A Tremendous Pool of Talent
MFR Is "Ready, Willing, and Able"
By ARTHUR P. BRILL JR.
Arthur P. Brill is a frequent contributor to Sea Power.
The first Marine casualty in the war against terrorism occurred far from Afghanistan. Cpl. Sean Patrick Tallon, 26, a Marine Corps reservist, was a New York City firefighter from Ladder Company 10. Proud of the Corps and his Irish heritage, Tallon entered the lobby of Tower 1 of the World Trade Center (WTC) on 11 September. Discovering that the elevator was not working, Tallon took a last hike up to the 35th floor before the building collapsed. To the dismay of his family, Marine buddies, and fellow firefighters, he is among the hundreds of New York City police and firefighters lost in the attack.
Tallon was a member of the anti-armor platoon of the 2nd Battalion, 25th Marines, a Reserve infantry unit based in Garden City, N.Y., that was activated in December. The Iona College graduate, with a degree in criminology, was typical of the bright and talented citizen-Marines serving in today's Marine Corps Reserve.
"It's eye-watering to see the quality of these young folks," said Lt. Gen. Dennis M. McCarthy, Marine Forces Reserve commander, headquartered in New Orleans, La.
People: The Real Strength
The real strength of the Marine Corps Reserve is its people. Of the 39,558 Marines in 289 drilling units at 185 sites in 47 states, approximately 99 percent of the officers and 35 percent of the enlisted personnel have prior service with four or more years of active duty. These experienced Marines generally enter the Reserves as corporals or sergeants. The other 65 percent are all volunteers, like Tallon. They attend boot camp and receive some specialty training before reporting to their Reserve units. About 40 percent are college students.
"These kids absorb the training very well," said McCarthy. "They are generally older than active-duty Marines, and many of them stay with the same Reserve unit for four years. That really develops a cohesive relationship."
On 11 September, McCarthy was attending a meeting of the Reserve Forces Policy Board at the Army-Navy Country Club in Arlington, Va. (American Airlines Flight 77 flew overhead on its way to striking the nearby Pentagon.) The meeting had just started when a young airman slipped a note to the person sitting next to McCarthy, reporting that an aircraft had flown into the first WTC tower. There were no other details, so the audience of 75 focused on the speaker. A few minutes later, the same airman came into the room with tears streaming down her face. Her note reported the second WTC attack. At the same time, beepers and cell phones began ringing, and people started leaving the room. Meanwhile, the puzzled speaker continued to deliver his talk, unaware that the nation was being attacked.
McCarthy drove through dense traffic to the Marine base at Quantico, Va., which he knew possessed superior communications capabilities. Special security measures were established at the Marine Reserve training centers throughout the United States and, like U.S. military personnel everywhere, Marine reservists stood on alert waiting for orders.
The call to action came soon. Late that afternoon, several F/A-18A Hornet aircraft from Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA)-321, a Reserve unit based at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., just outside of Washington, D.C., flew protective combat air patrol missions. The "Hell's Angels" of VMFA-321 are part of the regular airborne rotation that had been established to defend the nation's capital until the Air National Guard could assume responsibility for the mission. The squadron is one of four Marine Reserve F/A-18A units currently being upgraded with systems capabilities comparable to those of the more advanced F/A-18C model.
"Marine air is a lot more flexible because we have ready and capable aviation reserves," said Lt. Gen. William L. Nyland, deputy commandant for Marine aviation.
The day after the attack, a reserve aircraft whisked McCarthy back to his headquarters in Louisiana. New Orleans also is home to the commanding generals of the 32,000 Marines who comprise the reserve air, ground, and logistics team that equates roughly to one of the Corps' three active Marine Expeditionary Forces (MEFs). Inspired by the performance of the 31,172 Marine reservists who were activated during the Gulf War, the Marine Corps has pushed the "total force" concept ever since. The result has been a seamless integration of active and reserve forces.
Seamless Integration
"The word 'seamless' is overused, but we use it here for good reason. That's really what we are," said McCarthy. "We are shooting to have one standard for active-duty and reserve Marines."
When he took command last June, McCarthy was the second three-star general officer to head Marine Forces Reserves (MFR). The three-star status was another step in the evolutionary effort to put MFR on an equal footing with the Corps' two active-force commands in Norfolk, Va., and in Hawaii.
"Our number-one mission is to augment and reinforce the active component," said McCarthy.
