UPDATE TO THE COMMANDANT'S PROFESSIONAL READING LIST FOR FISCAL YEAR 26

ALMARS : 024/25

R 052400Z DEC 25 ALMAR 024/25 MSGID/GENADMIN/CMC WASHINGTON DC// SUBJ/UPDATE TO THE COMMANDANT'S PROFESSIONAL READING LIST FOR FISCAL YEAR 26// REF/A/DOC/CMC/25JAN08// REF/B/RMG/CG EDCOM/10JUN25// NARR/REF A IS MCO 1553.4B, PROFESSIONAL MILITARY EDUCATION. REF B IS MARADMIN 268/25, SOLICITATION FOR NOMINATIONS TO THE FISCAL YEAR 26 COMMANDANT’S PROFESSIONAL READING LIST.// GENTEXT/REMARKS/1. The Commandant's Professional Reading Program (CPRP), established in 1989, is a cornerstone of professional development for Marines, fostering critical thinking, leadership, and a deeper understanding of military history and doctrine. By encouraging a culture of continuous learning, the program enhances decision-making skills and prepares Marines to face complex challenges in dynamic environments. Ultimately, the program cultivates well-rounded leaders who embody the intellectual and moral rigor required to uphold the mission of the Marine Corps. 1.a. In accordance with reference (a), the CPRP is an integral element of professional military education, requiring Marines at all grades to engage in professional self-study through the reading list. The Commandant's Professional Reading List (CPRL) is reviewed at least bi-annually to ensure it remains relevant, current, and promotes professional discussions across the force. Marines are encouraged to read broadly across the list and should aim to complete at least five titles annually as part of their professional self-study. 1.b. For FY26, the CPRL has been refined in preparation for the Corps’ 250th anniversary. This update highlights our heritage, innovation, and enduring ethos, offering a list that both honors our past and prepares Marines for the future fight in recognition of this significant milestone. 1.c. In accordance with reference (b), nominations were solicited across the force and reviewed by the CPRL Board. Selected recommendations were incorporated to ensure the list reflects the perspectives of Marines at all ranks. 2. The FY26 CPRL consists of six sections — Commandant’s Choice, Heritage, Innovation, Leadership, Strategy, and Foundational. Together these categories provide Marines at all levels with resources to strengthen character, decision-making, and warfighting excellence. 2.a. The CPRL and related information can be found at https://grc-usmcu.libguides.com/cmc-reading-list. 2.b. In addition to the updated reading list, the Marine Corps University updated the list of podcasts and periodicals also available at the CPRL link. These resources are refreshed periodically to maintain relevance and to support professional military education (PME) across the force. Marines are highly encouraged to incorporate these periodicals and podcasts into their professional education regimes, as scholarly and professionally oriented articles foster innovation, PME development, critical study of the profession of arms, and serious discussion regarding topics of interest within the Marine Corps. 2.c. Previous CPRL book titles will remain available under the heading "Archive." 3. Categories 3.a. Commandant's Choice: "Once an Eagle" by A. Myrer 3.b. Heritage 3.b.1. “How the Few Became the Proud: Crafting the Marine Corps Mystique, 1874–1918” by Heather Venable 3.b.2. “Lejeune: A Marine’s Life, 1867–1942” by Merrill L. Bartlett 3.b.3. “First to Fight: An Inside View of the U.S. Marine Corps” by Victor H. Krulak 3.b.4. “Always Faithful: 250 Years of Remarkable Stories from the Collections of the National Museum of the Marine Corps” by Owen Conner 3.b.5. “Semper Fidelis: 250 Years of U.S. Marine Corps Honor, Courage, and Commitment” by Marine Corps History Division 3.b.6. “With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa” by Eugene B. Sledge 3.b.7. “Delivering Destruction: American Firepower and Amphibious Assault from Tarawa to Iwo Jima” by Chris K. Hemler 3.b.8. “This Kind of War: The Classic Korean War History, 50th Anniversary Edition” by T.R. Fehrenbach 3.b.9. “The Marines of Montford Point: America’s First Black Marines” by Melton A. McLaurin 3.b.10. “Code Talker: The First and Only Memoir by One of the Original Navajo Code Talkers of WWII” by Chester Nez and Judith Avila 3.b.11. “Corps Competency?: III Marine Amphibious Force Headquarters in Vietnam” by Michael F. Morris 3.b.12. “Targeted: Beirut: The 1983 Marine Barracks Bombing and the Untold Story of the War on Terror” by Jack Carr and James M. Scott 3.b.13. “Echo in Ramadi: The Firsthand Story of US Marines in Iraq’s Deadliest City” by Scott A. Huesing 3.b.14. “The American War in Afghanistan: A History” by Carter Malkasian 3.b.15. “On Contested Shores: The Evolving Role of Amphibious Operations in the History of Warfare” (Vols. I & II) edited by Timothy Heck, B.A. Friedman, and Walker D. Mills 3.c. Innovation 3.c.1. “Learning War: The Evolution of Fighting Doctrine in the U.S. Navy, 1898–1945” by Trent Hone 3.c.2. “A Game of Birds and Wolves: The Ingenious Young Women Whose Secret Board Game Helped