Defense Department officials directed combatant commanders worldwide to prepare for possible violence ahead of the expected release of a Senate report on interrogation tactics employed during the Bush administration.
The administrative memo, issued by the Joint Staff on Friday, urged combatant commanders to take "appropriate force protection measures," said Pentagon spokesman and Army Col. Steven Warren, a Defense Department spokesman, said on Monday. The Senate iIntelligence cCommittee reportedly will release the document detailing interrogation techniques on Tuesday, despite mounting fears it will lead to strife overseas.
"There is certainly a possibility that this report could cause unrest," Warren said during a press conference Monday.
For Marines, that means they could be operating under a "heightened state of alert and readiness" depending on where they are deployed, said Corps spokesman Maj. John Caldwell, a Marine spokesman at the Pentagon. He declined to elaborate on the steps specific commands are taking.
But sShould a crisis erupt, particularly in Africa or the Middle East, the Corps has assets in place, including several units designed specifically to deal with emergencies. Perhaps the most notable are the two special purpose Marine air-ground task forces based in Kuwait and Spain. Each includes about 2,200 Marines who are forward deployed and ready to respond to crises in the Middle East or Africa.
These units are designed to tackle a variety of dilemmas, such as humanitarian relief, fixed-site security and noncombatant evacuation, among others. SPMAGTF-Crisis Response-Africa led the evacuation of the U.S. Embassy in Libya earlier this year, for example.
Along with ground forces grunts, the land-based crisis response forces possess air assets like the AV-8B Harrier, MV-22 Osprey and KC-130J Super Hercules. They also include a logistics element.
Fleet Antiterrorism Security Teams can also be called on to respond to crises. also operate in the area. These platoons — based in Rota, Spain, Bahrain and Yokosuka, Japan — also rapidly respond to calamities at U.S. facilities across the globe. One such team based in Rota, Spain, responded to the deadly 2012 attack on a U.S. consulate in Benghazi.
Finally, the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit is currently near the Gulf of Aden, in the region, operating at sea in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility. The MEU includes about 2,200 Marines and sailors embarked with the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group.
Marines aren't the only troops a combatant commander can call on to respond to crises. Sailors, airmen and soldiers positioned around the globe can also be tapped to provide military response in the event of an emergency.
"Our crisis response forces ... while uniquely capable, are but one of many options available to combatant commanders," said Capt. Eric Flanagan, a Marine spokesman at the Pentagon.
Combatant commanders have also been advised to take any steps they believe are appropriate to assure the safety of their personnel in case the report triggers violence, the Associated Press reported Friday.
Staff writer Andrew Tilghman contributed to this report.
