thedrifter
12-25-07, 07:16 AM
New year will see new deployments for local troops
By: MARK WALKER - Staff Writer
2007 saw progress and change for the Marine Corps on everything from weapons to wear
CAMP PENDLETON -- Another year of war in the Middle East for local Marines was punctuated by significant developments on several fronts.
Casualties went down in 2007 as the outlook in Iraq took a sharp upswing, gear got improved, a controversial new aircraft went into service and a new general took the helm for locally based Marines.
The Marine Corps' top general is also proposing his forces move from Iraq to Afghanistan, an idea rejected, for now, by Defense Secretary Robert Gates. Despite Gates' stance, the issue is not considered settled.
Troops also were told to sharpen up their image as tattoos below the elbow and on the neck, and wearing camouflage uniforms while conducting off-base errands, were banned.
On the legal front, hearings and trials at Camp Pendleton and in San Diego for troops accused of wrongdoing were conducted throughout the year and will continue to make news in the months ahead. The cases primarily examine battlefield conduct, the rules of engagement and the Marine Corps' standards of conduct.
Most Camp Pendleton and Miramar Marine Corps Air Station troops spent the year at home, although thousands did see action in Iraq as part of President Bush's troop "surge" that saw 30,000 more troops sent to Iraq or as members of "augmentation units" assigned to the North Carolina-based II Marine Expeditionary Force that had primary security responsibility in Anbar for most of 2007.
Thousands more spent months on ship-borne assignments for Marine Expeditionary Units.
The year ahead will see 11,000 Miramar and Camp Pendleton troops return to Iraq and reassume the lead responsibility for security and training of Iraqi security forces in the sprawling Anbar province. Several thousand others also will be abroad, either as part of expeditionary units or on assignment in Iraq or Afghanistan as augmentation units.
Anbar and casualties
Through mid-December, 37 Camp Pendleton-based troops had lost their lives in Iraq in 2007, the lowest annual total since the invasion in March 2003.
A breakthrough that took hold earlier in the year saw Sunni tribal sheiks turn away from al-Qaida and Iraqi insurgents and begin cooperating with the military. The region, once thought by military strategists as impossible to tame, is now viewed as a success story. Others caution that the sheiks could turn away at any time and sectarian violence could emerge.
Bing West, an author, former Marine infantry officer, assistant secretary of defense in the Reagan administration and member of the Council on Foreign Relations, said in a recent interview that he believes the U.S. will have to be in Iraq for years before it can declare ultimate victory.
"Now that Anbar has tilted, the risk for the Marine Corps is lower," he said. "But with the irregular warfare we continue to face, I think we will have to be there for 10 more years."
Lt. Gen. Samuel Helland, the new commander of Camp Pendleton's I Marine Expeditionary Force, said in late November that while the Anbar insurgency was "withering on the vine," there was work to be done in Anbar to solidify the improvements gained over the last year.
Winslow Wheeler, a defense industry observer and fellow at Washington's Center for Defense Information, said in a telephone interview recently that he agrees there is much to be done in Anbar to fully secure the province.
"Casualties are down, but we don't know if that will hold or for how long," Wheeler said. "The Iraqis still hate us and it's impossible to tell how long the truce will last.
"It's all up to the internal dynamics in Iraq, especially if former insurgent Sunnis and the Shias go up against each other. The Marine Corps has no insulation from that."
Fresh from a trip to Anbar, Marine Commandant Gen. James Conway told reporters in early December its fate is up to Iraqi politicians who need to "fully exploit the breathing room that the surge and tribal activities have brought.
"I can tell you the place is moving forward and it's ripe for economic and political progress."
The Osprey and other gear
When local Marines and sailors begin arriving in Anbar over the next several weeks, they will find better armored vehicles, be wearing lighter flak jackets and have a new generation of mine-resistant vehicles to help protect them from the No. 1 killer ---- roadside bombs.
