Marines go Special Forces

[Brad]

Unconventional Marines
These guys will be special.

By W. Thomas Smith Jr. The U.S. Marine Corps is developing a brand new special-operations force to serve as an element of the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM). Though unique, the force — officially "Marine SOCOM Detachment One" — will be the Corps' participating equivalent of the Navy's SEALs, the Army's special-operations forces (Green Beret, Delta, and other special purpose forces), and the Air Force's special operations units.



Specifics have yet to be finalized regarding the Marine detachment, but the prototype unit has been fighting in Iraq, performing raids against insurgent strongholds and conducting special operations missions.

Fighting is how they train to fight.

According to a report written for SOCOM and obtained by National Review Online, "Repeated successful conduct [by the Marine Detachment] of urban direct action and special reconnaissance, both mounted and dismounted, is an indicator of high agility and tactical effectiveness in what is arguably one of the most challenging combat environments."

The report, "MCSOCOM Proof of Concept Evaluation," adds, "Because USMC units frequently train and operate in field conditions — i.e. rural, coastal, mountainous, etc. — it is logical to suggest that given similar preparation they could operate effectively in a variety of environments."

Considering the overall Corps combat performance, rigorous training, and warrior ethos, many wonder why the Marines are just now coming to the SOCOM table.

"When SOCOM was established in 1986, the Cold War was still on," Gen. Paul X. Kelley, then-Commandant of the Marine Corps, tells NRO. "Parenthetically, I should note that in early 1985, a member of Congress informally wrote to me asking that I 'consider the transfer' of all SOF [special operations forces] to the Marine Corps — with the possible exception of Army Ranger battalions and Navy fleet SEAL assets, to be replaced by USMC raider battalions and Force Recon for theater UW [unconventional warfare] targets. Needless to say, I was not inclined to accept any mission changes that would impact upon our ability to conduct the broad spectrum of missions that Marines were already assigned around the world."

Kelley adds that, as the founding commander of the Rapid Deployment Joint Task Force (the predecessor to the U.S. Central Command), he was "vocal" in his support of SOCOM, but that the Corps already possessed "inherent" special-operations capabilities.

Indeed, Marines fielded then — as they do today — a variety of special units and operators. These include, Force Recon (deep reconnaissance) teams, Reconnaissance Battalions (scouting elements for Marine divisions), ANGLICO (Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Companies), and special radio units, as well as individual leathernecks detached to special operations units from other services.

Also in the mid-1980s, Kelley directed that a program be formed that would enhance the special-operations capabilities of forward deployed Marine Amphibious Units, today known as Marine Expeditionary Units (Special Operations Capable) or MEU (SOC).

SOCOM members or not, Marines have always had a hand in the craft. Special operations units in the Marines are not accorded the same respect as they are in other branches. The Marines view special operations as simply another realm of warfighting. Marines are Marines, and no individual Marine or Marine unit is considered more elite than the other.

Operational independence also was one of the reasons the Corps resisted entry into SOCOM in 1986. And many Army, Navy, and Air Force members had no problem with the Marines lack of formal participation: After all, a SOCOM without Marines meant the other branches each got a larger piece of the pie.

That changed after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, when turf battles took a backseat to real world concerns. And post-9/11 operations in Afghanistan and Iraq have only highlighted the need for more direct Marine involvement in SOCOM.

The size of the new Marine detachment is still under consideration.

Last summer, roughly 100 men comprised the prototype unit, which planned and executed more than 20 raids, netting numerous detainees and weapons caches, and killing or capturing at least nine guerilla cell leaders.

"If they bring a full component of 2,500, it will be a special operations Marine Air-Ground Task Force," says U.S. Navy Commander Mark Divine, a SEAL officer who was tasked with observing the prototype unit in action and then writing the Proof of Concept report. "In addition to the air component, you'll have your 'shooters,' who are Recon Marines. Then there will be a logistical component, and a huge intelligence component."

Divine says he does not believe there will be a duplication of efforts between existing SOCOM members, like the SEALs or the Green Berets, and the Marines. Every unit and "shooter" is uniquely trained and equipped, and though they can and do often perform similar missions, they complement one another.

