2RHPZ
05-18-2004, 04:15 PM
Distancing Tradition, Marines Eye Role in Special Operations
A series of recent initiatives by the Marine Corps in response to the
administration's war on terrorism represents an intensified effort by the
Pentagon's smallest military service to demonstrate its continued relevance by
branching away from such traditional missions as beach-landings and emergency
rescue operations, according to Marine officials.
Over the past year, the Marines have moved to relieve some of the burden on
overtaxed Army and Navy Special Operations forces by offering to take on more
commando tasks, overcoming past resistance to assigning Marines to the Special
Operations Command.
In Afghanistan, the Marines have flown troops far from support ships in the
Arabian Sea, seizing an airfield about 600 miles inland near the southern city
of Kandahar. And while Marine ground forces have withdrawn from Afghanistan, the
Corps has left behind at Bagram air base about half-a-dozen AV-8B Harrier jets
to support other service operations, despite a longtime Marine preference for
keeping combat jets linked to their own ground forces.
Most recently, they have assumed command of a new task force in the Horn of
Africa, sending about 400 Marines to join 800 U.S. Special Operations troops to
hunt down al Qaeda members and provide security assistance and training to
regional militaries.
Each of the moves has involved more of an increased emphasis on existing Marine
Corps capabilities than development of new ones. And only a small fraction of
the Corps has been involved. But taken together, Marine officials say, the
initiatives represent a significant evolution in the Corps' focus and strategy.
"I think this is a fundamental change in the direction of the Marine Corps,"
said Gary Solis, the Corps' chief of oral history. "It takes us from being an
amphibious force tied to the littorals and gives us a new strategic role
projecting force."
In a series of interviews ahead of his departure next month as Marine Corps
commandant, Gen. James L. Jones has called attention to the trend, arguing that
for the service to survive, it must make itself useful to regional commanders in
combating terrorists and other operations.
"Marines have to shed a 20th-century mentality -- and shed the word
'amphibious,' which is a legacy term -- and really understand the power of
expeditionary warfare in support of the joint war fighter," Jones said. To this
end, he added, Marines must take steps to be able to respond more quickly,
project power farther and sustain operations longer.
As the smallest of the nation's military services with 175,000 troops, the
Marines have often found change not only easier to come by but politically
necessary.
"We've always been the stepchildren, at least in our own minds, and therefore
paranoid about our survival," said Tom Wilkerson, a retired Marine lieutenant
general. "We're always trying to stay a step ahead."
With the Special Operations forces of other services stressed by the
administration's war on terrorism, the Marines have promoted use of their own
amphibious groups, several of which are deployed around the world at any given
time. These groups, each consisting of about 2,200 Marines, are largely trained
for general-purpose missions but can conduct some basic Special Operations
tasks, including searching and seizing ships, rescuing downed pilots and
conducting reconnaissance operations. Additionally, the Marines bring a
substantial amount of logistical support with them.
"For the foreseeable future, there's a requirement for more Special Operations-like
forces," Jones said. "My argument is, if you already have a fair amount of those
[in the Marines], don't reinvent the wheel, use what you already have."
Institutionally, the Marines have tended to stand apart from the Special
Operations Command, preferring their separateness and regarding the command's
creation in the mid-1980s as largely an Army operation. "The bridges between the
two communities have always been extremely fragile," Jones said.
But the joining of Marine and Special Operations forces in securing a base in
southern Afghanistan a year ago provided the impetus for closer cooperation.
Soon afterward, Jones signed a memorandum of understanding with Gen. Charles R.
Holland, the head of Special Operations Command, opening the way for Marines to
contribute forces to the command for the first time.
The arrangement still faces resistance from traditionalists on both sides.
"There are people who think we're too hard to work with and we're just after
their funding," Jones said. "The Marine naysayers, on the other hand, say we're
a general purpose force, and if we do this, we're going to diminish our end
strength and we'll be a shadow of our former selves in five years."
So far the relationship has been limited to the dispatch of a one-star Marine
general and 85 Marines to Holland's command. But leaders on both sides expect
the cooperation to grow. And Marine officials say they will continue to look for
fresh opportunities to showcase their forces.
