030 initiative, launched in 2020 by then-Commandant Gen. David H. Berger. This modernization plan aims to adapt the Corps to meet the challenges of great power competition, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region, with a focus on countering advanced adversaries like China. Rather than eliminating artillery altogether, the Marine Corps is shifting its emphasis from traditional cannon (or “tube”) artillery to a greater reliance on long-range precision fires, such as rockets and missiles, to support its new operational concepts like Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations (EABO) and littoral combat.
Under the original Force Design 2030 plan, the Marine Corps intended to drastically reduce its cannon artillery, dropping the number of active-duty M777 155mm howitzer batteries from 21 to 5 while increasing rocket artillery batteries (equipped with systems like the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS) from 7 to 21. This shift was driven by the belief that cannon artillery, while effective for close, sustained support in past conflicts, is less suited to the dispersed, long-range engagements envisioned in future naval and island-based operations. The Corps also began divesting other heavy systems, such as tanks, to prioritize mobility and lethality in contested environments.
However, updates to Force Design 2030 have adjusted this approach based on feedback, experimentation, and real-world observations, such as the heavy use of artillery in Ukraine since 2022. The 2022 annual update revised the cannon artillery reduction, increasing the planned number of M777 batteries to 7 instead of 5, signaling a recognition that some traditional artillery remains relevant. Meanwhile, the Corps continues to expand its rocket and missile capabilities, including the adoption of the Navy/Marine Corps Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS), which uses Naval Strike Missiles for anti-ship roles, and plans to integrate systems like the Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) alongside HIMARS. The deactivation of units like the 5th Battalion, 11th Marines (a HIMARS unit) in March 2024 reflects ongoing realignment, not abandonment, with assets redistributed to other formations.
Critics, including retired Marine generals, have argued that reducing cannon artillery undermines the Corps’ combined arms tradition and ability to support infantry in diverse scenarios. Supporters counter that the shift enhances flexibility and aligns with joint force needs in a precision-strike era. As of March 27, 2025, the Marine Corps is still implementing these changes, with ongoing experimentation (e.g., Artillery Relocation Training Program 24.4 in Japan) to refine its artillery structure. The exact balance between cannon and rocket/missile systems remains a work in progress, but artillery as a capability is not being eliminated—it’s being transformed.
Rocket artillery can’t mark targets, seems like a good idea for deep interdiction but not enough tubes left for fire support and marking for air assets. The current Commandant of the Corps should be replaced. You ride with the assets that got you there. Marine arty has always been responsive to the grunts. Many instances in MarCorps history where arty was if not the major factor, it allowed the grunts to do their job. Arty doesn’t care about weather, and it has no conscience.
Patton wrote the book on using timed air bursts of 155 rounds to knock out the krautz in North Afreeka. So long as there is a chance our guys might have to face massed formations of any sort they had best not take that capability away. At a minimum the Marines need the ability to keep opponents scattered. Every dirtbag country on the planet thinks it’s smart to send their guys out in big bunches so our guys need the weapons to keep the fight short.——semper fi
And, oh, yeah: If I have to go I want that phone number to call to let the bean counters know what I’ll need-—and it had better be there. Stock it up and keep it ready to go!
thanks for that.
Armed drones are the real game changer.