“All deployed operators, coming back as a unit, go to a third location in the U.S., about four hours from Quantico, where they go through a series of interviews, get medical reviews – all the things that are part of mind, body, spirit. That lets them address issues and helps us determine if there is something they haven’t realized yet,” Clark explained.
“We consider that part of the deployment. So when they show up back home, a much different person gets off the bus than returned from deployment – more rested, more sound and fit, and ready to adjust back to family life. That’s been a big thing we have been promoting based on the successes we have seen.”
“Many still do not understand MARSOC,” Clark said, adding that also can be seen within the command itself. “As a new organization stood up and growing up in a combat environment, we never really had a chance to figure out what we are other than a very capable force in Afghanistan. But SOF [overall] tends to be misunderstood; most see us as a black force coming in at night and taking care of bad people. And that is part of it, but there also is the indirect side – helping train forces or working with needs within the population, building relationships.
While praising his predecessors for their accomplishments in creating, standing up, and building MARSOC – not only for combat operations in Southwest Asia immediately after stand-up, but also integrating into SOCOM and taking on global missions for the joint command – Clark said what the SOF Marines have done since 2006 and what MARSOC will be doing from 2013 forward is significantly different.
“While the focus has been predominantly on operations in Afghanistan, we have to remind others that SOF is conducting operations across the globe every day; in small numbers, networked. Since our inception, we’ve conducted 153 operational deployments to 18 different countries,” he noted. “The majority of these missions have been focusing on partner-nation training, assisting in counter-narcoterrorism efforts, and providing other subject-matter expert guidance.
“MARSOC will continue to look out ahead of the current missions to anticipate where SOF will be needed,” Clark said. “That includes staying current in our amphibious capability and committing to interoperability exercises that leverage our MARSOC/MAGTF maritime capabilities. We feel our future forward-deployed regional focus will provide us multiple opportunities to stay connected to the Marine Corps’ expeditionary operations and future maritime capabilities.”
The MARSOC effort, even in dealing with its sister SOF components within SOCOM, also reflects a wider lack of knowledge about special operations in general.
“Many still do not understand MARSOC,” Clark said, adding that also can be seen within the command itself. “As a new organization stood up and growing up in a combat environment, we never really had a chance to figure out what we are other than a very capable force in Afghanistan. But SOF [overall] tends to be misunderstood; most see us as a black force coming in at night and taking care of bad people. And that is part of it, but there also is the indirect side – helping train forces or working with needs within the population, building relationships.
Christopher Bannister, a staff sergeant with MARSOC, performs 50 L pull ups in a hospital six days after stepping on an improvised explosive device and undergoing amputation of his leg. This photo captures the essence of people in the MARSOC organization – people with energy, drive, and commitment, who live by the MARSOC motto, Spiritus Invictus, or unconquerable spirit. Photo courtesy of Crossfit
“We’re now going on a very aggressive information campaign, providing MARSOC 101 and 102 to other organizations in SOF, but in most cases to the rest of the Corps, so they understand what their special ops deployment has become and where we’re going and looking for avenues where we can work together. Sometimes it’s hard to maintain that balance; the pendulum tends to swing, but we’re trying to maintain a very open, transparent relationship with both SOCOM and the Corps. And that’s important. We’re also informing the theater and geographic COCOMs what we can provide and helping our coalition partners look at areas where we can work together.”
More than a decade of war in Southwest Asia has raised SOCOM and its service components out of the shadows and made special operations a more visible key component to U.S. military planning and operations. It is one of the few areas targeted for growth as the rest of the military downsizes, although plans to increase MARSOC by 1,000 Marines as it moves toward its authorized total force of 12 companies and 48 teams in 2016 are being modified in light of ever-tighter defense budgets.
“That’s why I refrain from exact numbers. I can tell you right now we are not going to get the original 1,000 extra; we may get 800-plus. But we are not making an issue of that,” Clark concluded. “I told my staff we need to figure out how we do this without getting that full number – where to establish efficiencies, how to build companies and teams, not just by working harder but smarter. We also must have a plan in place so, if and when we are able to get those extra people, we will know how to and where to use them.
“But with that said, SOF cannot do things on its own. We will still need to rely on the enabling capabilities of others, the Marine Corps, and other organizations. Which is where working with the services – especially the Corps – and them understanding what we are doing, and we understanding what they are doing, is important to closing the operations gaps between us down the road.”
This article was first published in The Year in Special Operations: 2013-2014 Edition.