Win World War II” by Simon Parkin 3.c.3. “Playing War: Wargaming and U.S. Navy Preparations for World War II” by John M. Lillard 3.c.4. “Neptune’s Inferno: The U.S. Navy at Guadalcanal” by James D. Hornfischer 3.c.5. “A New Conception of War: John Boyd, the U.S. Marines, and Maneuver Warfare” by Ian T. Brown 3.c.6. “Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation” by Steven Johnson 3.c.7. “The Origins of Victory: How Disruptive Military Innovation Determines the Fates of Great Powers” by Andrew F. Krepinevich Jr. 3.c.8. “Evolution on Demand: The Changing Roles of the U.S. Marine Corps in Twenty-first Century Conflicts and Beyond” by Joanna Siekiera 3.c.9. “7 Seconds to Die: A Military Analysis of the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War and the Future of Warfighting” by John F. Antal 3.c.10. “Next War: Reimagining How We Fight” by John F. Antal 3.c.11. “The Fourth Industrial Revolution” by Klaus Schwab 3.c.12. “Soft-Wired: How the New Science of Brain Plasticity Can Change Your Life” by Michael Merzenich 3.c.13. “Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI” by Ethan Mollick 3.c.14. “Generative AI for Leaders” by Amir Husain 3.c.15. “The Arms of the Future: Technology and Close Combat in the 21st Century” by Jack Watling 3.d. Leadership 3.d.1. “Make Your Bed” by Admiral William H. McRaven 3.d.2. “You Are Worth It: Building a Life Worth Fighting For” by Kyle Carpenter 3.d.3. “The White Donkey: Terminal Lance” by Maximilian Uriarte 3.d.4. “On Killing” by LtCol Dave Grossman 3.d.5. “Wisdom of the Bullfrog” by Admiral William H. McRaven 3.d.6. “Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War” by Karl Marlantes 3.d.7. “The Yompers: With 45 Commando in the Falklands War” by Ian R. Gardiner 3.d.8. “Generals and Admirals, Criminals and Crooks” by Jeffrey Matthews 3.d.9. “Leadership Strategy and Tactics: Field Manual” by Jocko Willink 3.d.10. “The Greatest U.S. Marine Corps Stories Ever Told” by Iain C. Martin 3.d.11. “Call Sign Chaos: Learning to Lead” by Jim Mattis and Bing West 3.d.12. “Risk: A User’s Guide” by GEN (Ret.) Stanley McChrystal 3.d.13. “Nimitz at War” by Craig L. Symonds 3.d.14. “Five Generations at Work: How We Win Together, For Good” by Rebecca Robins and Patrick Dunne 3.d.15. “Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less” by Greg McKeown 3.e. Strategy 3.e.1. “The Closing of the American Mind” by Allan Bloom 3.e.2. “The Defence of Duffer’s Drift” by Ernest Dunlop Swinton 3.e.3. “Ender’s Game” by Orson Scott Card 3.e.4. “Legacy: 15 Lessons in Leadership” by James Kerr 3.e.5. “The Infinite Game” by Simon Sinek 3.e.6. “Turn the Ship Around!: A True Story of Turning Followers into Leaders” by L. David Marquet 3.e.7. “On Grand Strategy” by John Lewis Gaddis 3.e.8 “Speed Kills: Leveraging John Boyd’s OODA Loop to Build Organizations That Win” by Alex Vohr 3.e.9. “The New Makers of Modern Strategy: From the Ancient World to the Digital Age” edited by Hal Brands 3.e.10. “Ground Combat: Puncturing the Myths of Modern War” by Ben Connable 3.e.11. “The Generals’ War: The Inside Story of the Conflict in the Gulf” by Michael Gordon and Bernard Trainor 3.e.12. “Command: The Politics of Military Operations from Korea to Ukraine” by Lawrence Freedman 3.e.13. “The Russian Way of Deterrence: Strategic Culture, Coercion & War” by Dmitry Adamsky 3.e.14. “The Long Game: China's Grand Strategy to Displace American Order" by Rush Doshi 3.e.15. “Fleet Tactics and Naval Operations, 3rd ed.” by Wayne Hughes and Robert Girrier 3.e.16. “Chinese Amphibious Warfare: Prospects for a Cross-Straits Invasion” by Andrew Erickson, Conor Kennedy, and Ryan Martinson 4. Foundation. The titles listed under this heading represent the core publications that articulate the Marine Corps’ warfighting philosophy, institutional values, and enduring doctrinal principles. These works establish the intellectual foundation expected of every Marine. They are highlighted here to emphasize their role in providing the essential framework upon which all subsequent doctrine, concepts, and professional reading are built. All Marines are expected to familiarize themselves with the full range of Marine Corps doctrinal publications, which are available at https:(slant)(slant)usmc.sharepoint-mil.us(slant)sites(slant) MCEN_USMCDoctrine. 4.a. "Constitution of the United States of America" by James Madison, et. al. 4.b. "Warfighting (MCDP 1)" by United States Marine Corps 4.c. "Competing (MCDP 1-4)" by United States Marine Corps 4.d. "Intelligence (MCDP 2)" by United States Marine Corps 4.e. "Expeditionary Operations (MCDP 3)" by United States Marine Corps 4.f. "Logistics (MCDP 4)" by United States Marine Corps 4.g. "Learning (MCDP 7)" by United States Marine Corps 4.h. "Leading Marines (MCWP 6-11)" by United States Marine Corps 4.i. "Sustaining the Transformation (MCRP 6-11D)" by United States Marine Corps 5. Recommendations to the CPRP can be submitted to: ProfessionalReading@usmcu.edu. 6. Semper Fidelis, Eric M. Smith, General, U.S. Marine Corps, Commandant of the Marine Corps.//