gunnyg
11-17-02, 04:29 PM
Distancing Tradition, Marines Eye Role in Special Operations
Jones: Shed the Word 'Amphibious'
washingtonpost.com
Distancing Tradition, Marines Eye Role in Special Operations
Jones: Shed the Word 'Amphibious'
By Bradley Graham
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, November 17, 2002; Page A17
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 And while Marine ground forces have withdrawn from Afghanistan, the Corps has left behind at Bagram air base about half-a-dozen AV-8B Harrier jets to support other service operations, despite a longtime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
Jones: Shed the Word 'Amphibious'
washingtonpost.com
Distancing Tradition, Marines Eye Role in Special Operations
Jones: Shed the Word 'Amphibious'
By Bradley Graham
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, November 17, 2002; Page A17
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