News

What winning looks like: the Cognitive Raider - U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Michael K. Nagata speaks to Marine Raiders with Marine Forces Special Operations Command at Cognitive Raider Symposium 2023 on Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, June 22, 2023. CRS is an annual event designed to spur the creative and intellectual thought of members of the command when tackling difficult and advanced problem sets. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Henry Rodriguez)

What winning looks like: the Cognitive Raider

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. – Special operations forces from across the joint force have developed a reputation for efficiency, lethality, and versatility over the course of their history. In recent years, units like Marine Forces Special Operations Command have sought to further develop another aspect of their SOF capabilities: intellectual creativity.

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MARSOC, partner forces conclude Exercise Raven - British Royal Marines from 40 Commando Royal Marines conduct a direct action raid in support of Marine Raiders with Marine Forces Special Operations Command during Exercise Raven, a unit readiness exercise, May 26, 2023. Exercise Raven is a training exercise held to evaluate all aspects of a Marine Special Operations Company prior to a special operations deployment. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Henry Rodriguez)

MARSOC, partner forces conclude Exercise Raven

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. -- Before heading out on any deployment, Marine Corps units are required to conduct a pre-deployment training cycle. What this cycle looks like varies greatly depending on the unit, mission, and requirements. For Marine Raiders with Marine Forces Special Operations Command, it includes both individual and unit-level training. Part of that unit-level training is the exercise known as Exercise Raven.

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Para Bellum Horizon 23: Let the games begin - Marine Raiders with Marine Forces Special Operations Command participate in Para Bellum Horizon 23 alongside foreign partners and special guests on Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, May 15-17, 2023. Para Bellum Horizon is an annual wargame event designed to continuously evaluate the deployment of MARSOC forces in ever-changing environments. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Henry Rodriguez)

Para Bellum Horizon 23: Let the games begin

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. - U.S. Marines are wargaming a new type of Special Operations Force deployable team with the help of foreign partners and the Center for Naval Analyses.

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Students participate in MDLOC Course at MARSOC - Marines from Marine Forces Special Operations Command and the Fleet Marine Force assemble a M134 Minigun during the MARSOF Ordnance portion of Multi-Discipline Logistics Operations Course at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, March 20, 2023. MDLOC is the final aspect of an 11 to 12-week training pipeline that is divided into three specific career fields: logistics and sustainment, maintenance, and ordnance. This course, in addition to Special Operations Forces Fundamentals and Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape, produces MARSOC special operations capability specialists with the unique skills needed to support and sustain Marine Special Operation Companies. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Jesula Jeanlouis)

MARSOC Multi-Discipline Logistics Operations Course

Marine Forces Special Operations Command held a Multi-Discipline Logistics Operations Course, March 6-31, 2023, to certify a new class of special operations capability specialists in the logistics (SOCS-L), maintenance (SOCS-M), and ordnance (SOCS-O) fields.

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U.S. Navy Rear Adm. (Ret.) Thomas Cullison teaches fundamentals of global health engagement. - U.S. Navy Rear Adm. (Ret.) Thomas Cullison, former deputy surgeon general, U.S. Navy, teaches fundamentals of global health engagement to a class on Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, Mar. 21, 2023. Marine Forces Special Operations Command hosted the course for military health care professionals at all levels to broaden their knowledge on the subject and its relationship to the special operations forces area of operations. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Henry Rodriguez)

MARSOC, SOCOM and the influence of Global Health Engagement

Since its inception, Marine Forces Special Operations Command prioritized missions such as Foreign Internal Defense. The basic concept is to place a Marine Special Operations Company in a country, work with local partner forces to exchange ideas and practices, and help increase their ability to work independently to increase national and global security.

