United States Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command(MARSOC) is a component command of the United States Special Operations Command that comprises the Marine Corps contribution to SOCOM. Its core capabilities are direct action, special reconnaissanceand foreign internal defense. MARSOC has also been directed to conduct counter-terrorism, and information operations. Its creation was announced on 23 November 2005 by US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, following a meeting between him, the USSOCOM commander General Bryan D. Brown, and the Marine Corps Commandant General Michael Hagee on 28 October 2005. MARSOC was officially activated on 24 February 2006 with ceremonies at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Considered to still be in its infancy compared to other special operations units, the United States Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) is the newest of the special forces units to join the United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM). The force, however, has its beginning as far back as the Second World War with an elite Marine Corps group called the Marine Raiders for which they will be renamed. “MARSOC is the modern-day embodiment of the Marine Raiders…,” MARSOC spokesman Capt. Barry Morris said in a statement. “Our mission set includes not only the raids and guerrilla operations conducted by the Raiders, but also foreign internal defense, security force assistance, counterinsurgency operations, and a host of other capabilities that are uniquely relevant to modern day conflict.” The Marine Raiders were originally created as counterparts to the British Commandos to conduct amphibious light infantry warfare behind enemy lines. During WWII, Admiral Chester Nimitz requested these commando units to raid lightly-defended Japanese-held islands, and thus were given the name “Raiders.” The elite unit was successful against the Japanese, achieving major victories during the Guadalcanal Campaign. #IgRecon
Posted on: Wed, 03 Dec 2014 14:51:46 +0000
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