QUANTICO, Va. — As the Marine Corps adapts to the new realities of sequestration, senior leaders are seeking novel approaches to further reducing personnel, sources say. According to members of the Commandant's staff, the Marine Corps will roll out a new "Safety Last" campaign to improve natural attrition at a much higher rate than the peacetime Marine Corps has historically achieved.

Commandant Gen. Joseph Dunford, who led "Safety Last's" initial design, reportedly told senior leaders, "The center of gravity for this mission is Darwinian natural selection. We let the Marines exist in a Lord of the Flies environment, without external supervision, in order to forge a stronger, smaller, more disaster-free Marine Corps after the purge."

According to high ranking official sources, the practical effects mean no more safety briefs, no more rules about safety, and no more senior NCOs looking out for their Marines.