The Marine Corps just published GCE 2040, an unclassified concept for what its Ground Combat Element (the infantry, artillery, tanks, recon, engineers, and the rest of the ground side of the MAGTF) should look like by 2040. It was signed on 16 June 2026, the Corps showed an early version at Modern Day Marine in April, and an official teaser video went out at the end of June. It is getting a lot of attention this week.
★ Affects all reservists: This is the Marine Corps telling you where the ground fight, and the way it trains, mans, and equips for it, is heading. If you are planning a career, an MOS move, or your next school, this is the direction of travel.
If you have followed Force Design 2030 and the stand-up of the Marine Littoral Regiment (MLR), GCE 2040 is the next chapter: how the rest of the ground combat element modernizes alongside those changes, without giving up the enduring job of closing with and defeating an enemy on land. The headline idea the Corps keeps repeating is "equipping the Marine, not the machine": use AI, sensors, and autonomous systems to help Marines out-sense, out-think, and out-maneuver an enemy, not to replace them.
Why this matters to reservists
GCE 2040 is a concept document, not a MARADMIN. Nothing in it changes a rule for you today. But it is the foundation the Corps will use to prioritize and balance its investments toward 2040, and a benchmark for future budget (POM) planning. In plain terms: the training you will be asked to do, the gear you will be issued, and the way your unit is organized over the next decade will trace back to ideas in here. Reservists are part of the total force that has to be ready to scale, so the direction matters whether you are SMCR, IMA, or IRR.
Want the short, shareable version first? Read our quick explainer: What is GCE 2040?
Watch and read more
We pulled together what has already been released publicly so you do not have to hunt for it.
Official Marine Corps:
- GCE 2040 teaser video (Marines.mil) — the official release from the Deputy Commandant for Information.
- GCE 2040 Teaser on DVIDS — same teaser, public domain, downloadable.
- Introducing the U.S. Marine Corps "Ground Combat Element 2040" (YouTube)
- The United States Marine Corps of the Future: Ground Combat Element 2040 (YouTube)
Public reporting:
- Defense One: Marines will update land warfare doctrine as they prep for a near-peer, drone-driven fight
- The War Zone: Marines offer a glimpse of their new plan for future ground combat forces
Common questions
What is GCE 2040? An unclassified Marine Corps concept, signed 16 June 2026, that describes how the Ground Combat Element should be manned, trained, equipped, and employed by 2040. It is a planning foundation, not a directive or a policy change.
Does GCE 2040 change anything for me right now? No. It is a concept that guides future investment and force design decisions. It does not change any current rule, benefit, or requirement. Watch for MARADMINs and orders that put specific pieces of it into effect over time.
How is it different from Force Design 2030? Force Design 2030 reshaped parts of the Corps for the littoral fight, with the Marine Littoral Regiment as the centerpiece. GCE 2040 picks up from there and lays out how the wider ground combat element modernizes while keeping its core job of seizing, holding, and defending key terrain.