Photo By Lance Cpl. Jennifer Sanchez | U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Gen. James B. Wellons, commanding general of 3rd Marine...... read more read more
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More than two thousand years of collective Marine Corps experience converged aboard Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, San Diego, California, Feb. 24-26. The 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing Commander’s Course 2025 brought together command teams from across the 43 units within the Wing, for a unique and impactful opportunity to focus on leadership and warfighting.
These seasoned aviators and senior enlisted leaders joined the 3rd MAW Commanding General in a three-day event covering topics that spanned distributed maritime and aviation operations, threat briefs, cultural challenges, the future fight, and interpersonal relationships.
Guest speakers brought particular value to the course, joining the event or calling in from across the world. Among briefers were the Assistant Commandant, Sergeant Major, and Chaplain of the Marine Corps; Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory; and renowned motivational speaker and best-selling author, Simon Sinek.
The event wasn’t just targeting a one-way conversation on how to lead and how to fight, the dialogue continually came back to how creativity, authenticity, and a focus on standards are inextricably woven into the fabric of effective leadership.
“We’re a large organization – 14,000 people – it’s important that we work together as a team to think about what the challenges are that we have, how we can cooperate and collaborate,” said Maj. Gen. James Wellons, 3rd MAW Commanding General.
“I think that Marines understand [our purpose] really well, but when you get into the nitty gritty of how do I specifically contribute to that – that requires education, focus, concentration.”
He also challenged the room, appealing to the power and potential that resides uniquely at the squadron-level.
“You’re going to come up with concepts at the unit level that the group or wing’s vision won’t necessarily account for,” Wellons said.
The CG alluded to recent undertakings at the squadron level that were equally impressive and strategically impactful, including an F-35B squadron planning and executing a joint Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations exercise on San Clemente Island, California, and an MV-22B squadron conducting a scenario-supported unit training deployment to Spokane, Washington.
Day one saw a slew of classified briefs and discussions, a deliberate scene-setter for the reality of today’s world. The largest wing in the Marine Corps – perched on the U.S. west coast, facing the vast Indo-Pacific, and comprised of people and assets mission-tailored for lethality, agility, and survivability – must be prepared to fight tonight, and win. In any clime and place.
A long and impactful day of warfighting talks wrapped up in classic Miramar fashion, with some camaraderie at the officers’ club.
On the second day, the Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. Christopher Mahoney, called in from the Pentagon, highlighting where service-level attention is at, and reinforcing the perpetual importance of taking care of Marines.
“You have got to stay engaged, to know how your Marines are living, to be ready to help them solve problems,” Mahoney said.
He elaborated on fiscal and programmatic topics, but came back to the demands Marine leaders must meet, “the emphatic nature of your mastery of knowledge, from administration to tactics to your ability to debrief and learn, is critically important.”
A highlight of the event, Simon Sinek – author of Start With Why and Leaders Eat Last – called in and opened the floor to questions. Through the course of a lively one-hour discussion on all things leadership and culture, the room was captivated and engaged, maximizing this unique opportunity for an intimate venue with a well-respected thought-leader.
Sinek took questions and worked through solutions and concepts with the room. One sergeant major posed a question about empathy, which the Marine Corps recently added to its longstanding list of leadership traits in Marine Corps Warfighting Publication 6-10 “Leading Marines” in August 2024.
“Empathy is simply considering that there is stuff going on in another human being’s life that we don’t necessarily know about, and being curious as opposed to judgmental […]," Sinek said. "I think we can do better at being curious about what people need.”
The dialogue reinforced how the strength of interpersonal relationships ultimately dictates the resilience of the institution – recent psychology research substantiates this, showing that empathetic leadership is positively related to employees’ innovative behavior.
“Trust is built between the meetings,” Sinek said.
On the final day of the event, spouses joined the group for a morning of discussions at the officers’ club, and a visit to the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD 8).
Rear Adm. Carey Cash, Chaplain of the Marine Corps, called in from Rota, Spain, imparting powerful wisdom on a handful of topics. He spoke about some of the crises that society, and therefore the institution, are experiencing today.
Cash referenced the statistically-substantiated need for meaning and purpose, and the challenge this generation of young adults is facing to determine theirs.
“We all have a fight on our hands every day,” Cash said, and referencing the concept of spiritual fitness, tied winning that daily fight to “inner strength from higher purpose.”
The final guest speaker at the conference, a celebrity in his own right, was warmly applauded. Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Carlos Ruiz, accompanied by his wife, Andrea, joined in person for a wide-ranging discussion on people, standards, purpose, and more.
Ruiz, who has built somewhat of a cult following among young and old Marines alike due to his admired ability to balance charisma and professionalism, has shown a sense of connectedness to the individual Marine not typically demonstrated at his level.
“Marines will deliver mission success in spite of the obstacles,” Ruiz said, referencing enduring manpower and resource constraints that underscore the classic “do more with less” Marine mentality.
“Marines will win because that’s what we do.”
He commented on leadership’s role in upholding our high Marine Corps standards, a topic recently elevated, thanks to an ongoing discussion about a generational disconnect with the values of the organization.
“These beliefs, the ideal of the Marine Corps, are best communicated on paper. It reads as the best version of us,” Ruiz posed to the group, challenging the leaders in the room that the in-person version should read the same.
He also spoke about a positive change he’s seen in the Corps during his career, noting, “today’s Marine Corps will acknowledge a problem set and a solution from a lance corporal.”
The appetite for innovative, solution-oriented thinking is tangible in today’s Corps, with high-visibility examples regularly highlighted across the service.
This year’s Commander’s Course was more than just a leadership seminar – it was a call to action. The discussions and insights shared underscored the influence that command teams have on culture, effectiveness, and the future of their units. Leadership at the squadron and battalion level shapes the experiences of Marines, and ultimately, the future of the Marine Corps.
As Sgt. Maj. Ruiz so clearly put it: “What kind of Marine Corps do you want? The future is in your formation, now.”
| Date Taken: | 02.28.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 02.28.2025 16:34 |
| Story ID: | 491767 |
| Location: | SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 115 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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