27-May-11 -- Marines and Sailors from the 2d and 3d Marine Special Operations Battalions, U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Special Operations Command, recently executed what is perhaps MARSOC’s most realistic and dynamic pre-deployment exercise – a two-week immersion designed to prepare MARSOC Marines for combat operations in Afghanistan.
“This exercise provides MARSOC’s commander the opportunity to certify his deploying forces,” said the assistant chief of staff of MARSOC’s G-7. “It also provides the opportunity for the exercise force to assemble all of its special operations combat support and combat service support personnel, and to work out their procedures and command relationships.”
Central to the exercise was Ft. Irwin’s National Training Center, a simulated reality playground that provided an environment as realistic and comprehensive as possible. In Potemkin villages crowded with Afghan role players, the Marines were able to enhance their language and cultural depth, and also broaden their skills and understanding of what is SOCOM’s most important counterinsurgency strategy in Afghanistan – combat Foreign Internal Defense through Village Stability Operations, or VSO.
“Right now VSO is the backbone of counterinsurgency,” said a MARSOC operations officer and training evaluator who was involved with the exercise. “The goal is to connect the villages in Afghanistan to the district and provisional governments, while simultaneously eliminating and preventing an insurgent presence.”
In country, MARSOC Marines determine which villages are suitable to establish VSO sites, he said.
“That’s why it’s crucial that they know how to interact with the locals,” said the operations officer. “That’s where this familiarization training comes into play.”
The Marines were also exposed to the concept of working with other government agencies that they will likely encounter in any operational area. Among those represented at the pre-deployment exercise were the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the State Department, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Navy Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS). Although not present at this iteration, the FBI has participated in the past.
“We try to replicate as closely as possible the dynamics that they will find in the villages, and also the interaction they will encounter when working with higher headquarters,” said the operations officer.
“The program requires considerable support and effort from the entire MARSOC component and the respective commands,” said the assistant chief of staff. “But the shared responsibility ensures that our forces are as ready as possible for deployment to combat operations.”
The exercise is conducted three-to-four times a year, and is never the same. Even during a single iteration, the script changes constantly in response to the actions/reactions of the Marine Special Operations Teams, who in turn respond to the initial design of the exercise control branch.
“Each cycle, the component is able to determine where they can improve, support, or provide additional capability,” said the assistant chief of staff. “In turn, the lessons learned are fed back into our training pipeline, all the way back to the Individual Training Course, the direct support courses, all of the communication courses, and the Special Operations Training Course. This exercise is the cauldron for which that can be done.”