A Strange Anti-Terror Operation

In October 2004, a company-sized unit was set up in Afghanistan. It was composed of a SEAL squadron and a small Marine unit called the Marine Corps Detachment. That detachment was composed of four 6-man recon teams, a recon headquarters element, an intelligence element with capabilities in signals and human intelligence (HUMIT), a sophisticated communications suite, a headquarters component with artillery and naval gunfire liaison officers, forward air controllers, and radiomen. The medical support element was staffed with five senior Navy corpsmen. The unit was under the command of a Marine Corps Lt. Colonel, and was composed mostly of experienced NCOs. Most of them had at least 5 years’ experience in a Marine reconnaissance unit. The unit had been trained for 6 months at Camp Pendleton, before being sent to Afghanistan. The strange Marine detachment represented yet another attempt of the Marine Corps to form their own special forces group for anti-terror operations. So far, Marine Corps units have not fit into US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) in either a special ops or anti-terror role. Although the Marines have a sorry record for combat performance, going back 45 years to Vietnam, they are arrogant, selfish, and hard to get along with.

The Marine Corps declined to become a supporting service component of SOCOM in 1986. They thought they could build their own special forces group within the Marine Corps. Every Marine attempt to form an elite unit has failed. All they can actually do is make amphibious landings and assaults. They do not have the temperament or flexibility of intellect to carry out special warfare operations.

The unit in question, which spent an entire year forming and training, was soon thereafter disbanded. They went on a couple of operations, with a SEAL detachment, that were not productive.

Today, America’s special operations forces stands at about 50,000 men. About 16,000 of them are shooters, men capable of ground special operations. For a limited time, about 5,000 of those can be deployed in the field at any one time. So, there are usually about 5,300 operators on deployment with perhaps 4,000 of those at the tip of the spear in Afghanistan and Iraq.

There are 2,000 Navy SEALs on active duty, which includes training cadres, and command and staff units. Five hundred trained SEAL operators are deployed at any one time.

Special Operations now obtains only about $7 billion of the $400+ billion of the defense budget. Yet, Special Operations forces are the most effective and combat deployed units in the US Armed Forces. Their size should be doubled, and their funding, likewise. At least three battalions of commandos should be formed, along with two new Army Special Forces groups.

Have you ever wondered why US Army Special Forces troops are so effective?
In a business where experience counts, the average age of a special forces soldier is 32. The average age of SEAL and Delta Force troopers is somewhere in the 20s. Average age of Marine and other conventional forces is in the late teens and early 20s.

Learn about the skills needed in Special Operations by reading any of the QuikManeuvers books discussing and analyzing historical accounts of training and skill assessment. For example, one of the newest books is Death by Precision Fire, a great read about German WW2 Snipers.