MARSOC: “Today Will Be Different”

2014-15 year in review

By J.R. Wilson - June 15, 2015

Marine special operations forces prepare for a mission during a training exercise aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73). SEALs and Marine Special Operations (MARSOC) forces from Special Operations Command Pacific conducted maritime interoperability training aboard USS George Washington. George Washington and its embarked air wing, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5, provide a combat-ready force that protects and defends the collective maritime interests of the United States and its allies and partners in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Everett Allen

Another MARSOC component undergoing expansion is the Multi-Purpose Canine (MPC) unit.

“Now that MARSOC has broken down into different AOs, we’re ensuring all the handlers know what AO they’re going into and what mission set the teams could be tasked with,” according to MPC’s program manager. “All of our guys have all the same capabilities, but each handler will be dealing with a different mission set in respect to his AO, so we’re constantly training and re-certifying our guys to create a great product for the teams.”

Core MPC capabilities include traditional military canine duties, such as explosives detection and intruder alert, but those are being constantly upgraded with feedback from handlers returning from deployment. That leads to additional training to provide both handlers and canines with special skills required to meet the needs of the Marine Special Operations Teams (MSOTs) to which they are assigned.

A Multi-Purpose Canine (MPC) handler with MARSOC carries his canine up a grated ladderwell during training aboard Stone Bay Rifle Range, Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, Sept. 16, 2014. As MARSOC continues to demonstrate its capabilities and versatilities, MPC handlers with the command are preparing themselves and their canines for operations in new areas of responsibility. U.S. Marine Corps photo illustration by Sgt. Scott A. Achtemeier

It also includes a new emphasis on maritime operations.

“That’s what we bring to MARSOC with our multi-purpose canines – a dog with several different capabilities to be able to conduct whatever mission the team has for us,” the MPC program manager explained. “They’re getting a multi-purpose canine that’s off leash, sniffing out explosives; they can track, patrol, chase down fleeing suspects, and provide an extra layer of protection to the team.”

Despite the low cap on authorized force size, MARSOC continues to look across the big Corps for future new Raiders.

“Any loss of a Marine is a tragedy and so [the accident] is really not one I could put in context or scope,” Osterman stated during a press conference at the time. “In this case, to have such a tremendous group of Marines, obviously the experience they had and the cohesion and teamwork and everything else that they exhibited, it definitely hit us all hard – and by having that many all at one time.”

“Our recruiting goals and priorities in the next year or two include informing and educating the force and preparing those Marines selected to attend assessment and selection [A&S]. We continue to build the force by using the best practices in recruiting and screening in which to assign qualified Marines for the Critical Skills Operator [CSO/Special Operations Officer [SOO] pipeline program. Our community does not strive for minimums. We continue to look for those individuals who want to continue serving their Corps and nation beyond the tip of the spear,” Osterman said.

“We will inform the force with the assistance of Headquarters Marine Corps and the support of the Fleet Marine Force units to ensure all available information is communicated to those qualified and interested Marines. We will strive to inform those Marines of every opportunity to take the challenge to enter the CSO/SOO and the Special Operations Capabilities Specialist [SOCS] arena.”

Despite being sent into some of the most dangerous combat situations facing the U.S. military, MARSOC experienced its worst single-day loss of life in a training accident on March 10, 2015, when an Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter carrying seven Raiders and four Louisiana National Guardsmen crashed in heavy fog during a water insertion exercise off the coast of the Florida Panhandle. All aboard perished.

“Any loss of a Marine is a tragedy and so [the accident] is really not one I could put in context or scope,” Osterman stated during a press conference at the time. “In this case, to have such a tremendous group of Marines, obviously the experience they had and the cohesion and teamwork and everything else that they exhibited, it definitely hit us all hard – and by having that many all at one time.”