Marine: A Guided Tour of a Marine Expeditionary Unit

by Tom Clancy

  Initial Phase (10 Weeks)

  The initial training phase is designed to pull the various Marine and Navy component units together. The process is much like a pro football mini-camp at the start of training where rookies and veterans can get to know each other. Major events in this phase include:* ARG/MEU (SOC) Workshop--A "101-level" course for the various component and ships staffs.

  * Special Skills Courses--These classes are the specialized training courses that provide the essential technical skills for the various SOC-type missions.

  * Initial At-Sea Training-This phase represents the first at-sea merger of the various Navy and Marine components. Much of the time is dedicated to "bread-and-butter" skills like quickly and safely loading helicopters and landing craft, as well as basic amphibious and helicopter assault techniques. There are also several training exercises during a workup, depending upon ship and training range availability.

  * Fire Support Coordination Exercise--Since one of the most important and difficult skills required for the full range of MEU (SOC) missions is calling in supporting fire from ships, artillery, and aircraft, there is a special live-fire exercise run to hone these skills.

  All of these activities are designed to provide the ARG and MEU (SOC) personnel with a foundation of skills and experience for the Intermediate Phase of training. Much like learning how to walk before you run, the Initial Phase gives you the confidence to do simple things, so that more difficult tasks are possible.

  Intermediate Phase (8 Weeks)

  The Intermediate Phase turns the basic MEU into a truly dangerous weapon, the MEU (SOC). The emphasis is on taking the teamwork and synergy developed in the Initial Phase and combining these with the missions spelled out in Marine Corps Order 3120.9. It is a tough period, over three months in length. The Marines and sailors of the various components and ships spend most of their time in the field or at sea. By the time the phase is over, the personnel of the ARG/MEU (SOC) team will be a fully functional--and keenly sharp--combat unit. The following events make up the Intermediate Phase:* Maritime Special Purpose Force (MSPF) Interoperability Training-- This training is for fifty or so members of the MEU (SOC)'s Maritime Special Purpose Force (MPSF--a specially formed team of Marine Force Reconnaissance personnel trained in the more extreme forms of special operations). These tasks include small boat and underwater insertions, demolitions, mountain warfare, and close-quarters fighting.

  * TRUE Training/Exercise--TRUE training provides the opportunity for tactical training in unfamiliar urban environments. To enhance its realism and effectiveness, actual cities around the U.S. (such as San Francisco, New Orleans, etc.) are used to provide the Marines with a real-world environment to practice this difficult set of mission skills.

  * Marine Expeditionary Unit Exercise (MEUEX)--The MEUEX is the first real opportunity for the ARG and MEU (SOC) commanders to evaluate how well their units are performing. With the assistance of the SOTG, they run the sailors and Marines through a week of continuous operations, one mission after another. It is the functional equivalent of running an O'Grady-type TRAP mission and an amphibious raid on alternate days.

  * Gas/Oil Platform and Maritime Interdiction Operational Training--In former years only the West Coast MEU (SOC)s were trained for these maritime missions. Now all MEU (SOC) units are qualified to deal with them.

  * Long Range Night Raid Training-- Long a Marine specialty, raids against enemy targets are a valuable tool for national decision makers. This particular part of Intermediate Phase training emphasizes night raids with long transits to and from the target.

  * Intermediate At-Sea Training Phase--There are one or more at-sea training periods, which are used to practice various missions. The exact mix of missions and training is at the discretion of the ARG/MEU (SOC) staff, and is limited mainly by ship and training range availability.

  By the time the Intermediate Phase is completed, the ARG/MEU (SOC) team is almost ready for their final examination, the SOCEX. Before that begins, they are given a short break to catch their breath, do required maintenance, and fix any problems they can.

  Final Phase (8 Weeks)

  The Final Phase is long and brutal. During the two weeks of the SOCEX, the sailors and Marines of the MEU (SOC) must prove to the observers of the SOTG that they are qualified for certification as special operations capable.* Pre-Embarkation Maintenance Stand-Down--A short, realistic stand-down for the sailors and Marines. The idea is to get their equipment loaded and ready as if they were leaving on an actual deployment.

  * ARG Advanced Amphibious Training--Just prior to the SOCEX, key members of the ARG staff and ships' crews are given final training to assist with advanced amphibious warfare techniques. The training targets communications, navigation, fire-support operations, and many of the other procedures that make 'gator warfare so risky and dangerous.

  * FLEETEX and Special Operations Capable Exercise (SOCEX--The FLEETEX/SOCEX is the final examination and certification for the MEU (SOC) and ARG. Run over a period of days, the exercises consist of a series of no-notice missions, all of which require use of rapid planning and briefing techniques. Each of these missions must be executed within six hours of the reception of the alert order, with only minimum safety margins for weather and other conditions as an excuse for delay. Sometimes the missions are allowed to go to full execution. Other times, the MEU (SOC) is ordered to hold the mission at the start-up point for a period of hours or days, while other missions are run. After successfully completing the SOCEX, the MEU (SOC) and ARG are fully certified as capable of heading out on deployment, and are only a matter of weeks from being sent to a potential combat zone.

  * Pre-Overseas Movement--Soon after the completion of the SOCEX, all the unit's vehicles, equipment, and personnel are staged, either to their home base (such as Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, or Camp Pendleton, California) of the MEU (SOC), or the port of embarkation (such as Norfolk, Virginia, or San Diego, California) onto the ships of the ARG.

  * Crisis Interaction Requirements Exercise--One of the last bits of preparation for the leadership of the force is a tabletop war game. Keyed to fast-breaking situations, the exercise is designed to hone the crisis-response and management skills of the various leaders within the MEU (SOC), the ARG, and JSOC.

  * Area Commanders Brief--The final act before deployment is a series of area briefings for the ARG and MEU (SOC) commanders. Usually these are run by the various agencies (Department of State, Joint Staff, Headquarters Marine Corps, CIA, DIA, NSA, NRO, etc.) in the Washington, D.C., area. Conducted just days before the ARG/MEU (SOC) deploys, the briefings are designed to give the unit's leadership an up-to-the-minute view of the area that they are headed in to.

  A pair of HMM-264 helicopters prepare to take off from the after helicopter spots of USS Wasp (LHD-1).

  JOHN D. GRESHAM

  Getting Ready: The Summer of '95

  During the summer of 1995, I made a series of visits to the 26th as well as PHIBRON 4, and had the opportunity to watch the team get ready. It was an exciting set of experiences.

  Onslow Bay, Off Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, June 16th, 1995

  My first visit to the 26th MEU (SOC) and PHIBRON 4 came during the Intermediate Phase of their workup process. After a short early morning flight down from Andrews AFB, Maryland, to MCAS New River, North Carolina, I boarded a big CH-53E Super Stallion for the ride out to the USS Wasp (LHD-1). Donning a "Mickey Mouse" helmet with ear protection and a life preserver, I sat down on the web seating, and hung on. The weather, while warm and humid, was decidedly raw, with a stiff breeze coming in off the bay. All this was from the tail end of another summer storm, one of many the East Coast had recently endured. On the way out, the helicopter passed over the Whidbey Island and Shreveport, which were standing just a few thousand yards offshore. The ride took only about twenty minutes, and as the helicopter circled into the landing pattern I got my first look at Wasp. It's big! Wasp is to ordinary ships as Australia is to ordinary islands. Moments
later, with a swing onto the landing spot, the helicopter thumped down, and I quickly exited. At the direction of one of the deck handlers, I moved to the starboard side of the flight deck, and entered a hatch on the port side of the huge island structure.

  After removing my helmet and life preserver, I was greeted by Gunnery Sergeant Tim Schearer, the MEU (SOC) PAO, and Major Dennis Arinello, the S-4 (logistics) officer. Moving to a VIP arrival area, I was hit by a wave of cold air from the ship's incredible air-conditioning/Collective Protection System (CPS). After a round of introductions and quick admonitions about what not to touch, I was guided down into the 02 Level to one of the small wardrooms near the officers mess area. After an excellent dinner of shrimp stir-fried (Wasp's mess specialists are quite good), I was taken to the Flag Briefing and Planning Room, which is adjacent to the Landing Force Operations Center (LFOC), for a briefing by Colonel Battaglini and Captain Buchanan. There I was also introduced to Captain Raymond Duffy, the commanding officer of Wasp.

  Ray Duffy is a jolly-looking surface warfare officer, who has spent most of his career in destroyers and amphibious ships. He is especially proud of his current ship, and rightly so, since the Wasp-class vessels are the largest surface combatants in the U.S. fleet. Backing him up was Wasp's Executive Officer (XO) Captain Stan Greenawalt, a naval flight officer who previously commanded a squadron of S-3 Viking ASW aircraft down in Florida. Stan was the gent who watched over the ship for Captain Duffy, and had all the "heavy" jobs where the ship's personnel were concerned. A man of medium build, he kept his office and stateroom on the starboard side of the 02 Level always open, with coffee and wit flowing freely. Together they provided the wide range of skills necessary to run a ship as complex and versatile as the Wasp.

  The briefing covered information on the MEU (SOC) and ARG and explained the ins and outs of the MEUEX I was about to observe. The exercise had already been going on for several days; I was to observe one of the simulated missions, a modified NEO of a small combat unit that had gotten itself on the wrong side of a peacekeeping "green line." They were encircled and very anxious. The MEU (SOC) was tasked to get them out. By 2000 hours (8:00 P.M.), the briefing had broken up, and I had a chance to look around the hangar. When I emerged onto the hangar deck, it was bathed in the sickly yellow sodium-vapor lighting used to preserve night vision. Tonight, most of the 26th Aviation Combat Element or ACE was up on the "roof," so that the majority of the hangar bay could be dedicated to laying out the equipment and weapons for the units involved with the mission in the morning. Along with the NEO team, other units of the MEU (SOC) were prepping their gear around the deck of the bay. One of these, a TRAP team, is kept on standby anytime that the ACE has aircraft in the air. This was only a small team, but provisions had been made to have larger Sparrowhawk (platoon-sized) and Bald Eagle (company-sized) units available, should they be required.

  As I walked around, I was introduced to Lieutenant Colonel John Allen, the CO of the 26th's Ground Combat Element (GCE), BLT 2/6. John Allen stands in vivid contrast to Colonel Battaglini. While the 26th's CO is tall and lean, with a hard, intense gaze, Allen is shorter and more muscular, with a sunny, humorous nature that belies the concentration going on inside his head. He is always alert. If you watch his eyes, they are always moving, always taking note of details. With a friendly smile, he quietly suggested that I show up for the confirmation briefing that was to be held in the officers' mess at 2200 hours (10:00 P.M.), if I wanted to know more about what was to come in the morning.

  I headed back up to the 02 Level, and I found a spot to sit on the port side of the mess area, while probably a hundred officers and NCOs came in and sat down. Most of them carried thermal mugs emblazoned with "USS WASP (LHD-1)" or "BLT 2/6, 26th MEU (SOC)." Moving over to the nearby drink area, they refilled the mugs--coffee for those on the late or mid-watches, fruit-flavored "bug juice" for those who might still have delusions of sleep on this late evening. Many carried notebooks, and some had briefing slides which were clearly intended for use with the overhead projector placed at the front of the mess. Along with that there was a white board, an easel with drawing pad, and a large projection screen.

  A pre-operations confirmation briefing in the officers wardroom of the USS Wasp (LHD-1). These meetings are highlighted by extreme brevity by the briefers to keep things short.

