Arthur P. Brill is a frequent contributor to Sea Power. Penn State, however, has forged a unique relationship with the Corps.
Marines pride themselves on being lean, mean warriors who are people-oriented.
That is an accurate description, but to defeat its adversaries the Corps is involved in some unique and complex technology. The other services have had working relationships with major universities for years. Information technology is advancing so rapidly, a system that uses uniforms can't keep up. In the past, the Corps' warrior mentality, its modest research and development effort, its rapid turnover of personnel, and its relatively small civilian infrastructure hampered Marines from reaching out. However, the benefits of linking up with a multidisciplinary major research university became evident in the 1990s.