The Timeless Realities of Human Conflict
I MEF Focuses on "A Single Integrated Battlespace"
By MICHAEL W. HAGEE
Lt. Gen. Michael W. Hagee is commanding general, I Marine Expeditionary
Force.
The following article provides an overview of Expeditionary Maneuver
Warfare (EMW) and explains how we at I Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF)
organize, train, and equip to ensure we can execute today while evolving
to fulfill the potential that EMW offers our nation.
What makes the EMW concept of the future different? The answer, we
believe, is: (1) our understanding and application of the ideas inherent
in maneuver warfare; (2) our expeditionary nature; (3) our organization
and training; and (4) our methods of deployment and employment.
Expeditionary Maneuver Warfare is the Marine Corps' capstone concept
for the early 21st century. Built on the twin pillars of our philosophy of
maneuver warfare and our expeditionary heritage, EMW prepares the Marine
Corps, as a "total force," to meet the challenges and
opportunities of a rapidly changing world. The EMW concept describes the
enduring characteristics and the evolving capabilities upon which the
Marine Corps will rely to promote peace and stability and to mitigate or
resolve crises as part of a joint force. It focuses our core competencies,
evolving capabilities, and innovative concepts to ensure that the Marine
Corps provides the joint force commander (JFC) with forces optimized for
forward presence, engagement, crisis response, antiterrorism, and
warfighting.
To understand the Marine Corps' philosophy of warfighting requires an
appreciation of the nature of war itself--its moral and physical
characteristics and demands. Our fundamental interpretation of the nature
of war affects our philosophy of warfighting and how I MEF applies that
philosophy in day-to-day operations.
Nature of War
The phenomenon known as war might be defined as a violent
struggle--characterized by chaos, friction, and uncertainty--between two
hostile, independent, irreconcilable wills. What has changed in recent
years is the gradual shift in reliance from the quantitative
characteristics of warfare--mass and volume--to a realization that
qualitative factors such as speed, stealth, precision, and sustainability
have become increasingly important for combat success. In EMW, the Marine
Corps recognizes this evolution. We draw upon the maneuver heritage of the
Corps and our realistic view of warfare to ensure we can deal with the
ever-increasing rate of change inevitable in the 21st century.
Future joint-warfare concepts indicate that discrete air, land, and
naval campaigns are things of the past. Most if not all future fights will
take place in a single integrated battlespace. Fortunately, this draws on
one of the Corps' traditional strengths. As an air-ground team that comes
from the sea, we have been applying the concept for years.
Maneuver warfare acknowledges the timeless realities of human conflict
and does not attempt to redefine war on more humane or less risky terms.
It stresses proactive thought and action, elevating the operational art
beyond the crude simplicity of attrition. It calls for combining
high-tempo operations with a bias for action to achieve
advantage--physical, temporal, or conditional--relative to an adversary.
The aim is to shatter an adversary's cohesion and/or succeed in other
operations by rapid action to mitigate damage or resolve a crisis on
favorable terms. Maneuver warfare encourages decentralized
decision-making, enabling Marines to exploit the chaotic nature of combat
by compressing the decision cycle and engaging enemy forces from positions
of advantage.
As in the past, the key to cogent execution of maneuver warfare in a
rapidly changing, complex, and uncertain environment is the
"Commander's Intent," which recognizes there are two parts to
any mission--the task to be accomplished (what and sometimes when) and the
purpose (the why). By clearly articulating his intent, the commander
provides flexibility for subordinate commanders to react to a changing
tactical situation. Subordinate commanders, knowing the senior commander's
intent, can modify their plans to seize ad hoc opportunities knowing their
actions are in accordance with the senior commander's objective.
Maneuver warfare gives commanders the flexibility needed to operate
within the uncertainty, fog, and friction inherent in any struggle between
thinking, adaptive enemies.
The Expeditionary Culture
For Marines, the term "expeditionary" connotes more than the
mere ability to deploy overseas when needed. Expeditionary is an ethos, a
pervasive mindset that influences all aspects of organizing, training, and
equipping by acknowledging the necessity to adapt to the conditions
mandated by the battlespace. Expeditionary operations typically are
conducted in austere environments--from sea, land, or forward bases--and
will likely require Marines and other naval forces to operate without
reliance on outside or host-nation support. As a tangible representation
of U.S. national interests, forward-deployed and forward-based Marines are
a key element of America's expeditionary forces. From the day recruits
join the Corps they understand that they are going to deploy, and that
they must be mentally and physically ready. This constant state of
readiness to deploy on a moment's notice underscores all that we do in I
MEF.
Marine Corps bases and stations provide direct and indirect support to
Marine Air Ground Task Forces (MAGTFs) and other forward-deployed forces,
and are the means by which Marine forces are formed, trained, and
maintained. Upon receipt of orders to deploy, our operating forces focus
solely on deployment and employment. They know that base and station
personnel will provide the critical infrastructure and support essential
to rapid movement to Air Ports of Debarkation (APODs) and Sea Ports of
Debarkation (SPODs). These bases and stations not only are platforms from
which Marines project expeditionary power but also support the quality of
life of Marines and their families.
