Name two near-peer adversaries that shape USMC modernization and doctrine.

• A. North Korea and Iran
• B. India and Pakistan
• C. Russia and Iran
• D. China and Russia

Answer: (D)

The main idea this question tests is which states are considered the primary near-peer threats that shape how the Marine Corps modernizes and develops doctrine. The best answer is China and Russia. Both countries have advanced, multi-domain military capabilities and ongoing modernization programs that could contest U.S. power projection across major theaters. China’s focus on anti-access/area denial in the Indo-Pacific drives concepts like distributed operations, forward basing, and long-range fires to deter or complicate access to contested littorals. That leads the Marine Corps to emphasize expeditionary, survivable forces and notional forward presence, embodied in concepts such as expeditionary advanced base operations and Marine Littoral Regiments. Russia influences doctrine and force design through its European-focused modernization—strong integrated air defense, long-range missiles, electronic warfare, and rapid, multi-domain maneuver—pushing the need for mobile, resilient, and interoperable forces capable of operating in contested environments with NATO partners. Together, these two states shape the emphasis on high-end, multi-domain competition that drives Marine Corps modernization.

The other pairings are more regional or not on the same scale of near-peer pressure, so they don’t drive the same overarching modernization focus as strongly.