The U.S. Marine Corps and the Department

To commemorate the United States Marine Corps’ 250th birthday celebration in 2025, the Office of the Historian produced a pamphlet that examines the past 250 years of collaboration between the Marines and the nation’s diplomats. “A History of Collaboration: The U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Department of State” describes how the United States Marine Corps (USMC) has played a critical and evolving role in ensuring the protection of Department of State personnel, classified material, and U.S. property.  Featuring accounts from the American Revolution through the Global War on Terror, the pamphlet details how Marines have protected diplomatic personnel and property during conflicts and periods of instability across the globe.  It examines how this nearly two and a half century collaboration between the USMC and the Department adapted to changing geopolitical landscapes and the growing complexity of international relations. The pamphlet concludes that the USMC-State partnership remains a model of interagency collaboration and mutually supporting missions.

The Office of the Historian is grateful to the following individuals and offices who provided assistance and support for this project: Deputy Assistant Secretary for Shared Knowledge Services (A/SKS) Timothy Kootz, Maureen Gregory of the Bureau of Global Public Affairs’ (GPA) Office of Content Strategy, Kathleen Hendrix of GPA’s Office of Platforms, and Leo J. Daughterty III, author of The Marine Corps and the State Department: Enduring Partners in United States Foreign Policy, 1798-2007 (2009).