Organization and Training
The Corps organizes its operating forces into the aforementioned Marine
Air Ground Task Forces. Each MAGTF, regardless of size, consists of a
command element, a ground combat element, an aviation combat element, and
a combat services support element. In addition, each is supported by what
we consider the fifth element of the MAGTF--the bases and stations that
support the MEF.
The Marine Corps' three Marine Expeditionary Forces, permanently
organized as the largest of the MAGTFs, are the Corps' principal
warfighting organizations. I MEF, like the other two MEFs, is composed of
a MEF Headquarters Group, a Marine Division, a Marine Aircraft Wing, and a
Force Service Support Group (FSSG). We task-organize the 1st Marine
Expeditionary Brigades (MEBs) and our three Marine Expeditionary Units (MEUs)
from these major subordinate commands.
I MEF trains and plans for the commitment of a task-organized force of
over 90,000 Marines and Sailors. The MEF command element is prepared to
integrate with a joint task force (JTF) or functional component, and can
serve as the nucleus of a JTF headquarters. We conduct command-post and
training exercises involving multiple divisions, an aviation combat
element of two or more aircraft wings, and a service support group
tailored to support the force.
1st MEB is optimally scaled and task-organized to respond to a full
range of crises. It consists of a command element (tailored to plug into a
JTF), a regiment as the ground combat element, a Marine Aircraft Group as
the aviation combat element, and a brigade service support group as the
combat service support element--approximately 17,000 Marines and Sailors
total. Strategically deployed via a variety of modes (amphibious shipping
and strategic airlift and sealift) and poised for self-sustaining power
projection, 1st MEB provides a robust sea-based forcible-entry capability.
It uses organic combined-arms and complementary capabilities from the
other services--such as netted sensors, sea-based fires, and advanced mine
countermeasures--to locate, counter, or penetrate vulnerable seams in an
adversary's access-denial systems. The MEB constitutes a multidimensional,
sea-based or land-based, operational "capability in readiness"
that can create its own opportunities or exploit those resulting from the
activities of other components of the joint force. The MEB is ideally
suited for the type of contingencies so prevalent in today's environment.
The MEU SOC (special-operations capable), working in close partnership
with the Navy, will continue to be the on-scene/on-call enabler for
follow-on Marine or other joint forces. Each MEU is built around a
Battalion Landing Team as the ground component, a composite air squadron
(including Harrier jets) as the aviation element, a combat service support
element, and a command element. The MEU (SOC) operates forward-deployed
from the sea, and is unconstrained by regional infrastructure requirements
or restrictions imposed by other nations. Because of its forward presence,
situational awareness, rapid-response planning capability, and organic
sustainment, the MEU (SOC) will continue to be the JFC's immediately
employable combined-arms "force of choice."
I MEF also provides special-purpose MAGTFs to support any mission the
unified commander in chief (CINC) assigns--tailoring those forces to
provide the right mix of personnel and equipment to accomplish the
mission.
I MEF has experience across the entire range of military operations:
fighting as a 90,000-man MEF in Desert Shield/Desert Storm; conducting
disaster relief "from the sea" in Bangladesh; conducting
security operations in Somalia; providing assistance to civil authorities
in Los Angeles; and evacuating noncombatants from Eritrea. In short, I MEF
has repeatedly demonstrated the ability to task-organize for the specific
crisis, successfully execute the mission, and rapidly redeploy home--ready
to go again.
Training
To ensure we are ready to operate across the full range of military
operations, I MEF runs an aggressive training program for the MEUs, MEBs,
and MEFs. The training and certification for our forward-deployed
MEUs-ARGs (amphibious ready groups) are particularly rigorous. This
demanding training enables us to designate our forward-deployed MEUs as
"Special Operations Capable." During a six-month workup period,
I MEF and the Navy's Third Fleet train, test, and certify the ARG-MEU
Team's ability to meet 24 specific missions and conduct amphibious
operations in general.
In the same way that we train and certify MEUs, I MEF now trains and
certifies the 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade. We conduct a series of
annual exercises to ensure 1st MEB is ready to deploy as a Maritime
Prepositioned Force (MPF) or aboard amphibious ships. This annual cycle of
carefully selected events ensures that 1st MEB is ready to deploy--and to
fight immediately upon arrival.
At the MEF level, we use a combination of home-station training and
participation in CINC exercises to ensure the MEF command element is ready
to fight in a Major Theater War (MTW) at the "Corps-level." An
aggressive annual training plan prepares the command element, then
exercises it in the PACOM (U.S. Pacific Command) and CENTCOM (U.S. Central
Command) areas of responsibility.
Of particular importance is the integration and participation of Marine
Reserves in all exercises. I MEF cannot go to war without the Reserves.
Overseas Deployments
MEFs provide CINCs with forces that can rapidly deploy via a variety of
means to quickly provide large, capable forces in-theater. Using a
combination of maritime prepositioned equipment, fly-in forces, amphibious
forces, and sealift, we can rapidly build a task-organized MEF with one or
more combat divisions and an air wing consisting of fighter, attack, and
rotary-wing aircraft.
