Marine Corps announced its Ground Combat Element 2040 plan on Wednesday, outlining how squads will operate in future conflicts dominated by drones and advanced sensors. The document, presented first at the Modern Day Marine Expo in Washington in April, describes a strategy for littoral anti‑access operations against peer adversaries such as China and Russia. Deputy Commandant Jay M. Bargeron said the rapidly changing security environment and the emergence of peer‑level competitors require new tactics. He noted that widespread use of drones creates a significant risk to ground maneuver, prompting the need for layered counter‑UAS capabilities at the squad level. The plan calls for organic protective measures, including dismounted kits that enable active and passive detection and engagement of drones, frangible 5.56 ammunition, and multi‑spectral camouflage, dispersion, and displacement techniques. The Corps has purchased 400,000 frangible rounds and is training personnel on their use. For longer‑range strike, the plan integrates organic precision fires that allow squads to engage targets up to 20 kilometers, a capability previously limited to air support or indirect fire. Neros Archer first‑person view drones, capable of carrying a 2 kg payload over 20 km, are being used for this purpose and have seen combat in Ukraine. The phased modernization schedule spans 2026‑2030, 2031‑2035, and 2036‑2040, with near‑term focus on counter‑drone measures, mid‑term development of AI and autonomous systems, and long‑term integration of AI‑enabled command and control and dispersed formations. Bargeron emphasized that protecting low‑echelon units remains a key challenge and that the plan is still a work in progress.