They also could find themselves flying on the Marine Corps' controversial Osprey, a combination airplane and helicopter that cost more than $20 billion to develop and has a spotty safety record.
The aircraft can carry 24 troops, and, with tilting rotors, lift off and land like a helicopter and fly like an airplane at more than 400 mph.
The first 10 V-22 Ospreys to join the Marine Corps' air fleet were sent to Iraq in October, began flying limited missions in November, and were slated to begin flying combat missions this month.
While Marine commanders are unanimous in their praise for the tilt-rotor aircraft and say it is performing well thus far, others worry it still is not safe. Thirty troops, including 15 locally based Marines, died in a series of Osprey crashes during training flights.
Osprey critics such as Phil Coyle, a senior adviser for the Center for Defense Information, said in a recent interview that he believes the Osprey remains a danger.
"Basically, they are using it as a truck flying from one relatively safe area to another," Coyle said. "But it makes an awfully expensive truck. Considering the long laundry list of problems, to sustain the V-22 in Iraq is going to take a heavy effort on the part of Marine and contractor maintenance personnel. It's going to be an expensive aircraft to support in the field."
Wheeler, Coyle's colleague at the nonpartisan think tank, agreed.
"Right now, they're flying it under the safest possible conditions," Wheeler said. "After 25 years, you think it would be ready for combat."
And it is, according to Marine Corps spokesman Maj. Eric Dent, who in early December said the aircraft would begin flying combat missions.
West also weighed in on the Osprey, saying that he believes Marines will increasingly be asked to respond to hot spots as opposed to conducting patrols and that the Osprey will be key in moving quick-reaction forces to wherever they are needed.
Mattis' departure
After more than a year as commander of the 50,000-strong I Marine Expeditionary Force, one of the most respected generals in the Marine Corps and all the armed services, James Mattis, departed Camp Pendleton in the fall to take a new job as head of Joint Forces Command in Virginia.
The man who helped lead the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq is now responsible for long-range force planning and working with NATO allies. Along the way to that new post, Mattis got a fourth star, becoming one of only a handful of four-star Marine generals.
Lt. Gen. Helland now has Mattis' old job and is responsible for overseeing Marine forces throughout the Middle East as well as serving at the head of the 50,000-strong I Marine Expeditionary Force. Helland said he will travel to Iraq periodically to check on his forces, spending the rest of his time at Camp Pendleton or at the Pentagon.
A former commander of Miramar's 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, Helland began his military career in the Army when he enlisted as a college junior in 1968.
Raised on a farm along with his twin brother, Helland served three years with the Army's Special Forces in Vietnam and was wounded in combat. He went on to join the Marine Corps in 1973 and has served in a variety of jobs, including assistant deputy commandant for aviation commander of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit.
As Helland prepared his forces for their 2008 deployment to Iraq, one of the signs that the military has been at war for years came during predeployment classes for the departing troops.
Now, those classes are taught by combat-seasoned corporals. They instruct not only junior Marines, but also lieutenants, captains and majors in what they can expect and how to conduct various jobs such as roadside checkpoints and safe convoy operation.
Each lesson plan benefits from the experience the junior enlisted men have culled from three or more assignments in Anbar, knowledge earned by the "boots on the ground" who have been at the forefront of the fight in Iraq.
Notable events for the Marine Corps in 2007
January
President Bush orders 21,000 more troops dispatched to Iraq to quell violence in Baghdad and elsewhere. Number climbs to 30,000 based on requests from military commanders in the country.
