United States Marine Corps Organization and Missions

At the beginning of fiscal year 2007, the U.S. Marine Corps was in the thick of it. Approximately 23,000 Marines (about 15 percent of the force) are deployed to Iraq, mostly in the western province of Al Anbar. I Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward), headquartered at Camp Fallujah, included Regimental Combat Teams Five and Seven, as well as Third Marine Air Wing, based at Al Asad.

Another 4,000 Marines, from various units, are deployed throughout the area of responsibility of the U.S. Central Command, including East Africa. The Marine component of Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa is based at Marine Corps Camp Lemonier, Djibouti.

Since the wars began in Afghanistan and Iraq, in 2001 and 2003, respectively, Marine Corps activity has been at its highest level since Vietnam. While participating, and in some cases leading, major combat and stabilization operations across southern Asia, the Marine Corps also has continued its traditional missions, deploying with the U.S. Navy’s Expeditionary Strike Groups and securing U.S. diplomatic missions worldwide. More than 1,200 Marines serve as security forces at approximately 130 U.S. embassies and consulates in 117 countries.

The current tempo of deployment and operations has not come without cost. Since 2003, more than 800 Marines have been killed — in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) combined — and more than 6,400 wounded in combat, mostly in OIF.

As high as the human cost has been, the wars also have taken a toll on the Marine Corps’ equipment. According to the Lexington Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, 40 percent of the Marine Corps’ ground combat equipment (including tanks and other armored vehicles) and 20 percent of the service’s aircraft were committed to operations in Iraq. The Marines are wearing out their equipment at about nine times the normal rate, in miles driven and hours flown.

“Resetting and recovering the force will be expensive,” according to a report the Lexington Institute published last summer. “The cost of restoring the Marines’ ground and aviation equipment to its pre-Iraq level, as of the summer of 2006, will require $12 billion plus an additional $5 billion for each year the Marines remain in Iraq.”

Led by Gen. James T. Conway, 34th commandant of the Marine Corps, the service’s leadership recognizes the daunting challenge of reconstituting its war-weary force.

“Overall, our current equipment readiness is good among the units deployed to Iraq; a testament to the young men and women who are taking care of their gear in severe conditions,” Conway told the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee during his nomination hearing last summer. “As a former MEF (Marine Expeditionary Force) commander and director for operations during OIF, I am cognizant of the wear and tear we have put on our gear.

“We need to be honest with ourselves and the taxpayer on what it will take to properly reestablish our readiness. We must ensure that our material requirements are validated and resourced in order to ‘reset’ the force for both near- and long-term readiness.”

Conway told senators that his priorities include fighting and winning what he calls the “Long War,” and resetting and modernizing the force. At the same time, he plans to address former Commandant Gen. Michael W. Hagee’s call for expanding the force from 175,000 Marines to 180,000.

Legacy

The Marine Corps traces its origin to 1775, when the Second Continental Congress raised two battalions of Marines for service during the American Revolution. The U.S. Marine Corps officially was established much later, in 1798, during a period of conflict with Mediterranean pirates and France. Since that time, Marines have distinguished themselves in war — at the battles of Belleau Wood in World War I, Iwo Jima in World War II, the Chosin Reservoir in Korea and Khe Sanh in Vietnam — and have become the nation’s on-call, rapid-reaction force.

The Commandant of the Marine Corps

The commandant is the service’s highest uniformed official, under the secretary of the Navy, reporting to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on equal footing with the chief of naval operations. The commandant is responsible for the plans, policy, programs and resources that affect the Marine Corps and its components.

Conway, a career infantry officer with experience in combating terrorism, has held company-grade commands with the First and Second Marine Divisions. He has taught tactics and commanded at The Basic School. During Operation Desert Shield/Storm, 1990-91, Conway led Battalion Landing Team 3/2.

From 2002-04, he commanded I MEF during two combat tours in Iraq. Most recently, Conway served as director of operations on the Joint Staff at the Pentagon.

Combat command has given Conway insight into the challenge of rigorously examining basic unit requirements in light of operational experience. He has called for a “disciplined assessment of materiel degradation.” With the Marine Corps’ tradition of making the most of its dollars to deliver effective capabilities across the operational spectrum — from humanitarian aid to combat — Conway likely will be a prudent steward of his scarce resources.

In his role as policy-maker for the Corps, Conway’s operational experience also brings a renewed focus on the unique capabilities that expeditionary Marine forces bring to the joint community. Not focused solely on the land and air operating domains of the typical Marine Air-Ground Task Force, he also will work to shape more broadly defined naval capabilities.

“I will be working with my naval partner, the chief of naval operations [Adm. Mike Mullen], to design and build tomorrow’s fleet,” Conway told the Senate Armed Services Committee. “My expectation is that the next two decades will place a premium on flexible and mobile sea-based maneuver.”

Together, the sea services are developing new maritime strategies that will characterize naval operations in the decades to come. Both Conway and Mullen have stressed the importance of sea-based operations.

According to Conway, the greatest challenge sea basing presents to the fleet is having sufficient ships “to enable strategic deployment and operational employment of a credible and sustainable sea-based force.”

The Marine Corps is working with the Navy to design and develop the next generation of amphibious lift and equipment prepositioning ships. Notably, the director of the Navy’s expeditionary warfare requirements division — which has input into the acquisition of sea-based and expeditionary ships — is Marine Maj. Gen. Thomas A. Benes.

For the Marine Corps, sea basing also means renewing the service’s doctrine of “Operational Maneuver from the Sea,” in light of the demands of the ongoing war.

“In a world of uncertainty, we should exploit the global commons and maneuver at sea for advantage ashore,” Conway said.