  JOHN D. GRESHAM

  Promptly at 2200, Colonel Battaglini, Captain Buchanan, Captain Duffy, and the various COs of the MEU (SOC) components marched in, and the briefing began. This was my first experience with the rapid-response briefing format; it was enlightening. Colonel Battaglini quickly laid out tomorrow morning's mission, then turned the floor over to a succession of fast-talking briefers. In less than an hour, the following topics were covered:* Weather--Reported the air, sea, and ground meteorological conditions expected in the morning. At the moment a storm was raging topside. In spite of that, the prediction was for clear skies in the morning.

  * Operations--An overview of the planned NEO, with a discussion of the forces to be employed and their planned movement to the objective area--the "Combat Town" facility at Camp Lejeune, used for urban warfare training.

  * Evacuation and Recovery Plan--A short briefing to explain how the NEO forces would be recovered in the event of a failure. Contrary to Hollywood stereotypes, Marines are not "do-or-die," suicidal maniacs. On the contrary, they are for the most part highly professional, calm, and thoughtful. They always have a "Plan B," or even a "Plan C"!

  * Amphibious Operations (PHIBOPS)--Run by the PHIBRON 4 operations staff, this briefing went over the main points of the landing craft missions that would support the planned NEO in the morning. This included landing of an armored task force and an evacuation force of 5-ton trucks and HMMWVs to remove the trapped unit from Combat Town. The evacuation force would be landed by LCACs from the Wasp, while the armored force of AAVs had already been brought ashore from the Whidbey Island.

  * Rules of Engagement (ROE)--The ROE briefing explained the rules under which deadly force could be used. The MEU (SOC)'s normal policy on such matters is to educate all the Marines in the force on appropriate application of the ROE to ensure that use of force is commensurate with the particular situation and the overall safety of the force. Because the NEO was part of a peacekeeping operation, the ROE for this mission restricted the MEU (SOC) to firing only if they were fired upon.

  * Mission CO's Briefing--This briefing was conducted by Lieutenant Colonel Allen, who would command the forward elements of the rescue force. Colonel Battaglini would run the overall operation from his command console in the LFOC on Wasp.

  * Ground Security Force CO--The ground security force, drawn from troops on Wasp, would be composed of a reinforced rifle company inserted by helicopter into LZs adjacent to Combat Town, and would move the evacuees via 5-ton trucks and LCACs to the Shreveport.

  * Task Force (TF) Mosby CO--TF Mosby was an armored task force off the Wasp that had already landed by LCACs. It would provide reconnaissance and screening for the security force.

  * LHD Evacuation Plan--Since storm and sea conditions might not allow evacuation to the Shreveport by landing craft, a backup or "bump" plan was developed to bring the evacuees out to the Wasp by helicopter. Details such as weapons safety and stowage, as well as containment of possible infectious diseases and other problems, were covered.

  * Fire Support Plan--Since no gunfire support from the offshore ships was planned, contingency fire plans were put into place and made ready. The bulk of supporting fires for the NEO would come from the ACE's force of AH-1W Cobra attack helicopters, armed with antitank missiles, rockets, and 20mm cannon. The 81mm mortar platoon also would be on call if required.

  * GCE Communications Plan--One of the most interesting parts of the Confirmation Briefing was the GCE communications plan, which was presented by designating the various radio and satellite communications channels. For example, no less than three satellite communications terminals (sharing one frequency) were
to be dedicated to the morning's efforts.

  * Tactical Reconnaissance Plan--Even before the start of the Confirmation Briefing, the MEU (SOC) had inserted reconnaissance elements into the Camp Lejeune area, which were feeding intelligence back to the Joint Intelligence Center on Wasp. The intelligence reports were fairly good; the force to be evacuated was staying put in Combat Town, and their opponents were behaving themselves.

  * Escort Flight Plan--The commander of HMM-264's flight of four AH- 1W Cobras laid out his plan for escorting the security force's transports into an LZs near Combat Town, and then providing security for the ground forces during the evacuation. Bump plans and the procedures for rearming and refueling the Cobras (aboard Shreveport if required) were laid out.