MARSOF

1 MARSOC Pub 1 MARSOF Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command Camp Lejeune, North Carolina UNITED STATES SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND OFFICE OF THE COMMANDER 7701 TAMPA POINT BOULEVARD MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, FLORIDA 33621-5323 12 May 2011 FOREWORD I applaud the purpose and content of this publication. It captures the ethos, spirit, and philosophy of Marine Corps Special Operations Forces and establishes the philosophical underpinnings for continuing development.

2 This document is timely and essential. Marine Special Operations Command (MARSOC), in its relatively brief existence, has proven its great value to the joint special operations community. Bringing a unique culture and skills, Marines have performed magnificently in both combat and non-combat environments. They have earned the respect of their Army, Navy, and Air Force counterparts within the United States Special Operations Command. I urge every MARSOC Marine to not just read this publication, but to study, discuss, and absorb it. It is essentially important to understand what makes us uniquely capable of answering our Nation s special operations needs. Marine Corps Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command Camp Lejeune, North Carolina 22 March 2011 FOREWORD This document is the foundational publication for MARSOC.

3 It is the overarching and comprehensive document that sets the philosophical tone for Marine Special Operations Forces ( MARSOF ). It describes how we recruit, assess, select, educate, train, and transform Marines from all backgrounds into Multi-Dimensional Operators to meet current and emerging Special Operations Forces (SOF) missions. It outlines the MARSOC approach to taking care of our Marines and families from a pro-habilitative approach. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) has provided MARSOF to the Geographic Combatant Commanders (GCC) since our activation in February 2006. In order to bring unique capabilities to the special operations community, the Marines of MARSOC leverage their Corps ethos as agile expeditionary war fighters to provide the Commander of United States, Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) with an enhanced capability to conduct full spectrum special operations world-wide.

4 This enhanced capability is derived from our foundational concept as scalable air-ground-logistics teams capable of executing independent operations with unprecedented speed and versatility in austere conditions against a wide range of adversaries. The core capability of MARSOF is its command and control philosophy founded on the ability to frame the nature of complex issues and the ability to understand, decide and act within multiple nested levels of intent. This philosophy makes us rapidly relevant to emerging situations, and our command and control technologies support this philosophy. Our Marine history allows us to appreciate both kinetic and non-kinetic solution sets.

5 Our training results in leaders with a wide variety of skills that are made useful and have purpose only with an understanding of the nature of the problem set. We are often asked what our niche is in SOF. Many would like to portray our purpose by a unique environment or capability. To describe ourselves as such would be to narrow our relevance. So we say Special Operations are what we do, Marines are who we are. At this writing, we have been at war for ten years. Predictions would have us increasing our SOF role over the next several years. Our sustained wartime footing requires that we address the associated pressures on the force and families. This is difficult work and our relationship with sports professionals with extensive background in Humanics development of spirit, mind and body - has given us insight into a program focused on resiliency: Resiliency is so important to us that it has taken on the equivalency of a battlefield operating system.

6 My goal for this publication is that it serves as the initial resource to answer questions such as: Who are Marine Special Operations Forces? ; what does MARSOC do? ; how do I become part of MARSOC? and most importantly, what does it mean to be MARSOF ? This document begins with a glimpse into the history of the Marine Special Operations, starting with the Marine Raiders. The Marine Raiders are one of the Marine Corps most storied units and for good reason; they were a select organization that optimized the Marines values and warrior ethos to provide our country with unique capabilities to achieve operational and strategic effects during a time of great national crisis. MARSOF of today are no different; they are multi-dimensional operators with an unconquerable spirit capable of executing SOF missions in the most complex environments under the kinetic and non-kinetic actions.

7 Most importantly, they possess the discipline, ethical values, intellect, and mentality agility to ascertain the dynamics of a given environment and incrementally apply the tools of their trade to win the war before it starts. Our numbers are few; our contributions are numerous; our results are substantial. Our most significant contributions to national security are often unquantifiable and unspoken. We pride ourselves in serving our Country as scholars and practitioners of the profession of arms, studied of the past, understanding the current, and shaping the future. We are and will always be consummate professionals, knowing we are representatives of the Marine Corps, Special Operations Forces, and most profoundly as citizens of the United States of America.

8 I challenge every member of MARSOC to read, understand, and demonstrate through their example and actions, the values and ethos we believe in as Marine Special Operations Forces. Paul E. Lefebvre Major General, Marine Corps Commander MARSOF ix Table of Contents Chapter 1. History of Marine Special Operations 1-1 Chapter 2. MARSOF 2-1 Mission Vision Chapter 3. MARSOF Recruiting 3-1 Qualifications & Standards Values Based Screening Chapter 4. MARSOF Selection 4-1 Character & Ethos Mental, Moral, & Physical Attributes Chapter 5. MARSOF Training 5-1 Training Principles Training Continuum Chapter 6.

9 MARSOF Leadership 6-1 Teaching, coaching, mentoring Mission Orders Chapter 7. Maintaining the Ethos 7-1 MARSOF Performance and Resiliency Spiritus Invictus Chapter 8. Conclusion 8-1 Glossary 9-1 MARSOC Pub 1 1-1 Chapter 1 History of Marine Special Operations Forces My reason for volunteering for the Raiders, it was not that I had a death wish. I felt that if I were to go into combat, it should be in the best trained and led unit that was available. My feelings were gratified. -PFC Ervin Kaplan, Co E, 2d Marine Raider Bn MARSOC was officially activated on 24 February, 2006.

10 Looking back to some of the most important events that serve as the foundation and legacy of our Corps, one can see the many similarities in the genesis, intent and purpose of MARSOC from its earliest involvement in special operations-type engagements. Beginning with Lieutenant Presley O Bannon s battle against the Barbary Pirates at Derna, Tripoli in 1805, to the early years of the 20th century, the Marine Corps was widely seen as the nation s initial response force for national strategic interests. This role was reinforced in the Banana wars , a series of occupations, police actions, and interventions in Central and South America, circa 1898-1934. The experiences gathered here engaging in psychological and guerrilla campaigns and other non-conventional engagements prompted the Corps to begin systematically analyzing the character and requirements of operations short of war proper, resulting in the publication of the small wars manual in 1935.