MCSOCOM Detachment One

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MCSOCOM Detachment One

Active June 19, 2003 - 2006
Country United States
Allegiance USMC
Type Special Forces
Part of United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM)
Garrison/HQ Camp Pendleton, CA
Engagements Operation Iraqi Freedom

Marine Corps Special Operations Command Detachment One (MCSOCOM Detachment One or Det 1), was a pilot program to assess the value of Marine special operations forces permanently detached to the United States Special Operations Command. It was commanded by Col. Robert J. Coates, former commanding officer of 1st Force Reconnaissance Company. Det 1 was activated on June 19, 2003 and had its headquarters at Camp Del Mar Boat Basin. It was disbanded in 2006 and succeeded by the permanent Marine Forces Special Operations Command, which is to be a 2700-person command.

Contents

[edit] Personnel

The unit consisted of 81 Marines and 5 Navy corpsmen divided among 4 sections:

  • reconnaissance element (30 men)
  • intelligence element (29 men), containing a headquarters element and
  • a Radio Reconnaissance Team (RRT), (9 men)
  • a human intelligence (HumInt) exploitation team (HET), (6 men)
  • a all-source fusion team (12 men)
  • fires element (7 men)
  • headquarters element

The original Marines picked to form the detachment were hand picked from over 500 personnel records. Despite common misperception, Det 1 was not a beefed up force reconnaissance platoon. While the reconnaissance element was comprised mostly of force recon Marines, recon Marines (MOS 0321) made up only 24 of the 86 members of the detachment. The detachment, though lacking organic aviation, operated under the Marine Air-Ground Task Force philosophy of leveraging integrated, complementary capabilities to be more effective than the sum of its parts. [1]

[edit] Insignia

Detachment One's Insignia comes from the World War II Marine Raider's patch, a blue patch with a skull and stars. The insignia was created by Warrant Officer (then-GySgt) Anthony Siciliano. The scarlet, blue and gold disk represents the unit's joint Navy-Marine Corps origins. The crossed stilletto / lightning bolt represent the units special operations mission, and it's global communications reach. The parachute wings represent airborne qualified status and the mask above it represents the combat diver qualification.

[edit] History

Although Detachment One was a relatively new unit its heritage can be traced back to the World War II Marine Raiders. In WWII the Marine Raiders were formed to seize key beaches and hills and also conduct guerilla-style strikes against Imperial Japanese Forces. After two years the Raiders were disbanded but they set the stage for other raider-style units like Detachment One.[citation needed]

In 1986, when the Department of Defense established the new joint Special Operations Command, the Marine Corps opted not to participate. Then Commandant Paul X. Kelley expressed the belief popular in the Corps that Marines should support Marines, and that the Corps should not fund a special warfare capability that would operate independently of the Fleet Marine Force.[2] The Corps wanted to retain the Corps' Force Reconnaissance units within the MAGTF command structure and prevent the development of an "elite" within the Marine Corps. Marine Corps leadership believed would be at the expense of the effectiveness of the Corps as a whole. However, following the September 11th attacks and the current global war on terror, that view began to shift. Defense Secretary Rumsfeld immediately directed the Marine Corps and USSCom to work more closely together in what would be called the global war on terrorism. Marine resistance to special warfare units dissipated when Marine leaders watched the Corp's "crown jewels" - the 15th and 26th MEU (Special Operations Capable) (MEU(SOC)s) sit on the sidelines during the early stages of Operation Enduring Freedom while other special warfare units lead the way. Resistance from SOF commanders already in-country and indifference from the Navy chain of command left the MEU(SOC)s unused for over a month, and only relegated to supporting roles where SOF lacked manpower.[1]

In October 2002, Commandant James L. Jones, after consultation with USSOCom leaders, directed the establishment of a a Marine unit for permanent USSOCom employment. Out of this came the T/O for Detachment 1, officially activated aboard Camp Pendleton on 19 June 2003.

After completion of Navy special warfare (NSW) certification and other training, Det 1 was deployed to Iraq in March 2004 for Operation Iraqi Freedom. Operating under Naval Special Warfare Group One, Det 1 executed direct action, coalition support, and battlefield shaping operations. A study conducted by the Joint Special Operations University (JSOU) found that

The trial deployment demonstrated the MCSOCOM Det could effectively conduct Direct Action (DA) and Special Reconnaissance (SR) .... it is reasonable to suggest that the Detachment could also conduct or support Foreign Internal Defense (FID), Counter Terrorism (CT), Special Activities, selected Theater Security Cooperation Plans (TSCP), and other tasks as required.

[1]

However, the deployment also revealed interservice tensions. The Navy commander of Naval Special Warfare Squadron One did not utilize Det 1 as a cohesive unit, but parceled its capabilities as needed. In particular, the intelligence section was parceled out to other Navy units, instead of supporting Det 1 operations, as the Navy lacked intelligence personnel who understood ground combat. [2]

Following the conclusion of the deployment in September 2004, the Marine Corps and USSOCom continued to negotiate details of the long-term relationship through 2005, while Det 1 trained for a possible second deployment. Though deployment proposals were rejected on the basis that Det 1 was to provide the nucleus of the future permanent MarSOC organization, it was disbanded on March 10, 2006 and its members dispersed throughout the Marine Corps. The experience of Det 1 provided critical intelligence on the organization and integration of a Marine special operations force into USSOCom and was instrumental to the planning of MarSOC.[1]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d Priddy, Maj. Wade (June 2006). "Marine Detachment 1: Opening the door for a Marine force contribution to USSOCom". Marine Corps Gazette (June 2006): 58-59. Marine Corps Association. 
  2. ^ a b Smith, Jr., W Thomas (2005). Marines, Navy SEALs Forge New Special Operations Team; An exclusive interview with U.S. Navy SEAL Commander Mark Divine. Military.com. Retrieved on 2006-07-31.

[edit] See also

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