Building upon the sea services’ unique capabilities for decisive maneuver throughout the littoral, and the Marines’ demonstrated ability to sustain lengthy operations ashore, Conway wants to continue his force’s evolution to meet new requirements, including homeland security and counterterrorism.

The Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF)

Modern Marine operational units are structured as MAGTFs, which are scalable organizations that include a ground combat element, an air combat element, a command-and-control element and a combat service support, or logistics, element.

The largest MAGTFs are the three MEFs, including 20,000-90,000 Marines equipped with 60 days’ supply, when deployed. The MEF’s combat forces include the ground combat elements of Marine divisions, and the air combat element of Marine air wings — of which there are three each in active service and one in reserve.

The Marine Expeditionary Brigade is a MAGTF with 3,000-20,000 Marines, with 30 days’ supply.

The smallest MAGTF is the Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), with 1,500-3,000 Marines. An MEU is the typical deployed formation embarked aboard the amphibious ships of a Navy Expeditionary Strike Group. The MEU carries out missions ranging from major theater warfare and peacekeeping to security and stability operations. Commanded by a colonel, the MEU specializes in amphibious warfare capabilities and carries aboard ships approximately 15 days’ supply.

Dependent upon the size of the force in question, the ground combat element of a deploying MAGTF may include infantry, engineers, reconnaissance and headquarters units; field artillery; tanks; light armored vehicles and amphibious assault vehicles.

A typical air combat element includes the aviators and support personnel for Reinforced Helicopter Squadrons, including both fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft. Marine Corps aviators fly a variety of aircraft, including F/A-18A+/C/D strike fighters, AV-8B short take-off/vertical landing fighters, CH-46 medium-lift helicopters, CH-53 heavy-lift helicopters, and UH-1 and AH-1 utility/attack helicopters. An air combat element also may include EA-6B Prowler electronic warfare aircraft and KC-130 tanker/transports.

U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Special Operations Command (MARSOC)

During 2006, the most significant development in the evolution of the force was the establishment of a new, elite unit: MARSOC, led by Brig. Gen. Dennis J. Hejlik.

Headquartered at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C., MARSOC comprises 2,600 personnel from the Marine Corps and the U.S. Navy, manning 24 foreign military training units for deployment throughout the world. A core mission of the Marine special forces is to train allied militaries in special tactics, techniques and procedures, freeing other Special Operations Command units (Army, Navy and Air Force) for other missions. The combat edge of the MARSOC battalion is sharpened by its four special operations companies, which emphasize force reconnaissance capability, a Marine warfighting specialty.

Major Commands

Marine Corps Forces Command (MARFORCOM)/ U.S. Marine Corps Forces Atlantic

Headquartered at Naval Base Norfolk, Va., and commanded by Lt. Gen. Robert R. Blackman Jr., MARFORCOM is one of three major Marine Corps commands (along with U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific, and U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Reserve). These commands provide, train and equip operating forces for the fleet and joint combatant commands.

The combat element of MARFORCOM is II MEF, headquartered at Camp Lejeune, N.C., and commanded by Lt. Gen. Keith J. Stalder. II MEF is composed of about 45,000 personnel from the 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Force Service Support Group and 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing.

U.S. Marine Corps Forces Pacific (MARFORPAC)

The largest field command in the Marine Corps, MARFORPAC is based at Camp Smith, Hawaii, and is led by Lt. Gen. John F. Goodman. MARFORPAC also serves as the Marine Corps component of U.S. Central Command. The combat element of MARFORPAC includes I MEF, headquartered at Camp Pendleton, Calif., and commanded by Lt. Gen. James N. Mattis. Additionally, III MEF is forward-deployed at Okinawa, Japan, and is commanded by Lt. Gen. Joseph F. Weber.

U.S. Marine Corps Forces Reserve (MARFORRES)

Led by Lt. Gen. John W. Bergman, the reserves include the Fourth Marine Division, the Fourth Marine Air Wing and the Fourth Service Support Group. MARFORRES augment and reinforce active-component Marine units and provide Marines for the U.S. Northern Command, which is the Defense Department’s organization charged with homeland defense. MARFORRES units have served multiple combat tours in Iraq and elsewhere in Central Command.

Marine Corps Combat Development Command (MCCDC)

Headquartered at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., MCCDC is responsible for improving and integrating new warfighting capabilities for deploying forces. Lt. Gen. James F. Amos commands MCCDC, which includes directorates for operations analysis and capabilities development.

MCCDC’s analysis directorate analyzes operations and makes recommendations to service leadership on alternative concepts, plans, programs, and related policy and acquisition decisions. The capabilities directorate is responsible for the integration of new platforms, weapon systems and equipment across the Marine Corps.

Also associated with MCCDC is the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory, the hub of the service’s science and technology. Led by Brig. Gen. Randolph D. Alles, who also serves as vice chief, Office of Naval Research, the lab explores advanced concepts and technologies, including weapons, munitions and sensors; unmanned vehicles; communications and combat medical treatment.

Marine Corps Systems Command (MARCORSYSCOM)

Maj. Gen. Michael M. Brogan leads the service’s acquisition organization, which is responsible for managing and maintaining the programs that acquire Marines’ vehicles, weapons and equipment. Headquartered at Quantico, the systems command includes more than 1,600 personnel based across the United States.

The civilians and Marines of MARCORSYSCOM manage a portfolio of programs, including command and control, communications, infantry weapons, armor and fire support, engineer systems and combat support. With an average annual budget of $1.6 billion, MARCORSYSCOM’s budget has grown to as high as $8 billion, including wartime supplemental appropriations.