“So they've actually got a double challenge: reducing their overall numbers -- from 202,00 downward -- while maintaining and expanding a commitment to these two new initiatives,” Wood said. “So they're trying to juggle manpower figures, and where you're placing your investments across more options that you're having to pursue while shrinking your overall numbers, that's a difficult proposition.”
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USMC Plans To Cut 15,000 After Iraq, Afghan Wars
Dakota Wood, senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, said the Marine Corps likely hopes to preserve a balanced force while bringing down its total size and supporting efforts to round out Marine Corps Special Forces Command at 2,700 personnel, as well as standing up a promised cyber force.