Sustaining the Transformation

Sustaining the Transformation

            General C.C. Krulak authors the book, Sustaining the Transformation. Sustaining the Transformation emphasizes the transformation of a Native American into a marine officer and gives several advantages of sustaining the change that one undergoes in the journey of life. The story provides an important gesture that the fighting ability of any warrior is dependent on the performance during transformation. The fighting spirit is expected to reign throughout the life of an individual Marine Corp; not only during the career period but also later upon retirement. General Krulak summarizes transformation fairly and makes it evident that young men and women can be changed mentally, physically and spiritually in a short time. The transformation outlined by Krulak is that of fruitfully creating a better person who can be referred to as a Marine Corp.  The transformation is an occasion that exposes one to challenges and experiences that they have never met before, either emotionally, physically or psychologically.

Krulak presents the work of the Marine Corps in two dimensions. The first role of the Marine Corps is given as making marines while the other role is winning battles for the Corps’ home country. The success margin by which Marine Corps win their battles depends entirely on how well the marines are made. The making of Marines means the transformation journey where young men and women are taught of the nation’s highest ideals to prepare them for the tasks awaiting them. The crucial part of the transformation process is having a successful change of thinking to make one a servant for their country. The trainers believe that the process gives fully baked marines and that there are no faults in the transformation process. The efficiency by which an individual Corp transforms is crucial in the whole process. The survival in the battles depends on the transformation, and thus proper training should be done to ensure that every battle is a new experience for the trainees. The creation of cohesion backs the training during each step in the process.

The creation of cohesion is a responsibility given to the leaders of the training process. In a bid to strengthen cohesion, the welfare of individual trainees is considered keenly. Confidence in the unit’s combat capability: The longer marines serve and train together in a unit the more effective they become, and the more confident they are in their unit’s capabilities. Success in a battle can be attributed to a unit’s overall confidence in its level of performance. Also, the leaders are responsible for creating confidence among the units to make them ready for combats. The creation of confidence involves working in units that are monitored closely by a unit instructor. The effectiveness and confidence of a Marine Corp are directly related to the amount of time spent while serving together in units. The success earned in any battle depends on the overall confidence possessed by the different units. The unit leaders are also a crucial group of individuals who should be confident enough. The confidence in unit leaders is created by spending more time with seniors and learning how to trust the seniors. The leaders aim to earn respect from the junior Marines.

The creation of cohesion takes several forms such as the horizontal cohesion. Horizontal cohesion involves bonding to create a sense of trust and familiarity between the same ranked individuals. The cohesion creates a familiar relationship as well as maintaining personnel stability. A different form of cohesion is where individuals at different ranks interact to create trust and a feeling of confidence between the different ranks. The interaction between people at different ranks creates a sense of trust and success in battles becomes guaranteed.

The success in any battle relies on the skills learned during the transformation process. The trainers aim at equipping the trainees with skills, intellect and strong moral foundation to ensure effective fighting ability in a battle space that has turned chaotic in the 21st century. The trainers always prepare the trainers for future battle environments since the trainers do not yet have enough skills to engage in current battles. The battlefield environment is bound to change spontaneously to take a unique form, and thus the trainers are taught on how to be flexible in the battlefield to be equal to the task without regard of whoever the enemy could be. Also, the marines have a responsibility to own the transformation process. Since the process is ongoing and dynamic, the Marines’ first contact with a recruiter is as essential as the last minute on a battlefield (Quaadgras, 2016). The marines are always challenged to make sure that the system can recognize any input from the individual marines. Marines who cannot contribute to making the transformation process successful cannot be considered ready for a battle.

Krulak aims at providing a guide to marine trainers in the transformation process. Krulak insists that everyone at the transformation process is a leader in a unique way. The only differentiating feature between the popular leaders in the training process is the way one admits the acceptance of responsibilities. The transformation has been identified as a key component in the philosophy of Marine leadership. However, sustaining the transformational change carries equal importance to the transformational process. Marine Corps is expected to be dedicated to carrying with them the skills obtained during the transformation process. The potential challenges that come up during the transformation process provide a sufficient test for the readiness of the Marine Corps to go to the battlefield. Krulak also provides measures that should be employed to beat common challenges such as having fewer personnel in a unit. The introduction of in-briefs, for example, could serve well to reach new Marines who have just entered a unit.

In sum, Sustaining the Transformation is a critical publication that gives a detailed description of what should be done and should not be done in the transformation process. The publication also gives details of what is expected of the Marines and the leaders as well. Generally, the Sustaining the Change publication takes the reader through the changes that have happened in the naval system and the transformation process.