Mission and Organization
United States Marine Corps Organization
The official mission of the Marine Corps was established in the National Security Act of 1947, amended in 1952. Marines are trained, organized, and equipped for offensive amphibious employment and as a “Force in Readiness.” According to the Act, Marines stand prepared to meet the following mission requirements:
- Provide Fleet Marine Forces with combined arms and supporting air components for service with the United States Fleet in the seizure or defense of advanced naval bases and for the conduct of such land operations as may be essential to the execution of a naval campaign.
- Provide detachments and organizations for service on armed vessels of the Navy and security detachments for the protection of naval property at naval stations and bases.
- Develop, in coordination with the Army, Navy, and Air Force, the doctrine, tactics, techniques, and equipment employed by landing forces in amphibious operations.
- Provide Marine Forces for airborne operations, in coordination with the Army, Navy, and Air Force, according to the doctrine established by the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
- Develop in coordination with the Army, Navy, and Air Force, the doctrine, procedures, and equipment for airborne operations.
- Expand peacetime components to meet wartime needs according to the joint mobilization plans.
- Perform such other duties as the President may direct.
The Marine Corps’ operational forces are organized as Marine Air-Ground Task Forces (MAGTFs) and are employed either as part of naval expeditionary forces or as part of larger joint or combined forces. Before the Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986, the Fleet Marine Forces provided MAGTFs to the combatant commander directly or through the U.S. Fleet Commander. The passage of this Act created a new model for joint operations by clearly placing responsibility for the accomplishment of a combatant command’s assigned mission on the combatant commander and by ensuring that authority was fully commensurate with responsibility. The Act also established closer, more formal command linkages from the Services to the supported combatant commander, thereby creating the requirement for Service components to the combatant commands.
In 1992 Marine Corps componency was established and Marine Corps component commanders were designated for each of the geographic combatant commands. In addition to providing Marine Corps representation to each combatant command, these Marine Corps components have assumed many of the administrative and logistic requirements previously performed by Marine Corps Forces.
Like other American military forces, the Marine Corps operates under a chain of command with two distinct branches. The first branch is an operational chain of command. For the Marine Corps, this branch runs from the President through the Secretary of Defense to the combatant commander and then to the Marine Corps component commander. The second branch of the chain of command is the Service chain of command. The Service chain of command provides for the preparation of Service forces and their administration and support. The Secretary of the Navy is responsible for the administration and support of Marine Forces assigned or attached to each of the combatant commands. The Secretary exercises administrative control through the Commandant of the Marine Corps and the commander of the Marine Corps component command assigned to a combatant command.
103 UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS (USMC) MISSION AND
ORGANIZATION FUNDAMENTALS
103.1 Name the document that established the official mission of the Marine Corps.
The official mission of the Marine Corps is established in the National Security
Act of 1947, amended in 1952. Marines are trained, organized and equipped for
Offensive amphibious employment and as a “force in readiness.” According to the
Act, Marines stand prepared to meet mission requirements.
.2 Discuss the seven elements of the Marine Corps Mission.
a. Provide Fleet Marine Force with combined arms and supporting air components
for service with the United States Fleet in the seizure or defense of advanced
naval bases and for the conduct of such land operations as may be essential to
the execution of naval campaign.
b. Provide detachments and organizations for service on armed vessels of the
Navy and security detachments for the protection of naval property at naval
Stations and bases.
c. Develop, in coordination with the Army, Navy, and Air Force, the doctrine,
tactics, techniques, and equipment employed by landing forces in amphibious
operations.
d. Provide Marine forces for airborne operations, in coordination with the Army,
Navy, and Air Force, according to the doctrine established by the Joint Chiefs
of Staff.
e. Develop, in coordination with the Army, Navy, and Air Force, the doctrine,
procedures, and equipment for airborne operations.
f. Expand peacetime components to meet wartime needs according to the joint
mobilization plans.
g. Perform such other duties as the President may direct.
.3 Identify the location of the Marine Divisions, Air Wings, and Force Service
Support Groups (FSSG’s)
1. Locate the four Marine Corps divisions.
a. 1st Marine Division is located in Camp Pendleton, California.
b. 2d Marine Division is located in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
c. 3rd Marine Division is located in Okinawa, Japan.
d. 4th Marine Division HQ is located in New Orleans, Louisiana.
2. Locate the four Marine Corps aircraft wings.
103 UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS (USMC) MISSION AND
ORGANIZATION FUNDAMENTALS
a. 1st Aircraft Wing is located in Okinawa and Iwakuni, Japan.
b. 2d Aircraft Wing is located in Cherry Point, North Carolina.
c. 3rd Aircraft Wing is located in El Toro, California.
d. 4th Aircraft Wing is located in New Orleans, Louisiana.
3. Locate the four Marine Corps force service support groups.
a. 1st Force Service Support Group is located in Camp Pendleton, California.
b. 2d Force Service Support Group is located in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
c. 3rd Force Service Support Group is located in Okinawa, Japan.
d. 4th Force Service Support Group is located in Marietta, Georgia.
.4 Discuss elements of the following Maine Air/Ground Task Force (MAGTF)
organizations.
1. The MEF is the largest and most powerful of the MAGTF’s and is the principal
warfighting MAGTF in the active force structure.
a. Elements of a MEF- Command Element-SRIG and the supporting elements
include the ACE-Marine Aircraft Wing, GCE-Marine Division, CSSE-Force
Service Support Group.
2. The MEU is forward deployed as the immediately responsive, on-scene, sea-
based Marine component of the fleet commander’s amphibious and power
projection forces.
a. Elements of a MEU-Command Element-Det of SRIG and the supporting
elements include the ACE-Helicopter Squadron (REIN), GCE-Infantry
Battalion (REIN), CSSE-MEU Service Support Group.
3. The SPMAGTF is organized to accomplish missions for which the MEF and
MEU are not appropriate or too large to employ. It can be deployed by
Amphibious or commercial ships, tactical or strategic airlift, or organic Marine
Corps aviation.
a. The CE is structured to conduct command and control of operational
functions and is tailored to the mission and task organization of the
SPMAGTF. The GCE is composed of at least a platoon-sized element.
The ACE is a task-organized detachment of aircraft. And the CSSE is
Task-organized to meet the specific service support requirements of the
SPMAGTF and is centered on the unit designated to provide most of the
Service support.
