Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team
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| Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team | |
|---|---|
 Fleet Anti-Terrorism Security Team insignia |
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| Active | 1987- |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Marine Corps |
| Type | Security Forces |
| Role | Anti-Terrorism, Special Protection |
| Part of | USMC Security Force Battalion |
| Garrison/HQ | Camp Allen, Norfolk and Yorktown, Virginia |
| Nickname | FAST Company |
| Motto | Anytime, Anyplace |
| Engagements | USS Cole bombing, Operation Just Cause, American Embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania |
.jpg/220px-FAST_(USN).jpg)
The Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team (FAST) is a branch of the United States Marine Corps' Security Force Battalion and is capable of rapidly deploying to immediately improve security at United States Government installations worldwide. FAST Marines are deployed at the discretion of the Chief of Naval Operations' and the Commandant of the Marine Corps when the primary and auxiliary security forces of the Marines are unable to adequately respond to a security crisis.
Established in 1987, FAST companies provide a limited-duration, expeditionary security force to protect vital naval and national assets. FAST maintains forward-deployed platoons at various naval commands around the globe, and possesses U.S.-based alert forces capable of rapidly responding to unforeseen contingencies worldwide. They are designated as 1st FAST, 3rd FAST based out of Norfolk, VA and 2nd FAST based out of Yorktown, VA. Each FAST company is equipped and trains with some of the most state-of-the-art weaponry and currently consists of around 500 Marines.
FAST maintains a high degree of readiness in order to conduct these short-notice, limited-duration contingency operations, as seen in the port security mission following the attacks on the USS Cole (DDG 67) in October 2000 and the recent American Embassy reinforcements in Liberia and Haiti.
[edit] References
- Special Operations.Com's USMC Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team (FAST) page
- FAST Company entry at Globalsecurity.org
- Rowe, Charles W. "F.A.S.T. is the Way to Go!" The Gun Digest Book of Assault Weapons, 3rd Edition. Jack Lewis, ed. Northbrook, Illinois: DBI Books, 1993. ISBN 0-87349-139-4.
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