Marine Detachments

I am proud to say that this article appeared in the November 2013 issue of the United States Naval Institute publication Proceedings.


http://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2013-11/nobody-asked-me-reinstate-mardets

Nobody Asked Me But . . .  Reinstate MarDets

The Navy and Marine Corps are beginning to focus on the Pacific and China. Additionally, within the Corps there is a belief that throughout the last decade, the Marines have become “a second land army” to the detriment of the Service’s core capability of amphibious operations. How should the Marine Corps go forward post-Iraq/Afghanistan and refocus on the sea in this Pacific century? 

One way to return some capability to the Fleet is to reinstate the Marine Detachments (MarDets). Until the 1990’s, Marines were regular components of cruiser, battleship and aircraft carrier crews. These detachments have a history dating back to the very beginnings of the Navy and Marine Corps during the Revolutionary War and on early warships like the USS Constitution. 

During the Cold War, detachments usually consisted of two officers with 35 to 44 enlisted Marines on cruisers and battleships or two officers with 46 to 64 enlisted Marines on carriers. By the late 1990’s, budget and manpower constraints had reduced these numbers on carriers by half. Ultimately, MarDets were eliminated altogether.

 

At the time, the regulations for the Detachments were: “To provide for operations ashore, as a part of the ships landing force; or as a part of the landing force of Marines from ships of the fleet or subdivision thereof; or as an independent force for limited operations.” Doesn't this sound like a valuable asset to us in the present day? 

Unlike what was done on the USS Roosevelt in 1993, when that carrier deployed with a full company of 200 Marines and a transport squadron of ten helicopters plus another 250 support Marines, present day MarDets would have no major impact on carrier operations. No strike aircraft would have to be beached like in 1993 and transport would be by the MH-60S Knighthawk, a good surrogate for the Marines’ UH-1Y and already integrated within the carrier air wing. Current plans call for half a dozen Knighthawks to be in a Carrier Strike Group, enough to transport all of the Leathernecks in one flight. 

Although I never served on an aircraft carrier, Marines I knew who had been part of Cold War style MarDets talked of how they worked with the crews of the SH-3s (and later SH-60s) on all types of insertions including on land, on ships, at night, and in bad weather. These roles of hostile ship-boarding and raiding are tailor-made for Marines. This would also ease up demand on already stretched thin Special Operations and amphibious ships. 

I believe the MarDets could be placed on cruisers again as well. The concept can even be extended to support ships such as the Lewis and Clark class. Whether as a permanent addition or on an as needed basis, a smaller contingent of one officer and twenty enlisted Marines would add to the flexibility of the ship whatever the mission, such as when a ship is deploying to the Indian Ocean to deal with pirates. 

Each of the cruisers and larger support ships like the T-AKE in naval service can operate two MH-60 helicopters; that's enough for a small MarDet to be carried in one lift. 

A CSG under this plan with a carrier and two other ships carrying MarDets would have over 100 Marines fully integrated into the force. MH-60s organic to the group would provide airlift. Any tasking more than the CSG’s Marines could handle might be brought in by an amphibious ship. The Marines would be a small enough unit to get in and out quickly and would have naval gunfire, MH-60R Romeo, and F-18s to provide the support needed during their brief time ashore. For small unit operation, a CSG with a MarDet would be just right, without having to wait for a MEU that might be engaged somewhere else. 

By putting Marines on more ships, we have a much better time-critical response in the Fleet. It also emphasizes small unit operations and leadership at the lowest levels for lieutenants and non-commissioned officers. This idea will help the Corps transition from a land army mentality back to its maritime nature much more quickly. 

And by using the MH-60 we take advantage of the platform's all-weather performance and the ability to operate precision ordnance like the Hellfire missile, something earlier Navy helicopters like the  SH-3 lacked. Yet they remain able to conduct traditional naval missions like sea control. 

I like the idea of bringing back the MarDets. They are a treasured part of Navy and Marine history, and I believe they can be part of the "Pacific pivot" and the Marine Corps’ future.

Bibliography

The Naval Institute Guide To The Ships And Aircraft Of The U.S. Fleet Norman Polmar 18^th edition 2005

http://www.history.navy.mil/library/online/corps%20salty%20dogs.htm