March
Marine Corps Command Gen. James Conway bans new tattoos below the elbow or knee
May
Conway orders unit-by-unit refresher in ethics and law of war
Marine Corps places order for 1,200 Mine-Resistant, Ambush Protected vehicles, or MRAPs, to help protect troops from roadside bombs; order eventually climbs to 3,700
June
Then-Lt. Gen. James Mattis at Camp Pendleton tells the North County Times in an exclusive interview that the U.S. needs to conduct a meaningful national dialogue to reach a consensus on fighting terrorism. "The problem of violent extremists existed long before 2003, and it is going to exist long after the next presidential election," he said. "We are going to have to confront it and come up with a national policy." Camp Pendleton's 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit goes into Iraq as part of president's escalation of troops
July
Camp Pendleton tells the North County Times in response to inquiry that only 5 of every 1,000 troops suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, a much lower rate than being reported by the U.S. Army
August
Wounded Warrior Battalion activated at Camp Pendleton. Members assist injured Marines and sailors tracking care and recovery
September
Gen. David Petraeus, the top American commander in Iraq, reports to Congress that while progress is being made, the U.S. needs to sustain its troop levels and may have to be there for 10 more years. Petraeus is scheduled to give an update to Congress in March 2008.
October
Controversial V-22 Osprey deployed to Iraq. Combination plane and helicopter took decades to develop and saw 37 Marines lose their lives in training mishaps, including 14 locally based troops. Conway proposes his troops take lead responsibility in Afghanistan and leave Iraq to the U.S. Army. Conway bans wearing camouflage uniforms to conduct errands off base
November
Lt. Gen. Samuel Helland replaces Gen. James Mattis as head of Camp Pendleton's I Marine Expeditionary Force and as commander of Marine Corps forces throughout the Middle East and convening authority over alleged wrongdoing in Iraq and Afghanistan. Marine Corps cuts its order of 3,700 mine-resistant vehicles to 2,300, suggesting improved security in Anbar region and desire not to "weigh down" the force
December
Defense Secretary Robert Gates says the Marine Corps will remain in Iraq for foreseeable future. Osprey slated to begin flying combat missions. 5th Marine Regiment dedicates memorial at Camp Pendleton to 221 troops killed during Iraq war. 11,000 locally-based troops prepare to deploy to Iraq's Anbar province
Contact staff writer Mark Walker at (760) 740-3529 or mlwalker@nctimes.com.
Ellie
By: MARK WALKER - Staff Writer
2007 saw progress and change for the Marine Corps on everything from weapons to wear
CAMP PENDLETON -- Another year of war in the Middle East for local Marines was punctuated by significant developments on several fronts.
Casualties went down in 2007 as the outlook in Iraq took a sharp upswing, gear got improved, a controversial new aircraft went into service and a new general took the helm for locally based Marines.
The Marine Corps' top general is also proposing his forces move from Iraq to Afghanistan, an idea rejected, for now, by Defense Secretary Robert Gates. Despite Gates' stance, the issue is not considered settled.
Troops also were told to sharpen up their image as tattoos below the elbow and on the neck, and wearing camouflage uniforms while conducting off-base errands, were banned.
On the legal front, hearings and trials at Camp Pendleton and in San Diego for troops accused of wrongdoing were conducted throughout the year and will continue to make news in the months ahead. The cases primarily examine battlefield conduct, the rules of engagement and the Marine Corps' standards of conduct.
Most Camp Pendleton and Miramar Marine Corps Air Station troops spent the year at home, although thousands did see action in Iraq as part of President Bush's troop "surge" that saw 30,000 more troops sent to Iraq or as members of "augmentation units" assigned to the North Carolina-based II Marine Expeditionary Force that had primary security responsibility in Anbar for most of 2007.
Thousands more spent months on ship-borne assignments for Marine Expeditionary Units.
The year ahead will see 11,000 Miramar and Camp Pendleton troops return to Iraq and reassume the lead responsibility for security and training of Iraqi security forces in the sprawling Anbar province. Several thousand others also will be abroad, either as part of expeditionary units or on assignment in Iraq or Afghanistan as augmentation units.
Anbar and casualties
Through mid-December, 37 Camp Pendleton-based troops had lost their lives in Iraq in 2007, the lowest annual total since the invasion in March 2003.
