The force in readiness
The Marine Corps traces its founding to 10 November 1775, when the Continental Congress resolved that "two Battalions of Marines be raised" — by tradition at Tun Tavern, Philadelphia. The Corps is the nation's expeditionary force-in-readiness, organized for combined-arms operations from the sea, with the ethos that every Marine is a rifleman.
Its battle history — Tripoli (1805), Belleau Wood (1918), Iwo Jima (1945), the Chosin Reservoir (1950) — is woven into its identity. The Corps operates under the Department of the Navy, and its motto is "Semper Fidelis" ("Always Faithful").
U.S. Marine Corps
- Founded
- 10 November 1775
- Department
- Navy (DoD)
- Motto
- "Semper Fidelis"
- Academy
- None — see below
- Commission via
- USNA, NROTC, OCS
No academy of its own — every road leads to Quantico
The Marine Corps has no dedicated service academy. Its officers commission through three main routes: the U.S. Naval Academy (Marine option — about a quarter of each Annapolis class), NROTC (Marine option), and Officer Candidates School (OCS) at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia (via the PLC and OCC programs).
What unifies them is The Basic School (TBS) at Quantico: every newly commissioned Marine officer — regardless of source — attends TBS and trains as a provisional rifle-platoon commander before moving on to a specialty. It is the Corps' great equalizer. See the NROTC Marine option →
Officer paths
- Academy
- USNA (Marine option)
- ROTC
- NROTC (Marine option)
- OCS
- PLC & OCC, Quantico
- All officers
- The Basic School (TBS)