MKV's Guard the Commander in Chief

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Mark Vs guard president

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By Rick Rogers
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER September 1, 2005
Some of the security for President Bush's visit to San Diego on Tuesday was
subtle, such as marksmen atop buildings or the Coast Guard keeping ships
away from the San Diego-Coronado Bridge while Bush's motorcade crossed.
Some of it was less subtle, such as sleek Mark V Special Operations Craft
that were used as props and protection during Bush's speech at North Island
Naval Air Station.
The lethal-looking boats, bristling with machine guns, were beached to the
president's left during his address to thousands of Marines and sailors.
Though a unit of Mark Vs has called San Diego home for about a decade, the
vessels are far from being a common sight. They spend most of their time
carrying Navy SEALs and other special forces on covert missions off foreign
shores. The boats can travel to anywhere in the world in 48 hours.
For Bush's speech, they didn't have to go far.
The boats, which cost nearly $4 million each, belong to Special Boat Team
12, which is based at the Naval Amphibious Base Coronado.
"If you see them around here, they are doing training or going to
maintenance," said Lt. Taylor Clark, a spokesman for the Naval Special
Warfare Command. "They don't normally do this security. They are usually
only used on deployments."
Neither the White House nor Secret Service would comment on the security
provided for Bush's visit to North Island to mark the 60th anniversary of
Japan's surrender, which ended World War II.
James Carafano, a national security analyst for The Heritage Foundation,
said security for the president is always tailored to the specific setting,
whether it is a seaside speech or a Rose Garden bill signing.
The Mark V, along with the Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats and special
operations craft customized for river travel, have been used during the war
in Iraq.
Vessels in the Navy's Special Boat Units - which includes teams in Norfolk,
Va., and Stennis, Miss. - have a lower profile than the Sea Air Land
commandos they transport.
The boats have commanded the spotlight on some occasions.
In 2003, Special Boat Team 12 was lauded for capturing Taliban and al-Qaeda
terrorists while securing oil fields and intercepting illegal oil shipments
from Iraq in the northern Persian Gulf.
The team landed SEALs and other special operations forces on the Al Faw
Peninsula, where they took over the oil fields and offshore gas and oil
terminals before those locations were damaged by insurgents.
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