26 March 2026

Marines, Our Nation is in a consequential moment. Global events are shaping our nation’s security, and we must be ready.

I ask you directly: Are you truly ready to deploy, fight, and win? Are your skills sharp, your standards high, and your gear prepared for immediate movement? Is your desert MARPAT readily available, is your gear packed and ready to pick up and move, or is it stored away in a corner of your home? Are your family’s affairs in order? When the call comes, readiness will be assumed, not questioned. Your readiness is not a declaration; it is a daily commitment.

This is not a theoretical exercise. Our forces are currently engaged in operations connected to Iran and are positioned to preserve stability in the Western Hemisphere. Our enemies get a vote, and a mass mobilization could become reality. We are operating in this environment now. History demands our readiness today, tomorrow, and every day.

Your preparation for combat is forged in your daily actions, your training, and the seriousness with which you handle every responsibility. We are measured not by our intentions, but by what we can do right now.

Check your readiness. Tighten your standards. Prepare your family. Our nation expects a disciplined, capable force ready for immediate action. That force is Marine Forces Reserve. That standard begins with, and must be held by, you.

FIGHT’S ON!

Leonard F. Anderson Lieutenant General, U.S. Marine Corps Commander, Marine Forces Reserve and Marine Forces South