Secretary of State John Kerry issued a video birthday message to Marines, highlighting the connection between his department and the Corps as the service places new security guards at diplomatic facilities overseas and provides vital protection at embassies most vulnerable to attack.
The three-minute message, posted on the State Department's website Monday, was released as Marines prepare to celebrate the Corps' 239th birthday on Nov. 10. Kerry highlights the ongoing partnership between Marines and the State Department, acknowledging a newly formed security guard detachment in Vietnam and the boosted protection they provide in dangerous locations.
"During my travels as Secretary of State, I am privileged to meet at almost every stop with the Marines serving at our embassies abroad," he said in the video. "I've spent time with officers in Jeddah and Kabul. I welcomed a new detachment to Vietnam. I shook hands with those keeping a watchful eye on our embassy in Baghdad. And each time, I'm inspired by their honor, courage, and commitment to Corps and country."
The State Department did not immediately respond to questions about why Kerry chose to issue the message directly to Marines. But the Marine Corps' role in protecting embassies and other diplomatic posts — as well as personnel — has been thrust into the spotlight following the deadly 2012 attack on a U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, that left four Americans dead, including Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens.
Since then, the Corps has gotten to work on filling a mandate from Congress to create 1,000 new Marine security guards to stand post at State Department facilities around the world. They've also stood up brand new land-based units designed to respond quickly in the event of a security concerns or attacks at an embassy.
The Marine Security Augmentation Unit, based in Quantico, Virginia, is composed of nine or 10 squad-level teams totaling about 130 Marines who can be summoned directly by an ambassador if intelligence indicates the threat of an attack. That unit is made up of trained Marine security guards who can protect and destroy classified information at embassies.
The Corps has also deployed thousands of Marines in the form of new crisis response units that can respond to emergencies in Africa and the Middle East. Those units include infantry Marines who can be transported long distances via MV-22B Osprey aircraft. Marines with the crisis response force for Africa have evacuated embassy personnel from South Sudan and Libya in the past year, and members of the unit based in the Middle East are providing security at the embassy in Iraq.
"In South Sudan and Tripoli, they secured our facilities and safely evacuated embassy personnel," Kerry said. "In Iraq, they continue to provide security in a time of enormous challenge. I salute Marines everywhere for their bravery and vigilance, in times of peace and in times of crisis."
Kerry paid tribute to the sacrifice Marines made in Afghanistan, where the Corps completed operations in late October following 13 years of war there. He also recognizes the bloodiest battle Marines fought in Iraq a decade ago.
"On the tenth anniversary of the Battle of Fallujah, I would like to take a moment to honor the memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice," he said. "...Every American has reason to be grateful for that long ago day when the Marine Corps was born. We celebrate the more than two centuries of courageous service that have followed."
