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CPL'S UPDATED SCRIPT 2026 PRACTICE
SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
● LEADERSHIP PHILOSOPHY. Answer: Leading Marines describes a leadership philosophy that reflects the traditional strengths of the Marine Corps as an institution and attempts to define the very ethos of being a Marine. Marine leadership philosophy: •Is about the inseparable relationship between the leader and the led, and is as much about the individual Marine—the bedrock upon which our Corps is built—as it is about any leader •Captures the undefinable spirit that forms the character of our Corps— being a Marine comes from the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor that is tattooed on the soul of every one of us after earning the title United States Marine •Is based upon certain fundamental traits and principles of leading— Marines are not born knowing them, but must learn what they are and what they represent ● HONOR. Answer: A code of personal integrity, honor guides those who do the right thing when no one is looking. It is not only a duty but
also a distinction, as those who possess honor are held in honor. It is found in one's beliefs but exhibited through one's actions. Marines are held to the highest of standards, ethically and morally. Marines are expected to act responsibly in a manner befitting the title they have earned. ● COURAGE. Answer: When other principles are tested, it is courage that prevents them from crumbling. It is not about ignoring fear but being stronger than fear. Courage is the guardian of all other values. It is there when times are toughest, when difficult decisions have to be made. It takes the form of mental, physical, and ethical strength, and it is found in the backbone of every Marine. ● COMMITMENT. Answer: Commitment is the spirit of determination found in every Marine. It is what compels Marines to serve our nation and the Corps and to continue on when others quit. Commitment does not take breaks, and it cannot be faked. It measures and proves one's desire, dedication, and faithfulness. Becoming a United States Marine represents the highest level of commitment. ● WAR DEFINED. Answer: War is defined as a violent clash of interests between or among organized groups characterized by the use of military force.
•War may range from intense clashes between large military forces— sometimes backed by an official declaration of war—to subtler, unconventional hostilities that barely reach the threshold of violence. ● FRICTION. Answer: Countless factors make war difficult to conduct. Collectively, these factors are called friction. Friction: •Is the force that resists all action and saps energy. It makes the simple difficult and the difficult seemingly impossible •Can be mental or physical •Can be external or self-imposed Whatever form it takes war is a human enterprise; therefore, friction will always have a psychological as well as a physical impact. ● UNCERTAINTY. Answer: Another attribute of war is uncertainty. All actions in war take place in an atmosphere of uncertainty, or in the "fog of war."
•Uncertainty pervades battle in the form of unknowns about the enemy, the environment, and even the friendly situation. •The very nature of war makes certainty impossible; all actions in war will be based on incomplete, inaccurate, or even contradictory information. •Because we can never eliminate uncertainty, we must learn to fight effectively despite it. We can do this by:
Developing simple and flexible plans
Planning for likely contingencies
Developing standing operating procedures
● DISORDER. Answer: Disorder is an inherent characteristic of war; we can never eliminate it. •In the heat of battle, plans will go awry, instructions and information will be unclear and misinterpreted, communications will fail, and mistakes and unforeseen events will be commonplace. •It is precisely this natural disorder which creates the conditions ripe for exploitation by an opportunistic will. •If we are to win, we must be able to operate in a disorderly environment. In fact, we must not only be able to fight effectively in the face of disorder, we should seek to generate disorder and use it as a weapon against our opponent. ● COMPLEXITY. Answer: War is a complex phenomenon. We have described war as essentially a clash between opposed wills. •A division is comprised of regiments, a regiment is comprised of battalions, and so on all the way down to individual Marines. Similarly, a wing is compromised of groups, groups are comprised of squadrons, down to the actions of individual Marines. •Each element is part of a larger whole and must cooperate with other elements for the accomplishment of the common goal. At the same time,
each has its own mission; must adapt to its own situation; and must deal with friction, uncertainty, and disorder. •As a result, war is not governed by the actions or decisions of a single individual in any one place but emerges from the collective behavior of all the individual parts in the system interacting locally in response to local conditions and incomplete information. Efforts to fully centralize military operations and to exert complete control by a single decision-maker are inconsistent with the complex and distributed nature of war. ● THE HUMAN DIMENSION. Answer: The human dimension is central in war. It is the human dimension which infuses war with its intangible moral factors. •War is shaped by human nature and is subject to the complexities, inconsistencies, and peculiarities that characterize human behavior. •War is an extreme trial of moral and physical strength and stamina.
•Everybody feels fear. Courage is not the absence of fear; rather, it is the strength to overcome fear. •Leaders must foster the courage to overcome fear, both individually and within the unit. ● PHYSICAL, MORAL, AND MENTAL FORCES. Answer: War is characterized by the interaction of physical, moral, and mental forces. •Physical forces of war are easily recognized, such as men and materiel. •Moral factors, such as a nation's resolve and a unit's morale, are harder to grasp. The term "moral" as used here is not restricted to ethics, although ethics are certainly included, but pertains to those forces of a psychological rather than tangible nature. •Mental factors affect our ability to out-think our enemy. Just because the moral and mental factors are difficult to quantify does not mean that they can be neglected. The moral and mental forces exert a greater influence on the nature and outcome of war.
