thedrifter
12-05-06, 03:32 PM
December 11, 2006
Back to Iraq
Marines prepare for fifth major deployment
By Trista Talton
Staff writer
JACKSONVILLE, N.C. — As 23,000 Marines get set for the next major rotation into Iraq, their future in that country couldn’t be cloudier.
Within the past month, the Corps has gotten a new commandant — Gen. James Conway; a new nominee for defense secretary — Robert Gates; and a major change in political leadership in both houses of Congress.
Meanwhile, the administration is awaiting the results of the Iraq Study Group, which is reportedly supporting a gradual troop withdrawal, while the new congressional leadership pushes for a troop pullout from Iraq.
Despite the uncertainty, Marines, along with about 5,000 sailors, soldiers and airmen, are gearing up for the Corps’ fifth major rotation into Iraq. Each year since spring 2004, the forward element of a Marine expeditionary force has controlled Marine units in Iraq for a year, then handed them off to the MEF on the opposite coast.
Units with Camp Pendleton, Calif.-based I Marine Expeditionary Force ran the mission from March 2004 to March 2005, and took over again in March of this year.
This spring, the Camp Lejeune, N.C.-based II MEF will, for the second time, take over for I MEF. The units on the list, released Nov. 30, will deploy for seven months, roughly March through September. In September, the second half of II MEF’s units will go to Iraq and stay through March 2008.
Maj. Gen. Walter Gaskin will lead II MEF (Forward), which is built around a division-sized Marine air-ground task force. The MEF will organize and command Multi-National Force-West, the coalition force responsible for western Iraq. Multi-National Force-West will include 10,000 Iraqi soldiers from the 1st and 7th Iraqi Army Divisions.
The U.S. is responsible for training and preparing Iraqi security forces to lead counterinsurgency operations in Anbar province.
The Marine ground combat elements will be organized under Regimental Combat Teams 2 and 6.
“Our focus for this tour differs from previous deployments in that we are directly supporting Iraqi army and police forces as they conduct counterinsurgency operations and enforce the rule of law,” RCT-2 commander Col. Stacy Clardy III stated in a press release. “We also look forward to building on the tremendous successes which RCT-7 experienced with the Iraqi security forces.”
The rotation also marks 2nd Marine Logistics Group’s first deployment under the Corps’ logistics reorganization and renaming.
During a Nov. 29 visit to Camp Lejeune, Conway told reporters that, of his priorities, “first and foremost is the support of troops in combat.”
Marines with II MEF will be among the first leathernecks to receive new body-armor vests Corps officials say are more comfortable, offer more areas of protection from bullets and shrapnel, and better distribute their weight.
The Corps plans to field 60,000 Modular Tactical Vests starting in February.
“As soon as the manufacturers can produce these things and supply them, they’re going to be on a plane to Iraq and they’ll be in the hands of the troops just as rapidly as we can get them after that,” Conway said. “Whether or not first-lead units from II MEF would be on deck, I would guess they probably will.”
Spring deployments
Units will belong to Camp Lejeune, N.C.-based II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward). Here are the major units on tap for the rotation, which will last roughly March through September:
Regimental Combat Team 2
Headquarters Company, 3rd Marines
1st Battalion, 2nd Marines
1st Battalion, 3rd Marines
An Army infantry battalion (to be determined)
1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion
Elements of 1st Combat Engineer Battalion; 1st Tank Battalion; 3rd Battalion, 12th Marines; 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion
Regimental Combat Team 6
2nd Battalion, 6th Marines
3rd Battalion, 6th Marines
2nd Battalion, 7th Marines
1st Reconnaissance Battalion
1st Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division
2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward)
Marine Wing Headquarters 2
Marine Wing Support Group 27
Marine Air Control Group 28
Marine Aircraft Group 29
(Individual squadrons have not been identified.)
2nd Marine Logistics Group (Forward)
Combat Logistics Battalion 2
Combat Logistics Battalion 6
8th Engineer Support Battalion
2nd Maintenance Battalion
Headquarters Company
Service Company
Communications Company
30th Naval Construction Regiment
Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 3
Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 4
Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 5
Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 40
Construction Battalion Maintenance Unit 303
Underwater Construction Team 2
Ellie
Back to Iraq
Marines prepare for fifth major deployment
By Trista Talton
Staff writer
JACKSONVILLE, N.C. — As 23,000 Marines get set for the next major rotation into Iraq, their future in that country couldn’t be cloudier.
