The 4th Marine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB) was reactivated 29 October at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Shortly after the attacks on 11 September, the Commandant of the Marine Corps, General James L. Jones, directed its designation as an antiterrorism organization within Marine Corps Forces Atlantic.
The mission of the 4th MEB (AT) is: "to provide designated supported commanders with rapidly deployable, specially trained, and sustainable forces that are capable of detecting terrorism, conducting activities to deter terrorism, defending designated facilities against terrorism, and conducting initial incidence response in the event of chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear terrorist attacks worldwide." Under the command of Brigadier General Douglas V. O'Dell Jr., the unit is organized, trained, and equipped to satisfy these operational requirements.
Reactivation of the brigade gives the Corps a better focal point for its antiterrorism tasks. The 4th MEB (AT)'s Marines and sailors will be able to respond to contingencies by themselves or complement the considerable capabilities of other forward-deployed units, such as Marine expeditionary units (special operations capable). For most brigade elements, the reactivation is business as usual, because it combines former antiterrorism strengths into one rapidly deployable unit.
The brigade headquarters is permanently organized with the 1,200 personnel of the Chemical, Biological Incident Response Force (CBIRF) and the Anti-Terrorism (AT) Battalion.
The CBIRF was established several years ago to respond immediately to chemical and biological threats. In case of an incident, it deploys to the affected site to provide security, detection, and identification measures, expert medical advice, and limited decontamination of personnel and equipment.
The AT Battalion concentrates on intensive specialized training—for example, urban assault climber, enhanced marksmanship, and new security techniques—in addition to reinforcing its inherent ground combat capabilities. Although the 3d Battalion, 8th Marines was chosen as the first antiterrorism force for the brigade, the Marine Corps intends to embed antiterrorism capabilities in all its infantry battalions.
In addition to its organic units, the 4th MEB (AT) will take advantage of the resources and unique skills of the Marine Corps Security Guard (MSG) Battalion and the Marine Corps Security Force (MCSF) Battalion. Having forwarddeployed units from these battalions available in "on call" status to support brigade missions overseas is vital to the Corps' antiterrorism efforts.
The MSG Battalion is charged with furnishing security services to selected Department of State foreign service posts to prevent the compromise of classified material and equipment and protect U.S citizens and government property. It has posts at diplomatic stations throughout the world, including the recently reestablished U.S. embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan.
The MCSF Battalion headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia, provides armed antiterrorism and physical security personnel to high-value naval installations and units, such as strategic weapons and command-and-control centers. Like the MSG Battalion, it maintains a global presence at 14 different locations, from Keflavik, Iceland, to Bahrain in the Arabian Gulf. The battalion also maintains two Fleet Anti-Terrorism Security Team (FAST) companies for deployments as directed by the Chief of Naval Operations.
On receipt of deployment orders, the 4th MEB (AT) could be further task organized with other Marine ground, aviation, and combat service support units. Depending on the missions assigned, its total personnel strength could reach 5,000.
Lieutenant Jones is the public affairs officer for the 4th Marine Expeditionary Brigade (AT) at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.