● THE EVOLUTION OF WAR. Answer: While the nature of war is constant, the means and methods we use evolve continuously. The operating environments, tactics, and techniques have changed as mankind and technology have become more developed. Technology advancements are major catalysts of change. Drastic changes in war have occurred due to developments that dramatically upset the equilibrium of war. For example: •Development and use of the rifled bore •Conception and use of conscription to man armies •Use of modern modes of transportation to support war Marine leaders must continue to educate themselves and use this evolution process to their advantage. As an NCO, you must remain proactive in your efforts to develop new skills and learn to apply them in the execution of your daily duties.
● WAR AS AN ACT OF POLICY. Answer: War is an extension of both policy and politics with the addition of military force. Policy and politics are related but not synonymous. •Politics refers to the distribution of power through dynamic interaction, both cooperative and competitive. •Policy refers to the objectives established within the political process. •We should recognize that war is not an inanimate instrument, but an animate force which may likely have unintended consequences that may change the political situation. ● STRATEGIC. Answer: The strategic level involves national strategy and military strategy. •National strategy sets policy objectives and mobilizes the nation's resources for attaining these goals. •Military strategy focuses on the military means for attaining policy goals.
•At the strategic level, forces are distributed and theaters of war are established. ● OPERATIONAL. Answer: The operational level of war links tactics and strategy. •At the operational level, we decide where, when, and under what conditions we will meet the enemy. •The operational level is focused on winning campaigns. ● TACTICAL. Answer: The lowest level is the tactical level. Tactics refers to the techniques and methods for accomplishing a particular mission. •Tactics focus on defeating the enemy at a particular place and time. •Tactics are focused on winning battles. •Most Marines, from rifleman to MEF commander, operate at the tactical level, but many tactical decisions have operational and even strategic implications.
•NCOs that understand the theory and nature of war will be better equipped to anticipate, create, recognize, and exploit fleeting opportunities. •The ability to take advantage of opportunity is a function of:
- Speed
- Boldness
- Flexibility
- Initiative A technically and tactically proficient NCO empowered to think critically and make decisions is critical to creating and ruthlessly exploiting opportunities that generate decisive results. ● FUTURE OPERATING ENVIRONMENT. Answer: The future operating environment will be one of constant and accelerating change.
•Economic, demographic, resource, climate, and other trends will engender competition locally, regionally, and globally. •Global integration, intense nationalism, and religious movements will likely exacerbate the tensions created by each of these trends. •Of particular concern are:
Failed and failing states, which could lead to more "ungoverned spaces" and become safe havens for terrorists, criminals, and groups engaged in other illicit activities
Rogue states that use proxies, which allow the state to distance itself from actions and achieve strategic aims simultaneously ● DEFINE TRADITIONAL WARFARE. Answer: Traditional warfare is defined as a form of warfare between the regulated militaries of states, or alliances of states, in which the objective is to defeat an adversary's armed forces, destroy an adversary's war-making capacity, or seize or retain territory to force a change in an adversary's government or policies
•As strategically important as traditional warfare, and the DoD must be equally capable in both. Many of the capabilities and skills required for IW are applicable to traditional warfare, but their role in IW can be proportionally greater. •The DoD will be proficient in irregular warfare. •Conducted independently of, or in combination with, traditional warfare. ● IRREGULAR WARFARE ACTIVITIES. Answer: - Counter-terrorism
- Unconventional
- Foreign Internal Defense
- Counter-Insurgency
- Stability Operations ● COUNTER TERRORISM. Answer: Counterterrorism is defined as actions taken directly against terrorist networks and indirectly to influence and render global and regional environments inhospitable to terrorist networks. •The joint force will conduct lethal and non-lethal operations against terrorists and their networks to deter, disrupt, and defeat terrorists and their enablers.
•The focus of effort in counterterrorism is to capture or kill terrorists to permanently remove them from a position of damaging influence in the populace. This focus of joint force operations will be to first identify and understand the terrorist network's leadership, affiliate groups, local organizations, radicalized individuals, and supporters and enablers, and then undertake continuous action as part of a global counterterrorist network that uses a broad set of interagency and multinational partner capabilities. ● UNCONVENTIONAL WARFARE. Answer: Unconventional warfare is defined as activities conducted to enable a resistance movement or insurgency to coerce, disrupt, or overthrow a government or occupying power by operating through or with an underground, auxiliary, and guerrilla force in a denied area. The joint force may employ unconventional warfare to counter irregular threats, such as states that wage irregular or proxy warfare. Pursuant to a national policy decision, the joint force may conduct unconventional warfare to:
