Marine: A Guided Tour of a Marine Expeditionary Unit

by Tom Clancy

  As might be imagined, the MEU (SOC) staff is a fairly "lean and mean" type of organization. Thus, the jobs listed above have to be accomplished by highly motivated officers and enlisted personnel. For example, the MEU (SOC) S-4 officer, Major Dennis Arinello, operates the entire logistic effort of the MAGTF with a staff of about a dozen Marines, armed only with a battery of computers, phones, and a seemingly endless supply of coffee. In addition to the formal branch structure, there are several special staff officers who perform a variety of duties not specifically assigned to one of the "S" sections. These include the staff judge advocate, disbursing officer, and chaplain. The MEU (SOC) commander also has a small unit known as the Maritime Special Purpose Force (MSPF). The MSPF is task-organized from MEU (SOC) assets to provide a special-operations-capable force that can be quickly tailored to accomplish a specific mission and employed either as a complement to conventional naval operations or in the execution of a directed maritime special mission operation. Command of the MSPF remains under the control of the MEU (SOC) commander.

  The combat equipment breakdown of the 26th MEU (SOC).

  JACK RYAN ENTERPRISES, LTD., BY LAURA ALPHER

  The Ground Component: BLT 2/6 Marines

  The GCE of the 26th MEU (SOC) is the heavy combat element of the MAGTF. Composed of a reinforced BLT, it is designed to provide Colonel Battaglini and his CE with the necessary personnel and equipment for anything from making a forced-entry amphibious assault, to attempting a non-combatant evacuation of an embassy or other facility. The 26th MEU (SOC)'s GCE is made up of BLT 2/6 out of Camp Lejeune. It is a proud unit, with a long history of service to the nation. The 2/6's combat record dates back to Belleau Wood in World War I, and includes service in such varied actions as Shanghai, Tarawa, Iwo Jima, and Beirut. The 2/6 is currently commanded by Lieutenant Colonel John R. Allen, a Naval Academy graduate of the Class of 1976, who also carries around a pair of master's degrees in government and strategic intelligence studies. A native of Fort Belvoir, Virginia, he has the distinction of having served on the very first MEU (SOC) deployment by the 26th back in 1985. It almost killed him. Injured in a CH-46 crash during the unit's workup, he recovered and has stayed with the Corps. Colonel Allen is a cerebral sort of Marine who is always considering new ways to use the force that the Corps has given him to command. Whether it's exploring the use of AAV-7A1 amphibious tractors as gunboats for riverine warfare, or figuring out new means of deception to help cover his reconnaissance elements in the field, John Allen is thinking all the time. His senior enlisted advisor is Sergeant Major James Rogers, who looks after the enlisted personnel of the BLT.

  An organizational chart showing the breakdown of Battalion Landing Team (BLT) 2/6 (2nd Battalion/6th Marines).

  JACK RYAN ENTERPRISES, LTD., BY LAURA ALPHER

  BLT 2/6 is a standard Marine rifle battalion, with some extras added to help conduct landing operations. To understand this, we need to have a look at the building blocks of the BLT. As mentioned earlier, the basic Marines combat unit is the four-man fire team. The team leader (usually a corporal equipped with an M16A2 with a clip-on M203 grenade launcher), is assigned two riflemen (also with M16A2s) and an automatic rifleman (with a M249 Squad Automatic Weapon--SAW). By matching up three fire teams with a sergeant, you get a squad. Three squads, with a second lieutenant and platoon (staff) sergeant in command, make up a platoon. From here things get a bit more complicated. By combining three infantry platoons with a heavy weapons platoon (M240G machine guns, M224 60mm mortars, and Mk 153 SRAWs), you get a Marine rifle company, under the command of a captain and his first sergeant. These company and platoon-sized units are the basic elements of the BLT, and are combined as follows:* BLT Headquarters and Headquarters & Service Company-- The BLT headquarters is structured much like that of the MEU (SOC), with "S"-style staff branches to support administration, operations, intelligence, etc.

  * Rifle Companies (3)--There are three of the companies, each with about 150 personnel. Each company is designated by a phonetic letter name, based upon its order within the regiment that it is assigned to. For example, the 1/6 BLT is assigned Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie as their infantry companies. Thus, the 2nd BLT's three infantry companies are designated Echo, Fox, and Golf.

  * Heavy Weapons Company (1)--This is the very lethal big brother of the weapons platoons organic to the infantry companies. This company is composed of three platoons: the 81mm Mortar Platoon (eight M252 81mm mortars), the Heavy Weapons Platoon (eight TOW II launchers, six Mk 19 40mm automatic grenade launchers, and six M2 .50-caliber machine guns on armored HMMWVs), and the Anti-Armor Platoon (eight M-47 Dragon launchers). The Heavy Weapons Platoon is organized in three Combined Anti-Armor Teams (CAAT) which combine the high mobility of the HMMWV with the effects and capabilities of the three weapons. In a pinch, these weapons can be mounted on the BLT's six Fast Attack Vehicles (FAVs-black-painted "dune buggies") which can be carried internally and inserted by the MEU's heavy lift helicopters.

  * Artillery Battery (1)--This is a battery of six M 198 towed howitzers, with 5-ton trucks as their prime movers. Additional trucks provide support and ammunition carriage for the battery.

  * Light Armored Reconnaissance Platoon (1)--Also known as Task Force Mosby (after the famous Confederate guerrilla fighter) when combined with armed HMMWVs from the heavy weapons company in the 2/6, this is a mixed platoon of wheeled Light Armored Vehicles (LAVs), which are used as an armored reconnaissance and trip-wire force. It usually includes four LAV-25s (with 25mm Bushmaster cannons), two LAV-ATs (with TOW anti-tank missiles), and a LAV-R recovery vehicle.

  * Assault Amphibian (AAV) Platoon (1)--The AAV platoon consists of thirteen AAV-7 amphibious assault tractors, along with one each of the recovery and command versions of the AAV-7.

  * Surface Rubber Boat Raid and Cliff Assault Company (1)--In addition to the LCACs, LCUs, and AAVs, the BLT can use twenty F470 Zodiac combat rubber raiding craft to support landings, riverine operations, or special insertions into enemy territory.

  * Tank Platoon (1)--For the first time in many years, a heavy tank platoon has been included in a MEU (SOC). Composed of four M1A1 Abrams main battle tanks and an M88A1 tank recovery vehicle, it is designed to provide a heavy direct-fire punch for the BLT.

  * Combat Engineer (Sapper) Platoon (1)--To support breaching of obstacles, building of causeways, emplacements, and bunkers, as well as other civil engineering functions, BLT 2/6 has been assigned a small but capable combat engineering platoon. Equipped with a bulldozer and other equipment, the sappers provide a variety of engineering and construction services for Lieutenant Colonel Allen and his Marines.

  * Reconnaissance Platoon (1)--In addition to the other Force Reconnaissance units that are part of the 26th MEU (SOC), the BLT has its own reconnaissance platoon, which can be combined with the scout/sniper platoon from the BLT headquarters. This concentration of reconnaissance assets is no coincidence, but a planned inclusion. It is based upon the hard-won knowledge that you can never have too many eyes on the battlefield.

  * Shore Fire Control Party (1)--This is a small, but vital unit which controls the critical task of planning and executing naval gunfire support. Composed of Marines and sailors, this platoon is capable of rapidly calling for fire, even during the confusing first moments of an amphibious assault

  Lieutenant Colonel John Allen, the commander of BLT 2/6 during 1995/96, with the author (right). Allen was a junior officer on the first MEU (SOC) cruise back in 1985, and is currently assigned as General Krulak's aide at the Pentagon.

  JOHN D. GRESHAM

  All of these assets make BLT 2/6 a highly mobile and compact striking force, with the ability to do a variety of exciting things. For example, by combining the tanks, LAVs, and AAVs, you can rapidly assemble a reinforced armored infantry task force, which can be used for everything from assault operations to rapid response in peacekeeping operations. At the same time, the Marines of BLT 2/6 can be delivered any number of ways to its targets. They can rid
e on helicopters, LCACs, LCUs, AAVs, or rubber raider boats to get ashore. Maybe more importantly, the ARG and MEU (SOC) have the necessary lift to bring all of the combat power of the BLT ashore nearly simultaneously. This means that BLT 2/6 can hit in many different ways, all at the same time. If there is a weakness, it is that the BLT is mostly composed of "leg" infantry; it is short on vehicles to help it move about the battlefield. It is also only a single battalion. So Colonel Allen and his staff must carefully pick their fights, maneuvering for position and opportunity to get the most of their limited resources.

