MarSOC
A bridge between our Corps and USSOCom
by the Staff, Marine Corps Special Operations Command
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| Some things won't change. (Official MarSOC photo dated 8 April 2007.) |
Activation of U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Special Operations Command (MarSOC) on 24 February 2006 marked the end of nearly 20 years of U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCom) history without a Marine Corps component and challenged its founding members in three key ways. First, the demand for Marine special operations companies (MSOCs) and teams (MSOTs) almost immediately exceeded the supply of Marines and sailors with the training and experience needed to conduct the specialized missions assigned to them.
Second, in order to meet the growing demand for special operations forces (SOF) capabilities to support the global war on terrorism (GWOT) operations, MarSOC needed to build and operate simultaneously.
Third, MarSOC represents a blending of two distinct elite warrior organizations. The purpose of this article is to describe how MarSOC tackled these challenges to create a unique warfighting organization that serves as a bridge between our Corps and USSOCom, contributes directly to our Nation’s success in war, and adds to the legacy and heritage of American excellence on the battlefield.
Demand and Supply
When the Secretary of Defense assigned responsibility for coordination of military operations in the GWOT to USSOCom, it quickly became apparent that the demand for SOF-capable units exceeded the available supply. The Marine Corps was a natural place to turn in order to meet this demand for two key reasons. First, the Corps was the only Service component that wasn’t part of USSOCom. As the USSOCom Commander, ADM Eric T. Olson, noted during his remarks at MarSOC’s second anniversary celebration, for the first time in more than 20 years the addition of a Marine Corps component made the command a fully joint organization.
The second reason the Marine Corps was the logical go-to Service to help meet the increased demand for SOF-capable units was the ready availability of our force reconnaissance companies with their direct action and special reconnaissance capabilities and the Marine Foreign Military Training Unit—since redesignated Marine Special Operations Advisor Group (MSOAG)—with its focus on language, culture, training, and advising of foreign troops and other essential aspects of the indirect approach to warfare.
Five months after MarSOC was activated, then-Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld designated in writing that all MarSOC personnel are “SOF for all purposes,” and approximately 1 month later the first MSOTs from MSOAG deployed to remote regions of Africa and South America to conduct successful foreign internal defense missions. Meanwhile, a steady stream of MSOCs have deployed to Afghanistan where they continue to develop, plan, and execute a wide range of SOF missions within a designated area of operations.
USSOCom’s initial demand for increased SOF capability was met with the skill and expertise of Marine forces on hand, but that demand continues to grow, and MarSOC has responded by developing a comprehensive program designed to recruit, screen, assess, select, and train the Marines most likely to succeed in the highly specialized world of special operations.
Growth and Operations
Like the rest of the U.S. military, MarSOC’s operations tempo is high and steady. The first MarSOC units deployed almost immediately upon activation to execute four SOF missions during the tail end of fiscal year 2006 (FY06). That number grew to 17 during FY07, and by the time we reach full operational capability as planned by the end of FY08, the number of operations conducted annually will reach as high as 45 or more. These missions have been carried out successfully while USSOCom’s new Marine SOF (MarSOF) have grown from just a few to the current total of more than 1,700 Marines, sailors, and civilian employees.
When MarSOC completes its initial build plan it will include more than 2,500 personnel with companies, teams, and enabler detachments deployed and operating across the globe in support of theater special operations commanders in U.S. Southern Command, European Command, U.S. Central Command, and U.S. Pacific Command.
This pace of operations has been maintained while MarSOC simultaneously developed its selection and training process, identified and acquired SOF-specific equipment, designed its facilities, and broke ground on more than $700 million dollars worth of military construction projects that will serve as a permanent home for USSOCom’s newest SOF component command. The process has been described variously as “building the house we live in” and “painting a car while driving 50 miles per hour.” Both descriptions are accurate, and both reflect the unique demands placed on MarSOC in order to meet the demands of the GWOT and the long war ahead.