A breakthrough that took hold earlier in the year saw Sunni tribal sheiks turn away from al-Qaida and Iraqi insurgents and begin cooperating with the military. The region, once thought by military strategists as impossible to tame, is now viewed as a success story. Others caution that the sheiks could turn away at any time and sectarian violence could emerge.
Bing West, an author, former Marine infantry officer, assistant secretary of defense in the Reagan administration and member of the Council on Foreign Relations, said in a recent interview that he believes the U.S. will have to be in Iraq for years before it can declare ultimate victory.
"Now that Anbar has tilted, the risk for the Marine Corps is lower," he said. "But with the irregular warfare we continue to face, I think we will have to be there for 10 more years."
Lt. Gen. Samuel Helland, the new commander of Camp Pendleton's I Marine Expeditionary Force, said in late November that while the Anbar insurgency was "withering on the vine," there was work to be done in Anbar to solidify the improvements gained over the last year.
Winslow Wheeler, a defense industry observer and fellow at Washington's Center for Defense Information, said in a telephone interview recently that he agrees there is much to be done in Anbar to fully secure the province.
"Casualties are down, but we don't know if that will hold or for how long," Wheeler said. "The Iraqis still hate us and it's impossible to tell how long the truce will last.
"It's all up to the internal dynamics in Iraq, especially if former insurgent Sunnis and the Shias go up against each other. The Marine Corps has no insulation from that."
Fresh from a trip to Anbar, Marine Commandant Gen. James Conway told reporters in early December its fate is up to Iraqi politicians who need to "fully exploit the breathing room that the surge and tribal activities have brought.
"I can tell you the place is moving forward and it's ripe for economic and political progress."
The Osprey and other gear
When local Marines and sailors begin arriving in Anbar over the next several weeks, they will find better armored vehicles, be wearing lighter flak jackets and have a new generation of mine-resistant vehicles to help protect them from the No. 1 killer ---- roadside bombs.
They also could find themselves flying on the Marine Corps' controversial Osprey, a combination airplane and helicopter that cost more than $20 billion to develop and has a spotty safety record.
The aircraft can carry 24 troops, and, with tilting rotors, lift off and land like a helicopter and fly like an airplane at more than 400 mph.
The first 10 V-22 Ospreys to join the Marine Corps' air fleet were sent to Iraq in October, began flying limited missions in November, and were slated to begin flying combat missions this month.
While Marine commanders are unanimous in their praise for the tilt-rotor aircraft and say it is performing well thus far, others worry it still is not safe. Thirty troops, including 15 locally based Marines, died in a series of Osprey crashes during training flights.
Osprey critics such as Phil Coyle, a senior adviser for the Center for Defense Information, said in a recent interview that he believes the Osprey remains a danger.
"Basically, they are using it as a truck flying from one relatively safe area to another," Coyle said. "But it makes an awfully expensive truck. Considering the long laundry list of problems, to sustain the V-22 in Iraq is going to take a heavy effort on the part of Marine and contractor maintenance personnel. It's going to be an expensive aircraft to support in the field."
Wheeler, Coyle's colleague at the nonpartisan think tank, agreed.
"Right now, they're flying it under the safest possible conditions," Wheeler said. "After 25 years, you think it would be ready for combat."
And it is, according to Marine Corps spokesman Maj. Eric Dent, who in early December said the aircraft would begin flying combat missions.
West also weighed in on the Osprey, saying that he believes Marines will increasingly be asked to respond to hot spots as opposed to conducting patrols and that the Osprey will be key in moving quick-reaction forces to wherever they are needed.
Mattis' departure
After more than a year as commander of the 50,000-strong I Marine Expeditionary Force, one of the most respected generals in the Marine Corps and all the armed services, James Mattis, departed Camp Pendleton in the fall to take a new job as head of Joint Forces Command in Virginia.
The man who helped lead the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq is now responsible for long-range force planning and working with NATO allies. Along the way to that new post, Mattis got a fourth star, becoming one of only a handful of four-star Marine generals.