Within the past month, the Corps has gotten a new commandant — Gen. James Conway; a new nominee for defense secretary — Robert Gates; and a major change in political leadership in both houses of Congress.
Meanwhile, the administration is awaiting the results of the Iraq Study Group, which is reportedly supporting a gradual troop withdrawal, while the new congressional leadership pushes for a troop pullout from Iraq.
Despite the uncertainty, Marines, along with about 5,000 sailors, soldiers and airmen, are gearing up for the Corps’ fifth major rotation into Iraq. Each year since spring 2004, the forward element of a Marine expeditionary force has controlled Marine units in Iraq for a year, then handed them off to the MEF on the opposite coast.
Units with Camp Pendleton, Calif.-based I Marine Expeditionary Force ran the mission from March 2004 to March 2005, and took over again in March of this year.
This spring, the Camp Lejeune, N.C.-based II MEF will, for the second time, take over for I MEF. The units on the list, released Nov. 30, will deploy for seven months, roughly March through September. In September, the second half of II MEF’s units will go to Iraq and stay through March 2008.
Maj. Gen. Walter Gaskin will lead II MEF (Forward), which is built around a division-sized Marine air-ground task force. The MEF will organize and command Multi-National Force-West, the coalition force responsible for western Iraq. Multi-National Force-West will include 10,000 Iraqi soldiers from the 1st and 7th Iraqi Army Divisions.
The U.S. is responsible for training and preparing Iraqi security forces to lead counterinsurgency operations in Anbar province.
The Marine ground combat elements will be organized under Regimental Combat Teams 2 and 6.
“Our focus for this tour differs from previous deployments in that we are directly supporting Iraqi army and police forces as they conduct counterinsurgency operations and enforce the rule of law,” RCT-2 commander Col. Stacy Clardy III stated in a press release. “We also look forward to building on the tremendous successes which RCT-7 experienced with the Iraqi security forces.”
The rotation also marks 2nd Marine Logistics Group’s first deployment under the Corps’ logistics reorganization and renaming.
During a Nov. 29 visit to Camp Lejeune, Conway told reporters that, of his priorities, “first and foremost is the support of troops in combat.”
Marines with II MEF will be among the first leathernecks to receive new body-armor vests Corps officials say are more comfortable, offer more areas of protection from bullets and shrapnel, and better distribute their weight.
The Corps plans to field 60,000 Modular Tactical Vests starting in February.
“As soon as the manufacturers can produce these things and supply them, they’re going to be on a plane to Iraq and they’ll be in the hands of the troops just as rapidly as we can get them after that,” Conway said. “Whether or not first-lead units from II MEF would be on deck, I would guess they probably will.”
Spring deployments
Units will belong to Camp Lejeune, N.C.-based II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward). Here are the major units on tap for the rotation, which will last roughly March through September:
Regimental Combat Team 2
Headquarters Company, 3rd Marines
1st Battalion, 2nd Marines
1st Battalion, 3rd Marines
An Army infantry battalion (to be determined)
1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion
Elements of 1st Combat Engineer Battalion; 1st Tank Battalion; 3rd Battalion, 12th Marines; 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion
Regimental Combat Team 6
2nd Battalion, 6th Marines
3rd Battalion, 6th Marines
2nd Battalion, 7th Marines
1st Reconnaissance Battalion
1st Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division
2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward)
Marine Wing Headquarters 2
Marine Wing Support Group 27
Marine Air Control Group 28
Marine Aircraft Group 29
(Individual squadrons have not been identified.)
2nd Marine Logistics Group (Forward)
Combat Logistics Battalion 2
Combat Logistics Battalion 6
8th Engineer Support Battalion
2nd Maintenance Battalion
Headquarters Company
Service Company
Communications Company
30th Naval Construction Regiment
Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 3
Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 4
Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 5
Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 40
Construction Battalion Maintenance Unit 303
Underwater Construction Team 2
Ellie