The Marine Corps characterizes itself as a crisis response expeditionary force which is task organized and able to conduct operations across the entire spectrum of military operations. The Corps is a "middleweight force" that is designed to fill the void in our Nation’s defense structure between light Special Operations Forces (SOF) and heavier conventional units. A number of decisions pertaining to national security strategy, force structure, and declining defense budgets have resulted in a drawdown of the active Marine Corps. This book examines the drawdown of the Marine Corps, as well as the force structure initiatives, roles and missions, and the restructuring of the Marine Corps.