Which global trend is shaping Marine Corps planning due to rising near-peer competitors?

• A. Insurgent Warfare
• B. Territorial Disputes
• C. Great Power Competition
• D. Naval Rivalry

Answer: (C)

Great Power Competition is the global trend shaping Marine Corps planning because it frames security challenges around strategic rivalry with near-peer states that possess advanced capabilities across land, sea, air, cyber, and space. As rivals invest in anti-access/area denial, long-range precision strike, and sophisticated integrated defense networks, Marine Corps planners emphasize agile, dispersed, and interoperable forces to deter and operate effectively in contested environments. This leads to concepts like expeditionary advanced base operations, distributed maritime operations, and scalable, flexible forces designed to project power, sustain operations, and integrate with partners in austere theaters. Insurgent warfare and territorial disputes remain important in their own contexts, but they do not define the overarching strategic driver the Corps must anticipate; naval rivalry is a facet of the broader great-power competition.