United States Marine Corps
In the United
States Marine Corps, rifle platoons are led by a platoon commander,
usually a second lieutenant (O-1), assisted by a platoon sergeant, a
staff sergeant (E-6). The platoon headquarters also includes a
platoon guide, a sergeant (E-5), who serves as the assistant platoon
sergeant and a messenger (Pvt or PFC). Rifle platoons consist of
three rifle squads of 13 men each, led by a sergeant (E-5). A
weapons platoon will usually have a first lieutenant (O-2) and a
gunnery sergeant (E-7) because of the larger number of Marines and
the more complex employment of the weapon systems included in these
platoons. A weapons platoon has a 60mm mortar section of ten Marines
and three M224 60mm mortars, an assault section of 13 Marines and
six SMAWs and a medium machine gun section of 22 Marines and six
M240Gs. Marine rifle or weapons platoons would also have one or more
Navy hospital corpsmen assigned along with the Marines.
Number of
Marines in a Marine Expeditionary Force
- 47,000
Division - 16,000
Brigade - between
4,000 and 16,000
Regiment - 2,250
Unit - 2,200
Battalion - 750
Company/Battery -
150
Platoon - 42
Squad - 13
Fire Team - 4.
Mission of
Marine Corps Rifle Squad
– To locate, close with, and destroy the enemy through fire and
maneuver, and to repel the enemy assault through fire and close
combat.
Here is the typical organization for Marine Corps infantry
units:
Fire team: four Marines; team leader, automatic rifleman,
assistant automatic rifleman, and rifleman.
Infantry Squad:
three fire teams and a corporal or sergeant as squad leader.
Rifle Platoon:
three squads, a Navy corpsman, a platoon sergeant (staff sergeant),
and a lieutenant as platoon commander.
Weapons Platoon: a 60mm mortar section, an assault section, a
medium machinegun section, a Navy corpsman, a platoon sergeant
(gunnery sergeant), and a lieutenant as platoon commander.
Rifle Company,
Weapons Company or Headquarters and Support Company:
three rifle
platoons, a weapons platoon, a Navy corpsman, a administrative
clerk, a training NCO, a company gunnery sergeant, first sergeant, a
first lieutenant as executive officer, and captain as commander.
Infantry Battalion: three or four companies, commanded by a
lieutenant colonel.
Infantry Regiment: three or four battalions, commanded by a
colonel.
Brigade:
uncommon in the Marine Corps,
but typically made up of one or more regiments and commanded by a
brigadier general
Division: three or four regiments, officers and others,
commanded by a major general.
Battalions and larger units have a sergeant major, and an executive
officer as second in command, plus officers and others for:
Administration (S-1), Intelligence (S-2), Operations (S-3),
Logistics (S-4), Civil Affairs [wartime only] (S-5), and
Communications (S-6).
Typical aviation units are squadron, group and wing.
Air-ground task forces:
The Marine Corps organization is flexible, and task forces can
be formed of any size. Modern deployed Marine units are based upon
the doctrine of the Marine air-ground task force, or MAGTF. A
MAGTF can generally be of any of three sizes, based upon the amount
of force required in the given situation; however, all MAGTFs have a
similar organization.
A MAGTF
is comprised of four elements: the command element (CE), the ground
combat element (GCE), the air combat element (ACE) and the combat
service support element (CSSE).
Command element - A headquarters unit that directs the other
elements
Ground combat element - Usually infantry, supported by armor
(tanks), and artillery, but including special units such as scouts
or Force Reconnaissance, snipers and forward air controllers.
Air combat element - The total airpower strength of the MAGTF,
the ACE includes all aerial vehicles (both fixed wing and
helicopter), their pilots and maintenance personnel.
Combat service support element - This element includes all of
the support units for the MAGTF: communications, combat engineers,
motor transport, medical and supply units, and certain specialized
groups such as air delivery and landing support teams.
The smallest type of MAGTF is the Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU).
The MEU is trained to operated as an
independent force or as part of a Joint Task Force.
Four elements make up a Marine
Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable): The Command Element
is the standing headquarters for the MEU, usually headed by a
Colonel (O-6). The Ground Combat Element is a Battalion Landing
Team; an infantry battalion reinforced with tanks, artillery,
engineers, amphibious vehicles, light armored vehicles, and other
ground combat assets. The Aviation Combat Element is made up of a
composite squadron of both fixed and rotary-wing aircraft. The
Combat Service Support Element consists of a MEU Service Support
Group which handles the logistics and administration needs of the
MEU. The specific makeup of the MEU can be customized based upon the
task at hand; additional artillery, armor, or air units can be
attached, including squadrons of F/A-18 Hornet and Harrier jets.
There are usually three MEUs assigned to each of the U.S. Navy
Atlantic and Pacific Fleets, with another MEU based on Okinawa.
While one MEU is on deployment, one MEU is training to deploy and
one is standing down, resting its Marines, and refitting. Each MEU
is rated as capable of performing special operations.
A Marine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB) is larger than a MEU, and is
based upon a Marine regiment, with larger air and support
contingents.