© 2002 The Washington Post Company
A series of recent initiatives by the Marine Corps in response to the
administration's war on terrorism represents an intensified effort by the
Pentagon's smallest military service to demonstrate its continued relevance by
branching away from such traditional missions as beach-landings and emergency
rescue operations, according to Marine officials.
Over the past year, the Marines have moved to relieve some of the burden on
overtaxed Army and Navy Special Operations forces by offering to take on more
commando tasks, overcoming past resistance to assigning Marines to the Special
Operations Command.
In Afghanistan, the Marines have flown troops far from support ships in the
Arabian Sea, seizing an airfield about 600 miles inland near the southern city
of Kandahar. And while Marine ground forces have withdrawn from Afghanistan, the
Corps has left behind at Bagram air base about half-a-dozen AV-8B Harrier jets
to support other service operations, despite a longtime Marine preference for
keeping combat jets linked to their own ground forces.
Most recently, they have assumed command of a new task force in the Horn of
Africa, sending about 400 Marines to join 800 U.S. Special Operations troops to
hunt down al Qaeda members and provide security assistance and training to
regional militaries.
Each of the moves has involved more of an increased emphasis on existing Marine
Corps capabilities than development of new ones. And only a small fraction of
the Corps has been involved. But taken together, Marine officials say, the
initiatives represent a significant evolution in the Corps' focus and strategy.
"I think this is a fundamental change in the direction of the Marine Corps,"
said Gary Solis, the Corps' chief of oral history. "It takes us from being an
amphibious force tied to the littorals and gives us a new strategic role
projecting force."
In a series of interviews ahead of his departure next month as Marine Corps
commandant, Gen. James L. Jones has called attention to the trend, arguing that
for the service to survive, it must make itself useful to regional commanders in
combating terrorists and other operations.
"Marines have to shed a 20th-century mentality -- and shed the word
'amphibious,' which is a legacy term -- and really understand the power of
expeditionary warfare in support of the joint war fighter," Jones said. To this
end, he added, Marines must take steps to be able to respond more quickly,
project power farther and sustain operations longer.
As the smallest of the nation's military services with 175,000 troops, the
Marines have often found change not only easier to come by but politically
necessary.
"We've always been the stepchildren, at least in our own minds, and therefore
paranoid about our survival," said Tom Wilkerson, a retired Marine lieutenant
general. "We're always trying to stay a step ahead."
With the Special Operations forces of other services stressed by the
administration's war on terrorism, the Marines have promoted use of their own
amphibious groups, several of which are deployed around the world at any given
time. These groups, each consisting of about 2,200 Marines, are largely trained
for general-purpose missions but can conduct some basic Special Operations
tasks, including searching and seizing ships, rescuing downed pilots and
conducting reconnaissance operations. Additionally, the Marines bring a
substantial amount of logistical support with them.
"For the foreseeable future, there's a requirement for more Special Operations-like
forces," Jones said. "My argument is, if you already have a fair amount of those
[in the Marines], don't reinvent the wheel, use what you already have."
Institutionally, the Marines have tended to stand apart from the Special
Operations Command, preferring their separateness and regarding the command's
creation in the mid-1980s as largely an Army operation. "The bridges between the
two communities have always been extremely fragile," Jones said.
But the joining of Marine and Special Operations forces in securing a base in
southern Afghanistan a year ago provided the impetus for closer cooperation.
Soon afterward, Jones signed a memorandum of understanding with Gen. Charles R.
Holland, the head of Special Operations Command, opening the way for Marines to
contribute forces to the command for the first time.
The arrangement still faces resistance from traditionalists on both sides.
"There are people who think we're too hard to work with and we're just after
their funding," Jones said. "The Marine naysayers, on the other hand, say we're
a general purpose force, and if we do this, we're going to diminish our end
strength and we'll be a shadow of our former selves in five years."
So far the relationship has been limited to the dispatch of a one-star Marine
general and 85 Marines to Holland's command. But leaders on both sides expect
the cooperation to grow. And Marine officials say they will continue to look for
fresh opportunities to showcase their forces.
© 2002 The Washington Post Company