  Flying Leathernecks: HMM-264

  The 26th MEU (SOC)'s ACE is a composite organization, much like the 366th Wing that we visited in Fighter Wing. But unlike that unit, the primary mission of this ACE is the transport and support of operations by the 26th's GCE, BLT 2/6. The 26th's ACE is commanded by Lieutenant Colonel David T. "Peso" Kerrick, who also commands HMM-264, the core unit in the air component. A native of Elizabeth, Kentucky, and a 1976 Naval Academy graduate, he has spent his career in the Corps as a CH-46 Sea Knight pilot, moving up to command of the squadron in 1995. He is supported by Sergeant Major Ronald Trombley, who looks out for the well-being of his enlisted Marines.

  The official emblem of Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 264 (HMM-264), the "Black Knights."

  JACK RYAN ENTERPRISES, LTD., BY LAURA ALPHER

  The organization and equipment of HMM-264. The Harrier detachment is drawn from Marine Attack Squadron 231 (VMA-231) at MCAS Cherry Point, N.C.

  JACK RYAN ENTERPRISES, LTD., BY LAURA ALPHER

  The HMM-264 "Black Knights" are one of the original helicopter transport units in the Marine Corps, with service in the Dominican Republic, Beirut, Liberia, and northern Iraq. As configured when it left on its 1995/96 deployment in September of 1995, HMM-264 and its attachments looked like this:* CH-46E Sea Knights (12)--The core of HMM-264 is its dozen CH-46E medium lift helicopters. Though decidedly elderly and quite limited in both carrying capacity and range, the Sea Knight is still the prime mover for the 26th MEU (SOC), and will be until the introduction of the MV-22B Osprey in the early 21st century.

  * CH-53E Super Stallions (8)--The heavy haulers of HMM-264 are eight of the big CH-53E Super Stallion transport helicopters. Normally an MEU (SOC) ACE only has four CH-53s. But following the suggestions of the 24th MEU (SOC), the number was doubled for this deployment, given the distances and payloads that might need to be handled in the event of an evacuation of U.S./UN personnel in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

  * AH-1W Cobras (8)--Like their CH-53E brethren, HMM-264's normal complement of AH-1W Cobras was doubled from four to eight. This decision was also based upon experience from the 24th MEU (SOC) in Bosnia-Herzegovina, where the need for additional firepower and helicopter escorts became clear in 1995. Initially, it had been hoped that the upgraded version of the AH-1W with the new Night Targeting System (NTS) would be available to take on the cruise. Unfortunately, spares shortages meant that the first deployment of the NTS-equipped Cobras would have to wait until 1996.

  * UH-1N Iroquois (3)--To help provide command and control for the 26th MEU (SOC) and its various components, the HMM-264 is equipped with three UH-1N Iroquois helicopters. Better known as "Hueys," they are assigned to command elements of the MEU (SOC) components to provide transport around the units AOR. One of the Hueys is equipped with a Nite Eagle laser targeting system. Originally designed for use on the now-defunct U.S. Army Aquila UAV, Nite Eagle is composed of an FLIR and laser-designation system mounted in a turret under the nose of a UH-1N. It was highly successful during Desert Storm. There are three of these systems around the Marine Corps, and each deployed MEU (SOC) usually gets one to provide designation for the AGM-114 Hellfire missiles fired from the AH-1W Cobras.

  * AV-8B Harrier II (6)--In addition to the helicopters, HMM-264 contains a small six-aircraft detachment of AV-8B Harrier II attack jets. Drawn from VMA-231 (known as the "Ace of Spades" squadron), these are older-model Harriers that were produced in the early 1980s. Like the NTS-Cobras, the 26th MEU (SOC) ACE just missed being the first unit to deploy the new AV-8B Plus Harrier II operationally. The relative newness of the birds in squadron service meant that the first radar Harrier deployment would have to wait until 1996. However, the AV-8Bs that VMA-231 deployed with the 26th MEU (SOC) in 1995 were quite capable, able to employ 25mm GAU-12 cannon, iron and cluster bombs, 2.75-in./70mm rockets, as well as AIM-9 Sidewinder and AGM-65 Maverick missiles.

