Royal Marines

was still close to home. It was full speed ahead once everyone was through the canal. The two SEAL teams were picked up and safely on the Iowa. They expected another five days of sailing time to reach Norfolk. Once there they would unload the Marines and their equipment and meet with the Secretary of the Navy. They knew that once they reached port things would begin to move fast, so they had no plans for flight operations right now, or where to position the Iowa with her massive guns. The…

British troops combined have lost over 162 service members while being deployed to the area. While I was deployed to Sangin in 2010, my battalion lost nine Marines in four days during the first few weeks of the deployment. By the end of our deployment, we sustained more casualties than any other unit that was deployed to Sangin. Losing nine Marines in four days opened the eyes of the Pentagon, and had them contemplating removing us from the district. The Pentagon eventually decided against…

Some people say that the Marine Corps is becoming a second Army, that is simply not the case. Since the Gulf War the Marine Corps has been being deployed to areas like Iraq and Afghanistan by helicopter and airplanes, this makes it seem like they are becoming a second Army because of the long term deployments. The Marine Corps says that they do not intend on becoming a second Army, and there was an issued statement from 2011 Defense Secretary Robert Gates “The Marine Corps is not going to turn…

Female Marines Female Marines make up for six percent of the Marines Corp and only eight percent of the United States population are Marines, so that is a very small number of female Marines according to Sergeant Williams at the Princeton WV recruiting office. The Marines Corp is one the hardest branches in the United States Military to join, because it is both physical and mentally challenging, which makes female Marines the elite of the elite. The Marines Corp treats their female Marines…

It could be argued that technological progression drives development of new doctrine and practices for amphibious operations. The complexity and demand for the integration and co-operation of military personnel, logistics and fire support encourages implementing new concepts for amphibious operations. Further to this, the technology available will directly impact how any amphibious operations would be undertaken and drive the change in the doctrine and the forces that deploy. States spend money…

However, the idea of using Marines to fulfill an amphibious role for the United States gained traction and set the tone for many beach landings that would occur following the Marines being tasked with those duties. The most important factor in the development of the Marine amphibious assault doctrine was the threat of being overtaken by the Army. The United States waited far too long to implement the Marines…

Principles of Leadership: Similarities between Stockdale and Metcalfe Admiral James Stockdale is a medal of honor recipient for his actions while a prisoner of war. Stockdale was the highest-ranking officer in his prisoner of war camp. By actively working against his captors and motivating his fellow prisoners of war to do the same, Stockdale exemplified behaviors of leadership. Stockdale’s leadership encouraged his fellow prisoners of war to maintain their integrity. Likewise, I have seen a…

Non-Commissioned Officers are the backbone of the Marine Corps. They are the vital link in ensuring Marines under their charge are trained, and exceed proficiency in the occupational specialty. Marine non-commissioned officers provide and assist their Marines in professional development, they enforce the physical and mental standards in junior Marines through small unit leadership. Non-Commissioned Officers are responsible for their men and their actions, and the Marine non-commissioned officer…

Aquatic Defense The United States has a few branches of the military. They all have important jobs that make them unique, but they also all have similarities. Two branches that are often debated are the Navy and the Coast Guard. The United States Navy and the United States Coast Guard have been said to be the same branches by some, and completely different by others. I found that the Navy and the Coast Guard are actually not too similar but both are very unique and important, although the Navy…

Expeditionary Force 21 (EF-21) outlined four Lines of Effort (LOEs) that the Marine Corps must address in the coming years: 1. Refining our Organization 2. Adjusting our Forward Posture 3. Increasing Naval Integration 4. Enhancing Littoral Maneuver Capability Along with these four lines of effort, EF-21 highlights 13 focus areas for the Marine Corps to improve upon: 1. Naval Integration 2. Conducting Security Cooperation 3. Maneuver 4. Fires 5. Command and Control / NET Centric 6. Cyberspace…