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The Overwhelming Case for METs

· 4 min read

The evidence presented speaks for itself: Mission Essential Tasks (METs) are fundamental to the development, justification, and implementation of force structure within the Marine Corps. The clear, consistent emphasis on METs across doctrine, planning, and execution underscores their critical role in aligning personnel, equipment, and organizational capabilities with mission requirements. METs are undeniably a vital component of the force structure, ensuring the Marine Corps remains prepared and capable in an evolving operational environment.

  1. "The TFSPO plans and implements future force structure changes to build capability-based organizations which fulfill the Marine Corps' requirements and accomplishes the Mission Essential Tasks (METs) in accordance with reference (a)"

  2. "Force structure represents the total requirement in terms of units, billets, and items or equipment necessary to accomplish USMC METs."

  3. "[During Approved Acquisition Objective (AAO), Table of Equipment (T/E) Review] As the USMC Core METs change, either through and adjustment to the USMC Task List (MCTL) or a commander's assessment, assign new or re-designated tasks to the appropriate MAGTF Advocate. This will ensure proper mission-function-task analysis and provide appropriate justification for force structure changes"

  4. "The purpose of the TFSP is to translate necessary organizational capabilities into force structure solutions and measure the cost of providing those capabilities consistent with financial resources available to the CMC. The TFSP, utilizing products and by-products of the PPBE Process, transforms strategic guidance (top-down), policy constraints, and commander-generated (bottom-up) recommendations into the integrated capabilities required to execute the USMC METs."

  5. "Force structure is the total requirement, in terms of billets and equipment, necessary to provide required capabilities to USMC units to accomplish assigned METs."

  6. "Each UIC has an assigned T/O&E which details the unit's TFS requirement, consistent with its requirement in capability, to accomplish its assigned METs."

  7. "[Translate Solutions into Force Structure] After METs are established, DC CD&I, in concert with the MAGTF Advocates and Proponents, will establish the force structure required to support them. The development of the equipment necessary to accomplish the unit's METs must be concurrent with the development of the billets. The develop force structure (billets and equipment) to accomplish a unit's METs, a mission-function-task analysis evaluates each MET the unit is charge with executing by using SMEs to determine the right skills, by grade and quantity, and the right items of equipment by TAMCN and quantity, needed to accomplish the mission."

  8. "A mission-function-task analysis is any analytic process which matches personnel and equipment to a specified list of tasks to be performed for the purpose of developing the structure necessary to complete a mission. For the USMC, this is typically accomplished by determining the preliminary amount of structure needed to accomplish a unit's METs and any implied tasks as derived from the doctrinal METL, until actual experience can validate the structure."

  9. "Mission-Function-Tasks analysis is required when one (or both) of two organizational changes occur: a change in mission or a change in equipment. Either of these events can trigger the need for a change to the USMC Tasks and/or a unit’s Mission Statement and METs."

  10. "If the mission-function-task analysis results are accepted and the resultant force structure changes and/or mission statement changes are deemed appropriate, the mission-function-task analysis initiates these doctrinal changes. The TFSMS is the integrating system which manages, records, and tracks these changes. These changes may include additions and/or revisions to the MOS manual, the T/O&E, units’ mission statements, METs, and MCTs within the MCTL."

As stated in MCO 3500.110, Policy and Guidance for Mission Essential Task List (METL) Development, Review, Approval, and Publication, "The METL is the sum of all METs required by all missions that are or may be assigned to a commander." Notably, aviation units are neither structured nor capable of effectively executing sustained Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations (EABO) without corresponding updates to their METL, which drives the necessary changes in force structure. As exemplified by the Total Force Structure Process, it all begins with METs.

References​

  1. MCO 5311.1E
  2. MCO 3500.110