"SEALs, for instance, have developed a unique direct action capability that allows them to
strike a target with a very short planning cycle," he says. "Though the Marine Recon community also trains in direct action, their primary focus has for years been deep reconnaissance, a mission profile they are much better suited for than SEALs. Direct action is something the Marines do well — but for targets where a longer planning cycle and larger footprint of forces is acceptable — something akin to a Ranger-like operation," but with organic air assets.

Retired U.S. Marine Gunnery Sergeant Joseph Vela says direct action is a Marine specialty, as is combat discipline, leadership, and obedience.

"The latter is something that is bred into a Marine when he is born on the parade deck in boot camp," says Vela, a former Marine drill instructor who served with SEALs as a member of a Marine Force Recon team during Gulf War I. "It is this sense of instant, willing, obedience to orders. You tell a Marine to do anything, he's going to snap to attention, say, 'aye aye, sir," and execute whatever it is he is told to do, without question or debate. My experience with other branches of service has been if it is something they don't want to do, you are going to have a problem."

Therein lie the two schools of thought: Unquestioning obedience or thinking outside of the proverbial box. Creative thinking is important for any special operator, but it can also become something of an exposed wire when the situation becomes desperate and time-critical. Vela says SOCOM will only benefit from the Corps' unique approach to both obedience and leadership development (which in itself spawns creative thought).

At this point, the only thing keeping the Marine SOCOM Detachment from being formally stood up is the signature of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

"Is everyone in agreement that this is a good idea?" U.S. Army Major Paul Swiergosz, a Defense Department spokesman, tells NRO. "Secretary Rumsfeld thinks it is, so everyone else does too. Is there a piece of paper that actually says this is how we're going to operate and do business? Not yet."

Gen. Kelley believes the new detachment will bring a lot more to the table than simply its special operations trained-and-equipped air-ground-intelligence components. Like Vela, he says the individual Marine is the key.

"The most significant force multiplier that the Marine Corps can provide to appropriate special operations is a superbly trained and motivated Marine, one fortified by 230 years of enviable history and tradition," Kelley says.

— A former U.S. Marine infantry leader and paratrooper, W. Thomas Smith Jr. writes about military issues and has covered conflict in the Balkans and on the West Bank. He is the author of four books, and his articles appear in a variety of publications.

[SR-25]

Wasnt DET 1 started a couple years ago?

[Grimmy]

Started and finalized are two different things, SR-25.

This has been a "work in progress" for awhile but it sounds like they're getting set to design all the new forms, report sheets and other new paperwork papers that come with new units being formally and finally created.

[SR-25]

Oh, my bad. I was under the impression that this unit had been fully operational for some time now.

[SpongeJuan]

I thought so too

[Grimmy]

From what I've been able to read and understand (assuming that what I understood was what the writer meant to say), this unit has been in the field under "operational and conceptual testing" for awhile now.

What I believe is indicated by the article at the top is that this unit has finished that part of the birthing process and is now well on the way to becoming official and permenant.

[ArchAngel]

Do you guys like the idea of this? I remember hearing from alot of Marines that they don't approve of a "Special Force" in the Corps because no one is better then anyone and that Marines are elite by themselves.


I like the idea of having a unit thats up with the Berets and Seals, but I dunno. What do you guys think?

[Grimmy]

"shooters" can only become so good and Marine "shooters" are as good as any of those "hi profile" outfits. What this unit can bring to the table that no other outfit can is the complete, whole and total package.

A hi speed "shooter" unit with its own logistics, support and intel. Set it down anywhere and it'll do what ever needs be done. That's what this new unit is. Shooters backed up by inherant supply and logistics along with air assets and its own intel collection and processing assets. There's currently nothing even close to as complete a package deal as this new unit.

But that's just the USMC being the USMC. Put Marines down anywhere and they'll get it done, regardless.

[SpongeJuan]

As long as they don't do something like giving them some sort of beret or cool patches and other gay gadgets I don't see anything wrong.

UPDATE: Novemeber 2,2005

Marines get OK for Special Forces

The Marine Corps is getting its own special operations command, and its headquarters and the bulk of the 2,600-strong force will be at Camp Lejeune, the Department of Defense announced Tuesday.


