The US Special Operations Forces have been at the forefront for more than 20 years. These forces have played a key role in US counterterrorism and counter-insurgency campaigns in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. But with Russia and China a growing challenge, the Pentagon is considering how to use the unique skills of these pilots in a different environment. Every US military has thought about how its expert pilots can contribute. For the Command of Special Operations of the Marine Forces, the question is very relevant.
The newest member of SOCOM
US Marine Raiders in front of a Japanese dugout at Bougainville in the Solomon Islands in January 1944. Photo by the US Marine Corps
The other US military divisions created Special Operations Commands in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The Marine Corps resisted invitations to contribute to SOCOM because of the belief that “every Marine is unique” and that the Marines did not make separate special operations forces. The body eventually withdrew, however, and MARSOC joined SOCOM in 2006. The Marine Raider Regiment, known as the Marine Corps affiliated with SOCOM, specializes in immediate-action missions such as raids, reconnaissance operations and external internal defense – training and advising cooperating forces. They can also wage an unconventional war, which involves collaborating with proxy fighters and counter-terrorism operations. “MARSOC started out with a unique organizational structure and capabilities,” which were unmatched in the US Army Special Operations Command or Naval Special Warfare Command, retired Marine Major Fred Galvin told Insider. Marines take part in the MARSOC assessment and selection course at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, January 30, 2015. US Marine Corps / Sgt. Donovan Lee “These capabilities provided a very strong ‘raid’ capability with an organic infantry security squad, which even Level 1 units do not have in their organization, nor are Level 1 units available for comprehensive training throughout its life cycle. pre-development education, ”Galvin added. Galvin is the author of “A Few Bad Men,” a narrative of the first Marine Special Operations deployment in Afghanistan and how he overcame attacks from all sides. Throughout the World War on Terror, Marine Raiders deployed and fought in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and throughout Africa. The Marine Raiders made headlines in January 2020, when they were the first to respond to al-Shabab’s attack on a Kenyan military base that killed three Americans. With the end of major military operations in the Middle East and the decline in demand for counter-terrorism and counterinsurgency operations, MARSOC is competing with Navy Special Warfare and Army Special Operations for funds and missions.
Culture, language and low visibility features
Marines with the 3rd Marine Raider Battalion during civilian combat training at Camp Lejeune, November 17, 2016. US Marine Corps / Cpl. Christopher A. Mendoza
During a conference in February, U.S. Marine Corps Commander General David Berger offered an insight into how Marine Corps Special Operations Forces might fight in the future. With the end of the war on terror, SOCOM has stated the need to better balance the prevention of strategic adversaries with counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations. Having a growing force working with allies and partners around the world to build credible defenses against close rivals such as China and Russia is just as important as targeting violent extremist organizations. In order for MARSOC to support such an axis, Berger described an emphasis on low visibility and operational preparation of battlefield operations, which are not combat operations but prepare a battlefield for possible kinetic action. Members of the Marine Corps make a free fall from an MV-22B Osprey over North Carolina, September 1, 2015. US Marine Corps / Lance Cpl. Austin A. Lewis “The great value of Marine Raiders is their persistent presence forward and their deeper cultural and linguistic skills,” as well as “their connection through the country’s team to the nation,” Berger said. “Conventional forces usually have none of these.” For example, a Marine Raider team could travel to Kenya to map roads, safe houses, active or potential airfields, and other points of interest that could be used to support the rapid deployment of specialist pilots in response to an attack. To conduct such operations, special operations units must have mature troops that can be integrated into the environment, and the ethnic and linguistic diversity of the US Special Operations community facilitates this goal. For example, units such as the 7th Army Special Forces Group, based in Central and South America, emphasize these cultural connections and adapt their language teaching to the area. Special pilots with this background and skills can be integrated into the area where they operate, making it easier to connect with potential partners and more difficult for rival forces to locate.
“Back to the naval roots”
Marines with the 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion during visit, boarding, search, and seizure training near Pendleton Camp, California. US Marine Corps / Cpl. Kyle McNally
Berger sought to reorient the Marine Corps to the naval sphere after years of fighting in places like Afghanistan, and said he would like to see a similar change for the Marine Raiders. “Hopefully if you were looking at two or three or four years into the future, [MARSOC] would follow a similar course to the rest of the Marine Corps, back to the naval roots [and] “how it supports the naval forces campaigning forward,” Berger told a conference of the National Defense Industrial Union. Berger’s push to abandon the “big heavyweights” and create a smaller, lighter, more naval-focused force gained support in Congress and Pentagon leaders, but also provoked reactions. More than two dozen retired generals have campaigned against him. Like other US Special Operations Units, the Marine Corps Special Operations Command has felt the pressure of the last 20 years of almost continuous military operations in the Middle East and Africa. But this experience has also brought lessons and possibilities that the command can apply to the competition of great powers in the future. MARSOC has come a long way, developing “greater combat capabilities and integration with more means that provide its growing forces with enhanced mortality that did not exist before,” Galvin said. Stavros Atlamazoglou is a defense journalist specializing in special operations, a veteran of the Greek Army (national service in the 575th Marine Battalion and Army Headquarters) and a graduate of Johns Hopkins University.
