Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command

Researchers awarded contract to develop injury prevention program for MARSOC operators

By Gina Harkins on December 10, 2013 Battle Rattle

Experts from the University of Pittsburgh will soon head to North Carolina to help develop ways for Marine special operators to better prevent job-related injuries. The university recently announced that its Neuromuscular Research Laboratory/Warrior Human Performance Research Center was awarded funding to conduct research with the Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command. The project will be built around injury prevention and performance optimization for the MARSOC operator. The researchers will seek to design a program that is “culturally-specific and dynamically responsive to the unique tactical demands” of MARSOC operators, the release states. They’ll conduct the research aboard Camp Lejeune, N.C.,…

Spartan helmet and all, MARSOC celebrates anniversary

By Dan Lamothe on February 28, 2013 Afghanistan, MARSOC, Special operations

The elite operators of Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command are celebrating the organization’s seventh birthday this year, and decided to hold a Warrior Challenge last week to honor it. MARSOC reports on its Facebook page that the event included a stamina course, a fitness and marksmanship challenge, and a soccer tournament. Marine Special Operations School won the challenge, leading one of its Marines to don the Spartan helmet you see in the photograph above. Clearly, even special operators get to have a little fun from time to time. Maj. Gen. Mark Clark, MARSOC’s commander, laid out his vision for…

Behind the Cover: MARSOC’s covert Pacific mission

By Dan Lamothe on February 18, 2013 Behind the Cover, budget, MARSOC, Pacific issues, Special operations, Washington

For years, Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command has received attention mostly for its actions in Afghanistan. It’s far from the only theater the elite force has teams in, however. From Africa to the Pacific, Marine special operators have deployed across the globe to work, mostly in the shadows. This week’s Marine Corps Times cover story takes a look at those missions, focusing closely on one high-speed rescue in the Philippines. I caught wind of the rescue recently during a dinner in Washington, D.C., and MARSOC provided enough details afterward to make it clear how dangerous special operations can be,…

Behind the Cover: MARSOC expands

By Dan Lamothe on August 27, 2012 Behind the Cover, General officers, Leadership, MARSOC

It has been more than six years since Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command was established, giving the the Corps its own component in the special operations world. Its development has not been without its headaches, but it continues in earnest. This week’s Marine Corps Times breaks down what’s next for MARSOC and its Marines. A variety of changes have occurred in recruitment and training, and the command continues to add new teams of special operators as it expands. The desired steady state: A mature force that includes all of the enablers needed, plus experienced operators who know how to…

MARSOC role in Afghanistan comes into focus

By Dan Lamothe on December 1, 2011 Afghanistan, Kajaki, MARSOC, The CMC

Commandant Gen. Jim Amos’ trip to Afghanistan through the Thanksgiving holiday has brought a little reported Marine Corps mission to the forefront: village stability operations. Associated Press reporter Bob Burns was along for the trip, and outlined in some detail what operators with Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command are doing in Puzeh, a dusty village in Helmand province about 10 miles south of the Kajaki Dam. In September, I discussed the MARSOC village stability operations mission with Maj. Gen. John Toolan, the top U.S. commander in southwestern Afghanistan. Instead of being involved in raids or other high-profile spec-ops missions,…

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