Commandant Gen. Joseph F. Dunford's planning guidance is intended to outline how the Marine Corps will set the conditions to fight and win against future enemies.Proceeds from the sale of Commandant's Planning Guidance will be donated to charities that support Wounded Warriors.

The Commandant's Planning Guidance (CPG) provides the 38th Commandant's strategic direction for the Marine Corps and mirrors the function of the Secretary of Defense's Defense Planning Guidance (DPG). It serves as the authoritative document for Service-level planning and provides a common direction to the Marine Corps Total Force. It also serves as a road map describing where the Marine Corps is going and why; what the Marine Corps force development priorities are and are not; and, in some instances, how and when prescribed actions will be implemented. This CPG serves as my Commandant's Intent for the next four years. As Commandant Neller observed, "The Marine Corps is not organized, trained, equipped, or postured to meet the demands of the rapidly evolving future operating environment." I concur with his diagnosis. Significant change is required to ensure we are aligned with the 2018 National Defense Strategy (NDS) and DPG, and further, prepared to meet the demands of the Naval Fleet in executing current and emerging operational naval concepts. Effecting that change will be my top priority as your 38th Commandant. This CPG outlines my five priority focus areas: force design, warfighting, education and training, core values, and command and leadership. I will use these focal areas as logical lines of effort to frame my thinking, planning, and decision-making at Headquarters Marine Corps (HQMC), as well as to communicate to our civilian leadership. This document explains how we will translate those focus areas into action with measurable outcomes. The institutional changes that follow this CPG will be based on a long-term view and singular focus on where we want the Marine Corps to be in the next 5-15 years, well beyond the tenure of any one Commandant, Presidential administration, or Congress. We cannot afford to retain outdated policies, doctrine, organizations, or force development strategies. The coming decade will be characterized by conflict, crisis, and rapid change - just as every decade preceding it. And despite our best efforts, history demonstrates that we will fail to accurately predict every conflict; will be surprised by an unforeseen crisis; and may be late to fully grasp the implications of rapid change around us. The Arab Spring, West African Ebola Outbreak, Scarborough Shoal standoff, Russian invasion of eastern Ukraine, and weaponization of social media are but a few recent examples illustrating the point. While we must accept an environment characterized by uncertainty, we cannot ignore strong signals of change nor be complacent when it comes to designing and preparing the force for the future. What is abundantly clear is that the future operating environment will place heavy demands on our Nation's Naval Services. Context and direction is clearly articulated in the NDS and DPG as well as testimony from our uniformed and civilian leadership. No further guidance is required; we are moving forward. The Marine Corps will be trained and equipped as a naval expeditionary force-in-readiness and prepared to operate inside actively contested maritime spaces in support of fleet operations. In crisis prevention and crisis response, the Fleet Marine Force - acting as an extension of the Fleet - will be first on the scene, first to help, first to contain a brewing crisis, and first to fight if required to do so. The Marine Corps will be the "force of choice" for the President, Secretary, and Combatant Commander - "a certain force for an uncertain world" as noted by Commandant Krulak. No matter what the crisis, our civilian leaders should always have one shared thought - Send in the Marines.

Document outlining Gen. Charles C. Krulak's strategic direction for the Marine Corps.

This publication describes the theory and philosophy of military planning as practiced by the U.S. Marine Corps. The intent is to describe how we can prepare effectively for future action when the future is uncertain and unpredictable. In so doing, this publication provides all Marines a conceptual framework for planning in peace, in crisis, or in war. This approach to planning is based on our common understanding of the nature of war and on our warfighting philosophy of maneuver warfare as described in Marine Corps Doctrinal Publication (MCDP) 1, Warfighting. Our doctrine for planning establishes planning as an essential component of the broader field of command and control. The object of both is to recognize what needs to be done in any given situation and see to it that appropriate actions are taken. This publication should be read in conjunction with MCDP 6, Command and Control. The concepts described therein also generally apply to planning. The approach to planning presented herein applies across the full spectrum of military actions, ranging from humanitarian assistance on one extreme to war on the other. It applies also to planning for institutional activities such as acquisition, education, and manning. However, the focus here is on operation planning, especially at the tactical level. As used in this publication, the term "planner" refers not only to members of a designated planning staff but to any person involved in laying out actions in advance. This includes commanders. One of the themes of this publication is that planning is a fundamental responsibility of command. Commanders must be centrally involved in planning. This publication establishes the authority for the subsequent development of planning doctrine, education, training, procedures, and organization. It provides no specific techniques or procedures for planning; rather, it provides broad guidance, that requires judgment in application. Other publications in the planning series will address specific techniques and procedures for various planning activities.

Planning (MCDP #5) describes the theory and philosophy of military planning as practiced by the U.S. Marine Corps. The intent is to describe how we can prepare effectively for future action when the future is uncertain and unpredictable. It provides all Marines a conceptual framework for planning in peace, in crisis, or in war. The Marine Corps' approach to planning is based on our common understanding of the nature of war and on our warfighting philosophy of maneuver warfare as described in MCDP 1, Warfighting.