A Marine Expeditionary Force is included in every major U.S. war plan, and Marine Reserve units also are factored into those plans. The underlying idea is to insert the Reserve air, ground, and support units into one or more of the three active MEFs. Reserve commanders know their wartime assignments, and they communicate and try to train regularly with the active units they will be joining in times of crisis. While some reservists will backfill for active personnel, most Marine Reserve units will go to war as an integral component of the active units. The Reserve's 12 busy air squadrons and some ground units probably could fight immediately. Most infantry and other units, though, probably would need two to four weeks of training to fine-tune their personnel before shipping overseas.
"The Marine Corps could not go to war today without the Reserves," said Maj. Gen. James E. Livingston in 1995 when he had McCarthy's job. "They have a lot of capability."
Today's Reserves provide 50 percent of the Corps' tank battalions and force reconnaissance, 40 percent of its aerial refueling, 33 percent of its artillery and F/A-18 fighter/attack aircraft, 27 percent of its infantry regiments, 25 percent of its engineer support, 18 percent of its helicopters, and all of its civil affairs capabilities.
Reserves also are cost-effective. McCarthy's fiscal year 2002 budget of $607.3 million is only 6 percent of the total Marine Corps budget, yet it provides nearly 20 percent of the Marine Corps' current fighting force of 216,000 personnel. Reserves cost generally one-fourth to one-half as much as regulars.
"There is no plan to employ an exclusive Reserve MAGTF (Marine air ground task force), said McCarthy, who said he is satisfied with the equipment his Reserves now have, as well as their place in the pipeline. "My Marines are prepared, trained, and equipped to go with the active-duty units."
A Marathon War
Reserves participate in all of the Corps' major active exercises around the globe. On 11 September, camouflage-faced force reconnaissance Marines from a Reserve company in Billings, Mont., were patrolling, clearing buildings, and parachuting into Bulgaria during a "Partnership for Peace" exercise with the forces of 25 other nations.
This year, a Reserve combat engineer battalion will participate in the same multinational exercise. Numerous other MFR units also are scheduled to train overseas.
Marine Reservists also will continue to relieve the operational tempo for active units. For example, UNITAS--a decades-old five-month annual U.S. Navy training and goodwill deployment around South America--will be an exclusively Marine Reserve undertaking this year. Reserve civil affairs Marines will again operate in Kosovo, and two Reserve rifle platoons are guarding the fenceline at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (see box).
"We are going to use Reserves, but in the right way," said Lt. Gen. Emil R. Bedard, deputy commandant for plans, policy, and operations. "We don't want to burn them out too early. This war is a marathon, not a sprint."
Although authorized by President Bush last September to mobilize up to 7,500 Marines, only about 2,440 Marine reservists had been called to active duty as of early January. Initially, the call-ups were individual reservists, but the requests for both big and small units are increasing.
Thus far, an infantry battalion from the East Coast and several small specialized units (in civil affairs and intelligence, and a command group) also have been activated. More are coming.
The Marine Corps Reserve is essentially a 100,000-person force, with 39,558 drilling in units and 60,000 Individual Ready Reservists (IRRs) who are subject to recall. The latter are Marines who have completed active duty, but have a Reserve obligation of up to two years. During the Gulf War, the Corps called up about 7,500 IRR Marines--more than any other service. About 98 percent of them reported.
"The Marine Corps sees the IRR differently than the other services [do]," said McCarthy. "To us, those 60,000 Marines are a mobilization asset and a tremendous pool of talent."
The Marine Corps is a young force, the youngest of all the nation's armed services, but 30,000 Marines leave active duty every year. The Corps manages its IRRs with the expectation that it might need them on short notice. A Reserve command in Kansas City, Mo., communicates with IRR Marines during their two-year Reserve obligation. Some attend mobilization drills, but not all. Nonetheless, when activated for a real-world crisis, it does not take these young Marines long to get reacclimated to military life.
MFR set up a website after 11 September to identify those members of the IRR who said they were willing to be recalled. Thus far, most of the 1,340 Marines called to fill individual billets were selected from that database. Eventually, though, the list of volunteers will run out, and reservists will be recalled involuntarily by mailgram. McCarthy knows they will show up.
Generally, the individual Marines recalled have specific technical and language skills that are needed immediately. Others can provide security or augment the overworked staffs of active units. The load on Marine staffs has soared since the war on terrorism began. Command centers are manned around the clock, and the Corps also must provide more liaison officers to joint commands.
"The war on terrorism reminds everybody why we exist," said McCarthy. "The reason we train is not an end to itself, but to be ready for something like this."