The command will include a special operations regiment, a unit that trains foreign troops and a support group. Part of the regiment will be stationed at Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Some of the command's Marines will come from a Corps expansion authorized in the current federal budget, while others will come from existing units, said Maj. Douglas Powell, a Marine spokesman at the Pentagon.

There's no firm start date, but the command's first leader, Brig. Gen. Dennis J. Hejlik, has already been chosen. Hejlik not only has combat experience, but has served as chief of staff at U.S. Special Operations Command, an umbrella command that oversees Army, Navy and Air Force units -- and which also will include the new Marines force.

The new force is a natural, said said Daniel Goure, a defense analyst with the Lexington Institute, a think tank in Arlington, Va. For years, the Marines have trained and used troops for some special operations missions.

"What you've got is units that are already there, or nearly already there," he said. "This is a clear recognition of existing skills."

Also, he said, by maintaining a tight relationship with the Corps, the Marine special operations unit would avoid problems that special operations units in the other services report, such as little control over their transportation, problems with communications systems and issues getting backup from conventional troops with assets such as armored vehicles.

For years the Corps has been inching toward a full role in the special operations community, which is best known for the Army's Green Berets -- whose headquarters is at Fort Bragg -- and the Navy's SEALs. The U.S. Special Operations Command and the Marines signed a memorandum of agreement in November 2001 to start working together more.

Since then, said Powell, Marines have worked with special ops troops from other services everywhere from the mountains of Afghanistan to the streets of Fallujah.

Since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the elite special operations units have been worked harder than at any point in history. While they've been getting increasingly more funding, Goure said, they've also been losing seasoned veterans to the Army's Delta Force and the Navy's SEAL Team 6. Those secretive anti-terrorist units, he said, are reportedly growing in size.

Also, many veteran special forces troops have been lured into the booming private security industry, where their skills can command salaries of more than $200,000 a year.

Meanwhile, the pool of Army, Navy and Air Force personnel who meet the rigorous requirements for recruits to special operations units has remained flat. So it makes sense, Goure said, to turn to the Marines, the one service that has an all-but untapped pool of troops who fit the requirements.

[USMCRET6391]

Marine Corps to create
special operations unit

By Christian Lowe
Times staff writer

For the first time since the establishment of U.S. Special Operations Command, the Marine Corps has been given the go-ahead to establish a unit to deploy alongside Navy SEALs, Army Special Forces and Air Force Special Tactics units for commando missions.

The final push for the Marine Corps to join the snake-eater community was delivered at an Oct. 28 meeting between SOCom chief Army Gen. Bryan Brown, Marine Commandant Gen. Mike Hagee and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

While the ultimate makeup of the Marine Corps’ SOCom component, or MarSOC, is still in the works, Marine officials say that roughly 2,700 leathernecks will be assigned to the command.

The component will be commanded by Brig. Gen. Dennis Hejlik, currently the deputy commander of I Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton, Calif.

“We’ve been working with SOCom … on coming up with ideas on how the Marine Corps could better support” the command, said Lt. Gen. Jan Huly, head of Plans, Policies and Operations at Marine headquarters, in a Nov. 1 interview.

“We finally came to the realization that unless we were a full partner in U.S. Special Operations Command we probably weren’t making maximum use of the Marine Corps’ capabilities.”

MarSOC will be made up of three main organizations: foreign military training units; a direct-action group dubbed Marine Special Operations Group, or MSOG; and an intelligence and support group.

The units are expected to begin integrating into SOCom within six months, possibly starting with the foreign military training units, Huly said.

The decision to create a MarSOC comes after several years of considerable effort on the part of SOCom, the Marine Corps and the Pentagon to build a Marine contribution to a community that has been heavily used since the war on terrorism began. The Marine Corps opted out of SOCom when the command was established in 1986, preferring to keep its small community of specialized units, such as Force Reconnaissance, for its own use.

But as the hunt for insurgents in Iraq and terrorists worldwide focuses more on small, covert raids and foreign military assistance, the Corps realized it was time to put aside its initial reluctance and support SOCom more directly.

“The decision that was made last week was a bold decision, but it’s a good and important decision made at the right time in history,” said Vice Adm. Eric Olson, deputy commander of SOCom, in the Nov. 1 interview.

“We have really progressed toward this in a deliberate way with a lot of discussion.”