In the year ahead, Plans, Policies and Operations, the Pentagon-based command responsible for coordinating Marine movements across the globe, is placing particular emphasis on embassy security and the service's rapidly expanding crisis response mission.
According to command representatives, the Embassy Security Group is hitting targets Congress mandated in the aftermath of several high-profile attacks on embassies. But in addition to heightened embassy security, the command is also making headway to forward-base Marines in crisis response units.
Embassy security plus up. Following the high-profile attack on the U.S. consulate in in Benghazi, Libya, which left four Americans dead, including Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens, Congress called for a significant expansion of Marine Security Guards, mandating the addition of 1,000 MSGs.
The Corps has slowly grown its MSG force to 1,500, with plans to add hundreds more in the next year to hit their end-state goal of about 2,200 guards by 2016. The service has recently opened 17 new detachments, mostly in Africa and the Middle East, where U.S. diplomatic facilities face the most threats. That is only half the number of detachments the State Department has said it needs bolstered or stood up to boost security. The total number of detachments is 172 across the globe.
"Current new locations include South Africa, Gabon, Lebanon and Republic of the Congo," according to Capt. Eric Flanagan, a PP&O spokesman at the Pentagon.
Part of the plus-up includes the MSG Security Augmentation Unit. That unit, located at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, is comprised of about 10 teams, about 130 Marines in all. The now operational unit is capable of deploying on a moment's notice in response to calls from an ambassador, chief of mission or regional security officer. The teams have the same training as standard MSGs in order to seamlessly bolster Marines already on post.
To simplify emergency augmentation, calls for help don't have to go through the State Department then on to the Defense Department before Marines get the go-ahead to deploy. That chain has the potential to slow desperately needed support.
Crisis response. There are now at least two more crisis response units set to follow Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Forces-Crisis Response established in Morón, Spain, in 2013. The unit also has prepositioned Marines in Romania. They have already been deployed to face down several crises, including the high-profile evacuation of the U.S. embassy in Juba, South Sudan, in January after that country suffered a bout of unrest.
A number of highly volatile areas of the world remain without a dedicated Marine crisis response contingent. Toward that end, the PP&O officials are working to coordinate the establishment in the coming months of crisis response units in U.S. Central and South Commands.
"We are working with partner nations to base these SPMAGTF Marines," Flanagan said. "At this point we don't have plans to announce dates or locations for the SPMAGTFs. Much like we did for Morón, Spain, we will defer to our partner nations hosting these units for a release of information regarding the basing and locations of SPMAGTFs.
"I can say that Marines can expect SPMAGTF-CENT to be operational at some point in early FY15. SPMAGTF-SOUTH will be formed at a later date in FY15."
Those prestationed forces, heavily reliant on the Marine Corps' organic aviation assets, become increasingly important to the service's ability to respond to crises. Marine planners must also struggle with a shortage of Navy amphibious ships. Only 30 will be in operation by fiscal 2015, far fewer than the 38 Marine leaders wanted and the 33 minimum they said were necessary for operational requirements.
While PP&O will continue to devise ways to accomplish missions and keep Marines relevant, crisis response and embassy security are certain to remain stalwarts of future missions.
