Newly established MARSOC Intelligence Battalion gets new commander

[CQB0316]

6/21/2010 By Sgt. Matt Lyman, Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command


MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — Col. Nicholas Vavich relinquished command of the newly activated U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Special Operations Command Intelligence Battalion, to Lt. Col. Vernon Williams during a change of command ceremony at the MARSOC headquarters building here, May 21.
The transition of the MIB from a company to a battalion was the culmination of a three year mission, marshaled by former MARSOC commander Lieutenant General Dennis Hejlik who saw the merit in expanding the size of the MARSOC intelligence assets. The mission of the MIB will be to train, sustain, maintain combat readiness, and provide intelligence support at all operational levels in order to support Marine Special Operations Forces training and operations worldwide with mission-specific intelligence capability.
In summer 2007, Vavich reported to the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command, Camp Lejeune where he served as the G-2 Operations Officer until June 2009.
During his tenure, Vavich was the commanding officer of MARSOC Intelligence Company prior to it becoming the MIB. Vavich’s new assignment is the Inspector and Instructor of Intelligence Support Battalion, Marine Forces Reserve.
“What I have found most rewarding is being with a group of Marines who are grounded in the Marine Air Ground Task Force and bringing that and our Marine ethos and esprit into the special operations forces environment. After three years in MARSOC the highlight for me has been to watch this command grow, evolve, and mature into a very competent and capable addition to Special Operations Command,” stated Vavich.
“A lot of hard work by many people throughout the component, with input and lessons learned from multiple deployments, has gone into vastly improving our intelligence training. MARSOC Intelligence Battalion has taken a number of intelligence Military Occupational Specialties and cross-trained them, producing hybrid intelligence Marines who not only understand operations but who also fully understand how they support the other intelligence disciplines. There are no "one-trick ponies" here,” elaborated Vavich.
Taking the helm at the MIB is Lt. Col. Vernon Williams who comes to MARSOC from an assignment as a Team Lead in U.S. Special Operations Command's Inter-Agency Task Force's Counter Facilitation Team at MacDill Air Force Base.
“I intend to build on the solid foundation Lt. Col. Vavich and the team have established. A lot of great Marines and solid intelligence professionals have put a lot of thought and work into getting us where we are now. We've got a lot of growing to do, and we need to focus on building the battalion right and expanding our thinking along with our size,” explained Williams. “We need to ensure we're ready to adapt to whatever the command, the community, and the nation need us to do in the future.”

http://www.marines.mil/unit/marsoc/P...-M-MIBCOC.aspx

[SgtHMH]

With respect Marine, read what you wrote ? You gave out alot of info of a special Command over the internet and names and places. Also locations of said places of some of concern. Don't you think some of these Taliban and others read these sites and write down this type of info. This is called loose lips sink ships, also get grids for motor attacks. Also can hear and talk on radios and use such info. It seems mondam but it could happen in this day of internet.

Semper Fi

[CQB0316]

Its all over the internet. A simple google search brought up the article

[1stRad2671]

With respect Marine, read what you wrote ? You gave out alot of info of a special Command over the internet and names and places. Also locations of said places of some of concern. Don't you think some of these Taliban and others read these sites and write down this type of info. This is called loose lips sink ships, also get grids for motor attacks. Also can hear and talk on radios and use such info. It seems mondam but it could happen in this day of internet.

Semper Fi

It's called a press release. And there's nothing special about that info.

[gwamo1]

With respect Marine, read what you wrote ? You gave out alot of info of a special Command over the internet and names and places. Also locations of said places of some of concern. Don't you think some of these Taliban and others read these sites and write down this type of info. This is called loose lips sink ships, also get grids for motor attacks. Also can hear and talk on radios and use such info. It seems mondam but it could happen in this day of internet.

Semper Fi

Epic fail.

[AAV Crewchief]

With respect Marine, read what you wrote ? You gave out alot of info of a special Command over the internet and names and places. Also locations of said places of some of concern. Don't you think some of these Taliban and others read these sites and write down this type of info. This is called loose lips sink ships, also get grids for motor attacks. Also can hear and talk on radios and use such info. It seems mondam but it could happen in this day of internet.

Semper Fi

If you don't think the DIRKA DIRKAs don't already know, you're goofy.

[Danny C Smith]

As Homer would say.

DOOOOOOp!!!

[Supersquishy]

I saw some of the new buildings for MARSOC on Camp Lejeune yesterday, pretty snazzy! Ninjas up!!

[Garyius]

You remind me a lot of the idiot officers who thought that playing 'hide the ball' with us about deployment dates was a cool thing to do. We always ended up asking the mamasan because all the base employees knew everything.

With respect Marine, read what you wrote ? You gave out alot of info of a special Command over the internet and names and places. Also locations of said places of some of concern. Don't you think some of these Taliban and others read these sites and write down this type of info. This is called loose lips sink ships, also get grids for motor attacks. Also can hear and talk on radios and use such info. It seems mondam but it could happen in this day of internet.

Semper Fi

[Ramadi01]

Wow

[Bdchi1]

Ramadi01 -- Out of part ignorance and part curiousity, why does your tag read Silent,Swift,Deadly versus what I thought was Swift, Silent, Deadly?

Is this a play on motto's that you hard chargers use(d).

S/F

[0231Marine]

With respect Marine, read what you wrote ? You gave out alot of info of a special Command over the internet and names and places. Also locations of said places of some of concern. Don't you think some of these Taliban and others read these sites and write down this type of info. This is called loose lips sink ships, also get grids for motor attacks. Also can hear and talk on radios and use such info. It seems mondam but it could happen in this day of internet.

Semper Fi

Holy Hell...LMAO!

Perhaps someone should pay attention to what they're reading and notice that it was an open source report to begin with. There was nothing classified about that message...except for maybe the "motor" attacks. Haven't ever heard of those but they sound dangerous.