Although MARSOC did not officially adopt the name when it was formed in 2006, it had been in use unofficially throughout the command’s brief history. In one of his final acts as commandant, Gen. James F. Amos made the title official in a proclamation he released Aug. 6, 2014, calling for “the official continuation of our Corps’ special operations heritage from the Raiders of World War II to our modern day Marines.”
“United States Marines take great pride in our special operations and irregular warfare heritage. From this point forward, the Marines of MARSOC will be officially aligned with the Marine Raiders of World War II and are charged with maintaining the high standards and traditions that accompany such distinction,” Amos said during the MARSOC change-of-command ceremony in which Osterman replaced Clark.
The command headquarters retains the official name MARSOC, but all major subordinate elements have been reflagged with the Raider name – Marine Raider Regiment, Marine Raider Support Group, Marine Raider Battalion, etc.
“It helps tell our story that the Marine Corps is not necessarily new to the world of special operations. This decision will enhance our esprit de corps and anchor MARSOC’s identity and heritage with the Marine Corps,” Osterman said. “The label ‘Raider’ will unify the three MARSOC battalions. Using the legacy of Marine Raiders and the label as an organization would create an umbrella in which all MOSs [Military Occupational Specialty] would fall. This unifying concept allows those who are ‘operators’ and those specialists who ‘support’ operations a common cohesive term as any other unit or MAGTF [Marine Air-Ground Task Force] would have.
Two Critical Skills Operators with 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion prepare to go below deck while clearing a yacht during a visit, board, search, and seizure exercise, Feb. 21, 2015, in Key West, Florida. The operators’ team spent a week in Key West practicing various maritime operations skill sets, further solidifying the development of their techniques, tactics, and procedures. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Steven Fox
“Marines are Marines; no one MOS or occupational field is more special than another. Each Marine brings a unique set of skills that is essential for the collective capability. It is this collective capability that is MARSOC’s center of gravity and distinguishes MARSOC within SOF. Marine Raider ties together ‘Marine’ (who we are), with our historical heritage and to the type of activities (special operations) that we do, ultimately relaying the message ‘Marines are who we are, special operations is what we do.’ The official name changes were implemented and synchronized with the service’s publishing of the February 2015 ‘Authorized Staffing Report.’”
As MARSOC and the rest of the U.S. military try to adjust to a constantly changing global environment, Osterman said the command would continue to develop capabilities rapidly, based on the operational demands of the GCCs and Theater Special Operations Commands [TSOCs].
“MARSOC is striving to maintain the leading edge on leveraging emerging technologies that provide our forces a comparative advantage against enemy networks globally. The integrated, cross-functional manner in which we train our forces ensures that we continue to innovate, experiment, and adapt operational and tactical concepts to ensure theater SOF forces remain capable of staying ahead of and influencing emerging enemies and assisting partners globally to defeat those threats to security and stability,” Osterman said.
This article first appeared in The Year in Special Operations 2015-2016 Edition.