  * KC-130 Hercules (2)--While an aircraft the size of a KC-130F Hercules aerial tanker obviously cannot take off or land aboard the Wasp (LHD-1), the 26th MEU (SOC) ACE retains the services of two such aircraft, operated from nearby land bases if available. Both the CH-53E and AV-8B have in-flight refueling probes, and can take fuel from the KC-130. These are deployed from Marine Air Group 14 (MAG-14) at MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina, at the request of the MEU (SOC) commander. MAG-14 operates two Marine Refueling and Transport squadrons of KC-130Fs, VMGR-252 and VMGR(T)-253. Should there be a requirement for airborne fuel (the receiving aircrews call it "Texaco"), MAG-14 can rapidly dispatch a pair of the big four-engined tankers to support the MEU (SOC).

  * Helicopter Expeditionary Refueling System (HERS)--This is a system that allows the MEU (SOC) ACE to deploy a mobile refueling system ashore. Either flown or landed ashore, it is used to establish a Forward Arming and Refueling Point (FARP) for the ACE's helicopters to refuel, without having to return to the ships of the ARG.

  When you put all of these pieces together, the 26th's ACE becomes a highly potent and capable composite air unit. Capable of delivering personnel and firepower on a moment's notice, HMM-264 represents a vital capability to Colonel Battaglini and his staff. If the ACE has a weakness, it is to be found in the CH-46Es. These elderly birds are headed into their fourth decade of service, and are only capable of hauling eight to twelve loaded Marines, depending on the range to the target. When the MV-22B Osprey arrives, it will be able to carry up to twenty-four combat-loaded troops out to many times the range of the Sea Knight, with much greater speed and survivability. But until the first of these new birds arrives in 2001, the old Bullfrogs will have to do.

  Beans and Bullets: MEU Service Support Group -26 (MSSG-26)

  No military unit anywhere does anything without a steady supply of food, fuel, water, ammunition, and all the other things that keep them going. The Marine Corps recognizes this, and has given each MAGTF its own Combat Service Support Element (CSSE) to keep it supplied and ready for action. The logistical component of the 26th MEU (SOC) is the MSSG-26, and is commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Donald K. Cooper of Greensboro, Maryland (he is a 1971 graduate of Wake Forest), and his senior enlisted advisor, First Sergeant Ralph Drake. It is composed of approximately 275 personnel in eight platoon-sized units that break down like this:* Headquarters Platoon--Like the other components of the MEU (SOC), MSSG-26 has a headquarters unit, with the appropriate "S"-coded sections.

  * Communications Platoon--Because of their heavy inventory-control requirements, the MSSG-26 communications platoon has somewhat more robust communications and computer capability than other such units in the MEU (SOC).

  * Landing Support Platoon--The Landing Support Platoon might best be described as the receiving and inventory-control agency for the MEU (SOC) either on the beach landing site (BLS) or in a helicopter landing zone (HLZ). Utilizing a computerized bar-code system, they scan every item coming ashore, and then monitor and track its position until it leaves the BLS or HLZ.

  * Engineer Support Platoon--This platoon provides deliberate engineering support. The platoon can produce potable water with its Reverse Osmosis Water Purification Units (ROWPU), provide mobile electric power via an assortment of generators, store and distribute bulk fuel, and provide material-handling support with its own forklifts and bulldozer.

  * Supply Platoon--The Supply Platoon is just that, the central repository and distribution point for most of the supply line items used by the MEU (SOC). This includes repair par
ts, packaged fuel, rations, clothing, etc., and is controlled through a computerized asset-tracking system.

  * Motor Transport Platoon--The job of the Motor Transport Platoon is to distribute what the Supply Platoon issues to the units of the MEU (SOC) as well as transporting troops. To this end, they are equipped with 5-ton trucks, HMMWVs, fuel and water tankers, and several Logistics Vehicle Systems (LVSs).

  * Maintenance Platoon--This unit provides maintenance services and support for all of the other units within the MEU (SOC), except for elements of the ACE. To this end, they repair and maintain everything from wheeled and tracked vehicles, howitzers, individual and crew-served weapons, and other powered equipment, to computers and other communications/electronics equipment.

  * Medical Platoon--Though most of the medical services for the MEU (SOC) are provided by Navy doctors and corpsmen aboard ship, the MSSG has a small medical platoon staffed with Navy personnel to provide field support. It consists of one doctor and twenty Navy corpsmen, who provide a forward-aid-station function for the MEU (SOC), where they can resuscitate and stabilize the patients and then evacuate them back to the ships of the ARG for more definitive care.