In a wide-ranging interview with Semper Fi, the magazine of the Marine Corps League, General James F. Amos, Commandant of the Marine Corps, discusses what’s next for Leathernecks as the Corps begins replacing equipment worn out from two wars, preparing for future military and humanitarian missions, and recruiting new Marines while downsizing from more than 202,000 to around 187,000.

Those last two items are the most important, General Amos told writer Otto Kreisher, because the Corps must keep faith with those who have served in it.