A "Go-To" Force
When McCarthy took command last June he told his Marines he wanted them to be "ready, willing, and able." The 289 Marine Reserve units around the country are a natural "go-to" force if there are additional terrorist attacks against the United States. A small MFR command-and-control unit works with each Federal Emergency Management Agency regional office. If called, Reserve Marines could start flowing to a stricken area immediately. Once special needs are determined, a MAGTF could quickly be formed that would include security, medical, dental, engineering, and logistics personnel.
"Homeland security is a natural as long as it does not take away from our number-one mission," said McCarthy.
The new 5,000-Marine antiterrorism (AT) brigade at Camp Lejeune, N.C., is now the Corps' premier AT force for missions not only in the United States but overseas as well. It consists of specialty units specifically trained and equipped for AT operations. Among them are FAST (fleet antiterrorism security team) units and AT companies, to provide security, and the Corps-unique Chemical Biological Incident Response Force, which detects, monitors, and decontaminates biological and chemical agents.
"In light of the new threat and the need to produce a robust force for war, we will continue to evaluate ... [to determine] if we are organized properly," said Lt. Gen. Garry L. Parks, deputy commandant for manpower and reserve affairs.
Marine Commandant Gen. James L. Jones asked McCarthy last summer to complete a comprehensive review of the Marine Reserves. McCarthy has proposed some changes that will promote closer MFR affiliation with the MEFs. The Reserves also see the possibility of some new missions. "We have some skills and things we can offer the ... [active-duty] Marine Corps," said McCarthy.
Jones said he wants a company in every active and Reserve infantry battalion to be AT-trained. The formation of a Reserve AT battalion is a possibility down the road, after the AT brigade proves itself. The Reserves also could form a "reachback" unit composed of people with security and other AT expertise that could be called upon on short notice.
Of note, the new AT brigade is commanded by a Reserve officer, Brig. Gen. Douglas V. O'Dell Jr. His selection to lead the command demonstrates the "seamless" acceptance of Reserves today. O'Dell is one of six Marine Reserve general officers serving on active duty. Replacing active-duty units with reservists is no longer news.
The Reserve infantry battalion activated last month from Garden City, N.Y., was assigned to Camp Lejeune to fill in for the active unit assigned last fall to serve as O'Dell's AT infantry battalion. The AT brigade's homeland-defense role is still evolving, though. Because terrorist attacks are instantaneous "no-notice" incidents, the Marine reservists nearest the scene are sure to be involved.
"We are more than willing to play a supporting role to the AT brigade," said McCarthy. "After seeing what happened in New York City, if there is a major terrorist attack, the battlefield won't be too crowded." *
Capt. Michael C. Cochran, 32, joined the Marine Corps Reserve after 11 September. He wanted to do his part in defending the country. Cochran, who earned an MBA degree from Texas A&M University, started a new civilian job last May in Diboll, Texas, after serving six years as a Marine infantry officer. He had no idea his new rifle company--in Bossier City, La. (near Shreveport)--would be one of the first Marine Reserve units activated. His 49-Marine rifle platoon is now guarding the fenceline at the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
"Our deployment was a pleasant surprise," said Cochran, a bachelor whose Reserve pay is subsidized by his employer, Temple Inland. He worries about the married Marines in his company who work for less generous employers. "I had a helpless feeling after the attack. We're doing something tangible here."
Marine Reserve units are picking up the commitments of active units needed elsewhere in the war against terrorism. Reserves also are being used on Marine bases in the stepped-up, manpower-intensive "force-protection" role. Two Reserve platoons deployed on 6 November to relieve two highly prized active duty Marine FAST (fleet antiterrorism security team) platoons doing security duty at "Gitmo."
"This was the last thing my Marines expected," said Cochran, who is on his first deployment with fellow reservists. "It's remarkable how positive they are," he told Sea Power. "They are also smart, quick learners, and improve daily. I'm hard-pressed to see any difference ... [from] active-duty Marines."
Before deploying, Cochran's Marines qualified with weapons, received tan belts in martial arts, were inoculated, and trained for two weeks in Texas. In Cuba, they received three more weeks of security training before relieving the FAST platoons. Each Reserve platoon serves one week on the fenceline, then one week of other duties. The Marines live in modern barracks, two men per room, on "Marine Hill." They are restricted to a sunny base with few women--but have cable TV, email access, and refrigerators available as well as world-class snorkeling and other recreational activities.
On Christmas day, the platoon played football and held an outdoor cookout in 85-degree weather. "After a week on the line, I have a tired platoon with bloodshot eyes. I try to balance their offtime with rest and needed training," Cochran said. "Because Christmas is a day for family, we spent it together."
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