The Marine Corps has announced it will assign selected personnel to the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSO-Com). A purported result would be "a major Marine organization within special operations, on a par with the Navy's Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) teams or the Army's Special Forces," with traditional special forces missions. As a Marine who began his career as a reconnaissance platoon leader, I will hope for the best while fearing the worst.
The Marine Corps has a history of flirting with special operations forces. Marine Raider battalions in World War II paralleled establishment of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), forerunner to Army Special Forces (and the Central Intelligence Agency), Navy Underwater Demolition Teams, and Army Rangers. Marines served with the OSS, and the Raiders performed well during their brief lives. That the Marine Raider experience was short lived, however, may offer a clue as to the sustainability of the current initiative.
Following the Holloway Commission investigation of the failed 1980 Iranian rescue mission, the services were tasked to identify their special operations capabilities for the Secretary of Defense. The Marine Corps was the last to report, evidence of the intense debate in the Corps as to what its role should be. Proposals ranged from a super force recon unit (resembling the current initiative) to something substantially less. In early 1985, the Marine Corps adopted then-Lieutenant General A. M. Gray's recommendation to establish Marine expeditionary units (special operations capable). This approach struck a prudent balance between what might be done and what could be done, without compromising traditional Marine Corps missions.
There were sound reasons for that decision. Because Marine Corps history shows an institutional bias that does not augur well for Marine special forces longevity, I question whether the Corps' leaders will sustain this latest endeavor. How committed the Marine Corps is to a counterpart to Army Special Forces or Navy SEALs must be judged in view of the fact that Marine reconnaissance units were described as "broken" at the beginning of General James Jones's tenure as Commandant.
Marines in conventional units will resent money spent on special forces for training and equipment, which could be used as a tool against perpetuating a Marine special forces element in the military service that prides itself on parsimony. Some special forces units expend more small arms ammunition in annual training than a Marine division. I do not worry about affordability—the Marine special forces element might benefit from USSOCom money. But friction between the "haves" and "have nots" is inevitable.
A Marine special forces element is likely to face manning problems, especially in our small Corps. If a Marine wishes to join this group, his commander will be reticent to encourage his aspirations because he will lose him—and he will resent losing a good Marine to such a unit. Anyone who has served as a reconnaissance Marine remembers derogatory comments about "Ronnie Recons."
On the other hand, the Marine Corps stands to gain something more from its USSOCom association than the cost of its contribution. Marines trained to special forces standards will impart those standards to the conventional units they will serve with later. Equipment, tactics, and techniques developed for the special forces element will prove beneficial to other units, although they are long-term investments that will arouse impatience.
I fear for Marines (particularly officers) who take special forces seriously. They will be in the same position that recon has been in for years—a nice assignment, but not something you can afford to do for more than one tour. Marine officers assigned to the Joint Special Operations Command or USSOCom for the most part have not fared well before promotion boards.
I truly hope the Marine Corps can become a useful member of the USSOCom team. Many Marines can perform at that level. My concern is that the other 99% of the Corps will not support this effort and will resist it actively.
Time will tell. I wish the best for my Corps, the nation, and the special operations community.
Colonel Parks, a retired Marine and Proceedings Author of the Year, was a reconnaissance officer, infantry company commander, and judge advocate during a career that included duty in Vietnam. In 2001, he received the U.S. Special Operations Command's Outstanding Civilian Service Medal, its highest civilian award.