Our rapid deployment of logistically sustainable forces is supported
not only by the FSSG but also by the Maritime Prepositioning Force (MPF),
which links prepositioned equipment with fly-in forces. Each of the three
MPF squadrons carries the heavy equipment, ammunition, fuel, and supplies
needed to equip and support a 17,000-man MEB for 30 days. Due to the
geographic distribution of our MPS squadrons, most of the world's
littorals are within 10 days' steaming time of at least one of the
squadrons.
Because we regularly practice the offloading and issuing of the MPF
equipment, we can have a full brigade equipped and ready within 8 to 10
days of the squadron's arrival at the port of debarkation. The MEB command
element is robust and ready to plug into the joint communications
architecture. The ground combat element is a reinforced regiment with a
full battalion of M1A1 tanks, two battalions of mechanized infantry in
AAV7s (amphibious assault vehicles), one foot-mobile infantry battalion,
an artillery battalion with five batteries of 155mm howitzers, an
engineering company, and components of a light armored reconnaissance
battalion.
The MEB also has a Marine Air Group that provides exceptional strike
capability in the form of three F-18 Hornet squadrons, one AV-8 Harrier
squadron, and one light attack helicopter squadron. The MAG has
significant assault support capability in a medium-lift squadron and a
heavy-lift squadron, and has other support aircraft in the form of KC-130s
and EA-6Bs.
Current and Future Missions
Today, we use MAGTFs to conduct forward-presence, engagement,
crisis-response, antiterrorism, and warfighting missions. I MEF's
day-to-day forward presence is provided by the MEUs embarked on Navy
amphibious ships. These relatively small (2,400 Marines) but highly
capable combined-arms MAGTFs give the nation a highly responsive
forward-deployed force. They are self-sustaining, self-contained,
unconstrained by regional infrastructure requirements, and free to use any
international waters without negotiation.
Engagement missions are carried out not only by the forward-deployed
MEUs but also by special-purpose (SP) MAGTFs and elements of the MEB and
MEF that participate in host-nation exercises such as Ulchi Focus Lens,
Internal Look, Bright Star, Natural Fire, and others. Depending on the
situation, crisis-response and warfighting missions can be conducted by
any of our MAGTFs.
The forward-deployed MEUs provide an immediate highly capable response
force. For a larger crisis, we can rapidly commit either the MEB or the
MEF. We are prepared to respond with forces as small as a SPMAGTF of a few
hundred Marines or a much larger wartime Marine Expeditionary Force of
over 90,000 Marines and Sailors.
Innovation has long been a hallmark of the Marine Corps. From
developing the concept of amphibious warfare between World Wars I and II,
to the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade's pioneering use of helicopters
during combat in Korea, to the use of maritime prepositioning in Desert
Shield/Desert Storm, Marines have a demonstrated heritage of innovation.
Marines also have aggressively developed and employed new technologies
that contribute to success in combat. EMW provides a philosophical basis
to continue the Corps' transformation. The key to our approach is an
understanding that, while the underlying nature of war will not change,
how it is fought will continually evolve. Through aggressive and flexible
training we empower our Marines with new technologies in order to combat
the evolving threat.
In the short term, three major acquisitions will greatly enhance our
operational reach--the MV-22 Osprey, the Advanced Amphibious Assault
Vehicle, and the LCAC (landing craft, air cushion) service-life extension
program. In the future, we look to the joint strike fighter to continue
the fixed-wing support that is essential to the single-battlespace
concept. The Marine Corps has been working to develop the doctrine,
tactics, techniques, and procedures needed to most usefully employ the
exceptional capabilities these systems provide.
A Vision for Tomorrow
As the Navy/Marine operational team on the West Coast, I MEF and the
Third Fleet are working closely with the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab, the
Navy's Maritime Battle Lab, and various advanced concept technology
demonstrations in a continuing series of experiments to improve our common
operational picture. In addition to conducting formal experiments, Third
Fleet and I MEF are working to improve our tactics, techniques, and
procedures to most effectively use the improved command suites on today's
amphibious ships.
I MEF also is exploring methods of interoperability and connectivity
that will allow improved linkage to national assets. Commanders and key
staff members will always need to be forward-deployed to get a
"feel" for the fight; however, many elements of the staff should
be able to work effectively from remote locations--thereby reducing both
the logistical footprint and the force-protection assets needed to sustain
a large command element. In partnership with our Navy teammates, we are
experimenting and testing to see what works best.
In short, expeditionary maneuver warfare focuses our warfighting
concepts toward realizing the Marine Corps "Strategy 21" vision
of future Marine forces with enhanced expeditionary power-projection
capabilities. It links Marine Corps concepts and visions for integration
with emerging joint concepts, and continues the Marine Corps history of
innovation.
In I MEF, we continue the tradition of innovation and provide training
that encourages decision-making at the lowest level. We are confident this
combination of innovation and training provides us with the individual and
organizational flexibility to ensure that I MEF forces remain ready,
relevant, and fully capable of supporting future missions across the full
range of military operations. *
|
