Reference & AI

MCDP 3

Marine Corps

EXPEDITIONARY OPERATIONS

Reviewed by Guilherme Correia, active-duty U.S. Air Force

MCDP 3, "EXPEDITIONARY OPERATIONS", is a United States Marine Corps publication.

Published

Not dated on the index

OPR

—

Headquarters Marine Corps

Official document

Open the PDF

on www.marines.mil

MCDP 3 — index record

NumberMCDP 3
TitleEXPEDITIONARY OPERATIONS
Published
Issued byHeadquarters Marine Corps
Status on the indexCurrent
Source indexMarine Corps Publications Electronic Library (MCPEL)
Index last readOctober 20, 2026

Copied from Marine Corps Publications Electronic Library (MCPEL) (index). The publication itself is the authority; this page does not summarize or interpret it. Verify the current edition on the index before acting.

Synopsis as published on the index

Marine Corps Doctrinal Publication (MCDP) 3, Expeditionary Operations, establishes doctrine for the conduct of military operations by the U.S. Marine Corps. It describes the Marine Corps as an expeditionary force-in-readiness that is manned, trained, and equipped specifically to respond quickly to a broad variety of crises and conflicts across the full range of military operations anywhere in the world. It emphasizes the naval character of Marine Corps forces. This naval expeditionary character provides capabilities both to forward deploy forces near the scene of potential crises as well as to deploy sustainable, combined arms teams rapidly by sea and air. With reduced overseas presence in terms of force levels and bases, these capabilities have become essential elements of our national military strategy. This publication also underscores the value of Marine Corps forces as a highly cost effective option in a wide range of situations, including crises requiring forcible entry. Importantly, this publication establishes versatility and adaptability as critical capabilities in a broad range of circumstances for expeditionary forces in an uncertain world. Finally, this publication describes the Marine Corps' key expeditionary concepts.

Quoted verbatim from the Marine Corps Publications Electronic Library (MCPEL) entry (source).

Other MCDP publications nearby in the series

13 MCDP records on the Marine Corps index. Search the full index.

Works of the United States Government are not subject to copyright (17 U.S.C. § 105). This site is not affiliated with the United States Marine Corps or any government agency.

Marine Corps index

REF: MCDP 3

Marine Corps Publications Electronic Library (MCPEL) — MCDP 3

This is an index record, not the publication. The official PDF is the authority; verify the current edition before acting.

Reviewed by Guilherme Correia · Military Toolkit editorial

Open the official PDF