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Maj. Gen. Matthew G. Trollinger meets with former Acting Secretary of Defense, Christopher C. Miller. - Christopher C. Miller, former Acting Secretary of Defense, visits Marine Forces Special Operations Command as part of the Cognitive Raider Education Series on Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, Mar. 24, 2023. Miller met with Maj. Gen. Matthew G. Trollinger, MARSOC Commander, to discuss how MARSOC is implementing information as a warfighting function and leading the charge in strategic shaping and reconnaissance. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Jesula Jeanlouis)

Marine Raiders to explore “What Winning Looks Like”

The Cognitive Raider – a foundational concept established with the development and publication of Marine Special Operations Forces 2030 – encompasses the requirement to develop qualities of intellect, judgement, creativity, and teamwork in future Marine Raiders while maintaining the determination and endurance which serve as hallmarks of current success. MARSOF 2030 identified four innovation pathways including the Cognitive Raider, which applies both to the individual and the collective capabilities of the team. It also serves as a challenging imperative as thinking Marine Raiders provide the foundation for developing and sustaining a learning organization like Marine Forces Special Operations Command.

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Explosive ordinance disposal technicians with MARSOC conduct patrols. - Explosive ordnance disposal technicians with Marine Forces Special Operations Command and Air Force Special Operations Command conduct a patrol alongside critical skills operators during a training event June 24, 2022. The EOD primer tests all aspects of a technician’s knowledge and expertise needed to perform as the only tech on a Marine Special Operations Team while operating in austere, politically sensitive, or hostile environments. EOD technicians assigned to MARSOC have completed Marine Special Operations Forces Explosive Ordnance Disposal Level 1, which trains Fleet Marine Force EOD technicians in the knowledge and skills required to support the core tasks assigned to MARSOC as a special operations capability specialist. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Brennan Priest)

Marine Raiders celebrate 17 years of exceptional service

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. – During its 17th anniversary on Feb. 24, 2023, Marine Forces Special Operations Command and the Marine Raiders that fill its ranks celebrated a history and legacy that extends beyond the most recent years as a service component under U.S. Special Operations Command.

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Marines with Marine Forces Special Operations Command and 2nd Marine Logistics Group load cargo into a CH-53K King Stallion helicopter during an evaluation of the aircraft in the vicinity of Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, Oct. 25, 2022. The evaluation included day and night aerial cargo delivery, low-level static line parachute operations, and military freefall operations. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Jesula Jeanlouis) - Marines with Marine Forces Special Operations Command and 2nd Marine Logistics Group load cargo into a CH-53K King Stallion helicopter during an evaluation of the aircraft in the vicinity of Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, Oct. 25, 2022. The evaluation included day and night aerial cargo delivery, low-level static line parachute operations, and military freefall operations. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Jesula Jeanlouis)

MARSOC, 2nd MLG evaluate new CH-53K King Stallion Helicopter

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. – Marine Forces Special Operations Command’s Paraloft personnel teamed up with 2nd Marine Logistics Group’s Air Delivery Platoon to evaluate the secondary mission capabilities of the CH-53K King Stallion helicopter, Oct. 25 – Nov. 3, 2022. This evaluation included day and night aerial cargo delivery, low-level static line parachute operations, and military freefall operations. “The validation of these operations and the data collected will provide added capability to the fleet in support of the initial [Marine Expeditionary Unit] deployment and lay the groundwork for future operational employment of the CH-53K,” explained Lt. Col. Adam D. Shirley, Marine Raider Regiment Air/Fires Officer and CH-53K pilot. “This event was significant because it was the first time that any of these tasks have been conducted from this new, immensely capable aircraft.”

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Marines with 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, execute close-quarters battle techniques at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, Aug. 28 – Sept. 9, 2022. The training, conducted with Marine Forces Special Operations Command, included static and moving drills, single and multi-room clears, and full team house runs. This allows for better integration between Special Operations Forces and the Fleet Marine Force to unite tactical and operational efforts and create interdependence on the battlefield and for the future operating environment. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Jesula Jeanlouis - Marines with 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, execute close-quarters battle techniques at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, Aug. 28 – Sept. 9, 2022. The training, conducted with Marine Forces Special Operations Command, included static and moving drills, single and multi-room clears, and full team house runs. This allows for better integration between Special Operations Forces and the Fleet Marine Force to unite tactical and operational efforts and create interdependence on the battlefield and for the future operating environment. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Jesula Jeanlouis)