Lt. Gen. Helland now has Mattis' old job and is responsible for overseeing Marine forces throughout the Middle East as well as serving at the head of the 50,000-strong I Marine Expeditionary Force. Helland said he will travel to Iraq periodically to check on his forces, spending the rest of his time at Camp Pendleton or at the Pentagon.
A former commander of Miramar's 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, Helland began his military career in the Army when he enlisted as a college junior in 1968.
Raised on a farm along with his twin brother, Helland served three years with the Army's Special Forces in Vietnam and was wounded in combat. He went on to join the Marine Corps in 1973 and has served in a variety of jobs, including assistant deputy commandant for aviation commander of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit.
As Helland prepared his forces for their 2008 deployment to Iraq, one of the signs that the military has been at war for years came during predeployment classes for the departing troops.
Now, those classes are taught by combat-seasoned corporals. They instruct not only junior Marines, but also lieutenants, captains and majors in what they can expect and how to conduct various jobs such as roadside checkpoints and safe convoy operation.
Each lesson plan benefits from the experience the junior enlisted men have culled from three or more assignments in Anbar, knowledge earned by the "boots on the ground" who have been at the forefront of the fight in Iraq.
Notable events for the Marine Corps in 2007
January
President Bush orders 21,000 more troops dispatched to Iraq to quell violence in Baghdad and elsewhere. Number climbs to 30,000 based on requests from military commanders in the country.
March
Marine Corps Command Gen. James Conway bans new tattoos below the elbow or knee
May
Conway orders unit-by-unit refresher in ethics and law of war
Marine Corps places order for 1,200 Mine-Resistant, Ambush Protected vehicles, or MRAPs, to help protect troops from roadside bombs; order eventually climbs to 3,700
June
Then-Lt. Gen. James Mattis at Camp Pendleton tells the North County Times in an exclusive interview that the U.S. needs to conduct a meaningful national dialogue to reach a consensus on fighting terrorism. "The problem of violent extremists existed long before 2003, and it is going to exist long after the next presidential election," he said. "We are going to have to confront it and come up with a national policy." Camp Pendleton's 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit goes into Iraq as part of president's escalation of troops
July
Camp Pendleton tells the North County Times in response to inquiry that only 5 of every 1,000 troops suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, a much lower rate than being reported by the U.S. Army
August
Wounded Warrior Battalion activated at Camp Pendleton. Members assist injured Marines and sailors tracking care and recovery
September
Gen. David Petraeus, the top American commander in Iraq, reports to Congress that while progress is being made, the U.S. needs to sustain its troop levels and may have to be there for 10 more years. Petraeus is scheduled to give an update to Congress in March 2008.
October
Controversial V-22 Osprey deployed to Iraq. Combination plane and helicopter took decades to develop and saw 37 Marines lose their lives in training mishaps, including 14 locally based troops. Conway proposes his troops take lead responsibility in Afghanistan and leave Iraq to the U.S. Army. Conway bans wearing camouflage uniforms to conduct errands off base
November
Lt. Gen. Samuel Helland replaces Gen. James Mattis as head of Camp Pendleton's I Marine Expeditionary Force and as commander of Marine Corps forces throughout the Middle East and convening authority over alleged wrongdoing in Iraq and Afghanistan. Marine Corps cuts its order of 3,700 mine-resistant vehicles to 2,300, suggesting improved security in Anbar region and desire not to "weigh down" the force
December
Defense Secretary Robert Gates says the Marine Corps will remain in Iraq for foreseeable future. Osprey slated to begin flying combat missions. 5th Marine Regiment dedicates memorial at Camp Pendleton to 221 troops killed during Iraq war. 11,000 locally-based troops prepare to deploy to Iraq's Anbar province
Contact staff writer Mark Walker at (760) 740-3529 or mlwalker@nctimes.com.
Ellie