Marine Forces Special Operations Command

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U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Special Operations Command
Image:MARSOC-Emblem2.jpg
Active	February 24, 2006
Country	United States
Allegiance	USMC
Type	Special Forces
Part of	United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM)
Garrison/HQ	Camp Lejeune, NC
Commanders
Current commander	Major General Dennis Hejlik

United States Marine Corps Forces, Special Operations Command (MARSOC) is a new subordinate command to the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) that is to contain the Marine Corps' planned contribution to SOCOM. Its core capabilities are direct action, special reconnaissance, foreign internal defense, counterterrorism, information operations, and unconventional warfare<ref name="Hejlik">Hejlik, MajGen Dennis J., Maj Cliff W. Gilmore, SgtMaj Matthew P. Ingram (August 2006). "Special Operations Marines and the Road Ahead". Marine Corps Gazette August 2006.</ref>. Its creation was announced on 1 November 2005 by US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, following a meeting between him, the USSOCOM Commander General Bryan Brown USA, and the Marine Corps Commandant General Michael Hagee on 28 October 2005. MARSOC was activated on February 24, 2006 with ceremonies at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

1 Organization
2 History
3 See also
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Organization

MARSOC will contain roughly 2,500 Marines and sailors, and is initially commanded by Major General Dennis Hejlik, formerly the deputy commander of I Marine Expeditionary Force. It will be based at Camp Lejeune and will be split into 5 subordinate commands:

The Foreign Military Training Unit(FMTU), based at Lejeune, will contain about 400 personnel and will train foreign military forces in a role parallel to that of Army Special Forces.
Two Marine Special Operations Battalions(MSOBs), one on each coast at Camp Lejeune and Camp Pendleton. Their mission is to conduct expeditionary SOF for conduct of special reconnaissance, direct action, and foreign internal defense. Each MSOB will consist of four or five Marine special operations Companies (MSOCs), each commanded by a Major. The MSOC's will be closely tied with the Marine Expeditionary Units on each coast, "separable but not separate" from the MEU's. The core strength of the MSOBs will be initially drafted from Reconnaissance Marines.
The Marine Special Operations Support Group(MCSOSG), at Lejeune, which will also contain 400 personnel, will contain the Command's administrative, intelligence, and support assets.
The Marine Special Operations School (MSOS) at Camp Lejeune will conduct screening, recruiting, training, assessment, and development functions for MARSOC.

Image:MARSOC parachutist.jpg

[edit] History

The potential participation of the Marine Corps in SOCOM has been controversial since SOCOM was formed in 1986. At the time, Marine Corps leaders felt that their Force Reconnaissance units were best kept in the Marine Corps' MAGTF command structure, and that the detachment of an "elite" Marine Special Operations unit from the Marine Corps would be to the detriment of the Marine Corps as a whole. A reevaluation following the September 11th attacks and the global war on terror, along with new policy established by Secretary Rumsfeld, caused the Marine Corps to work towards integration with SOCOM. The establishment of MARSOC represents the most significant step towards this goal, and follows the establishment of MCSOCOM Detachment One (DET1), a small Marine Corps detachment formed as a pilot program to test Marine Corps integration into SOCOM that served under Naval Special Warfare Squadron One. Det 1 was disbanded in 2006.