Synergy of Two Warrior Organizations
If we describe an all-volunteer force of warriors who share the core values of honor, courage, and commitment and who are renowned for their professionalism, expertise, innovation, and superior physical fitness, you would be hard-pressed to decide whether we described Marines or SOF operators. We found plenty of common ground to build on, but we also needed to identify the differences and then draw the best elements from both worlds and meld them together to create a distinct MarSOF. The question at the heart of this issue is what is a MarSOF warrior?
Whether deployed as part of a joint special operations task force, a Marine MSOC or MSOT, or as a task-organized enabler detachment of just a few Marines and corpsmen, our silent warriors are strategic and tactical force multipliers. They must be able to operate in austere environments far from the combat service support generally available to Marine Corps forces.
For example, a key distinction between MSOCs and traditional rifle companies is that MSOCs deploy to an area of operations in order to find, plan, and execute missions independently rather than to conduct a preplanned mission. Such missions can range from direct action and special reconnaissance one day to foreign internal defense or unconventional warfare the next based on intelligence gathered and opportunities identified. This does not require a better Marine, but it does require a Marine with a unique combination of skills, experience, traits, and specialized training.
To succeed at the range of specialized missions they will conduct, MarSOF Marines and corpsmen must be multilingual, compassionate, determined, mature, team oriented, culturally aware, physically fit, capable, disciplined, independent, experienced, and mentally fit. Many of these qualities are developed during initial Marine Corps training; others are honed during deployments in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other areas of operations throughout the GWOT.
In the future they will be deliberately enhanced during MarSOC’s Individual Training Course and other training exercises created by the Marine Special Operations School to prepare Marines selected from an elite Corps to tackle the specialized missions assigned to USSOCom.
The success of our Corps and of USSOCom is built on the same basic foundation—our people. Marines and sailors with the maturity and experience needed to succeed at SOF missions are being identified and recruited from within our Corps. Those who volunteer must attend a rigorous 2-week assessment and selection. Those selected will then complete a 6-month individual training course during which they will add to their experience through specialized training in a wide range of skills including combat medicine, communications, fire support, special reconnaissance, direct action, foreign internal defense, instruction skills, advanced weapons and tactics, and advanced special operations.
To ensure that our Corps, USSOCom, and the individual Marine and sailor get the most out of this training, those assigned to an operational MarSOC unit will receive orders to a 5-year tour. This length of tour provides an opportunity for experienced warfighters to further hone their skills, take on increased responsibility, and face even greater challenges on the modern battlefield.
The Road Ahead
MarSOC now includes five major subordinate units—1st Marine Special Operations Battalion headquarted at Camp Pendleton and 2d Marine Special Operations Battalion, MSOAG, Marine Special Operations Support Group, and Marine Special Operations School headquarted at Camp Lejeune. The internal structure of these units is much different than originally planned and will continue to evolve based on lessons learned and experience gained over time. The MSOCs, originally modeled on the successful force reconnaissance companies, are now smaller, even more agile, and task organized to conduct missions across the full spectrum of special operations.
While the MSOCs maintain a robust direct action and special reconnaissance capability, they now receive training in foreign internal defense that enables them to engage in the indirect approach to warfare that is the hallmark of USSOCom. MSOAG receives extensive training in culture and language to sharpen its indirect capability but also cross-trains in direct action and special reconnaissance.
MSOTs of approximately 14 Marines and sailors are now the basic building block of our organization. MSOTs can deploy individually or as part of a task-organized MSOC enhanced with enabler detachments from Marine Special Operations Support Group to provide a wide range of specialized skill sets including intelligence fusion, military working dogs, and explosives ordnance disposal.
The heart of MarSOC remains the individual Marine and sailor—men and women who combine more than 230 years of success in small wars with the extensive experience of our SOF counterparts to play a vital role as part of the world’s finest special operations organization.
In time MarSOC will extend its SOF capabilities to include unconventional warfare, counterterrorism, and information operations, and we will be well positioned to combine with Marine expeditionary units and other Marine air-ground task forces to provide expeditionary maritime SOF capabilities when and where they are needed. By building a sturdy bridge between our Corps and USSOCom, our Marines and sailors will remain always faithful, always forward.
