Commandos-By Anybody's Definition
CSC 1989
SUBJECT AREA - Topical Issues
Author Major Jeffery W. Bearor
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
TITLE: COMMANDOS-BY ANYBODY'S DEFINITION
Introduction: The Commandant of the Marine Corps has stated that
U.S. Marines will become "Commandos-By anybody's definition."
Although small, specialized units can be trained to the standard
of "Commando", it may be impossible to train the entire Corps to
such a standard.
Part One: Commando Selection and Training: Commando selection
and training is different and, at the same time, similar around
the world. Most Commando units select only the best men and
train them to an extremely high standard. Most Commando training
involves very difficult tests that stress the recruits to their
maximum.
Part Two: U.S. Marine Commandos? The U.S. has several highly
trained, elite units to perform special operations. Most Marines
are not trained to these high standards even though the Marine
Corps is an elite unit.
Part Three: Marines as Marines: The Marine Corps has evolved
through the years from basic ship's guards and naval police to a
large combined arms ground and air force. Today, some Marine
units are trained to perform special operations. These more
extensively trained Marines may be Commandos in the full sense of
the word.
Part Four: U.S. Marine Commando Training: It is not possible to
train 197,000 Marines to be Commandos. The Marine Corps needs
its fighters and its technicians. Being a Marine is not the same
as being a Commando.
Part Five: What Marines Should Do Now: Marines should accept
that the nation needs the unique capabilities that the USMC
provides. Both the traditional amphibious and quick reaction
roles, and the special operations roles are important tools for
the President. The benefits of enhanced training for some units
and Marines will be felt throughout the Corps.
Part Six: Conclusions: The U.S. Marine Corps is one of the
world's great elite military units. The Corps performs a variety
of missions. The capability to provide both special purpose and
general purpose forces of combined arms in forward deployed and
quickly deployable units is the Corps great strength. The Corps
should not get caught up in labels. Marines should focus on
their missions. The ability to provide so much capability in one
Corps in unique in the world.
OUTLINE
COMMANDOS-BY ANYBODY'S DEFINITION
Major J.W. Bearor
Conference Group 7
THESIS STATEMENT: The Commandant of the Marine Corps stated that
Marines will become "Commandos- by anybody's definition."
Although small, specialized units can be trained to the standard
of "Commando", it may be impossible to train the entire Corps to
such a standard.
I. Introduction
A. What is a Commando.
B. What is the origin of Commando and elite units.
C. Question: Can an organization the size of the USMC be
trained to the standard of Commando?
II. Commando Selection and Training
A. Selection of the Commando candidate.
B. Length of training.
C. Thoroughness of training.
D. The Commando test.
III. U.S. Marine Commandos
A. U.S. special mission units.
B. Missions that special forces units are trained for.
IV. Marines as Marines
A. Evolution of USMC missions.
B. Tradition Marine missions vs. Marine special operations
capabilities.
C. Marines in Special Operations Capable units are trained
to higher standards.
V. What Marines Should Do Now.
A. The nation needs all the capabilities offered by the
USMC.
B. The benefits of enhanced training to the Corps.
VI. Conclusions
A. The USMC is an elite unit.
B. The Corps provides the nation with unique capabilities.
C. Focus on the missions.
"COMMANDOS-BY ANYBODY'S DEFINITION."
(10:1)
INTRODUCTION
With those words, the Commandant of the Marine Corps
expressed his desire that Marines, and the Marine Corps, be
ranked with those most elite of the world's military men,
Commandos. Commandos are, by definition, members of elite units.
Webster's defines elite to mean "the choice or most carefully
selected part of a group."(1:17)
Elite units gain that title through three ways. One way is
by always being assigned the most arduous and dangerous missions.
Many airborne units are considered elites in this way because
parachuting is inherently dangerous. Units which perform only
missions which require a small, highly trained group of men who
must meet high standards of training and toughness are thought of
as elite. Third, a unit is known as elite by it reputation of
continued success in battle.(1:18) U.S. Marines meet this
criteria as an elite fighting force.
Commandos and other elite units have always been used by the
great generals of the world. The first recorded use of a special
force for a special mission was in the 15th century B.C. Egypt's
King Thutmosis III wanted to attack and capture the port of
Jaffa. He sent Captain Thute, a member of his secret service, to
conduct the operation. Thute surveyed the city and came to the
conclusion that an economy of force operation could best
neutralize the city's substantial defenses.
Captain Thute selected 200 of his best troops for the
mission. They set sail from Egypt in merchant ships. At the end
of the trip each man was sewn into a flour sack. Other troops,
disguised as laborers, carried the assault force off the ship and
into the center of the city. Under cover of darkness, Thute's
men cut their way out of the sacks and took the defenders by
surprise. (5:9,10)
Alexander had his "Companions," the Vikings conducted small
raids from the sea, and in the American Revolution, the Americans
had the colonial Rangers. The father of the modern Commando,
however, was Sir Winston Churchill. His experience in the Boer
Wars in South Africa (where the term Commando was first used),
when small units of Boer horsemen continually raided the British
Army, had captured his imagination. (1:38) Churchill was
fascinated by the idea of using small, highly trained units to
raid the Germans in "Fortress Europe." In June 1940 he wrote to
his military Chief of Staff:
Enterprises must be prepared, with specially trained
troops of the hunter class who can develop a reign of
terror down these coasts... leaving a trail of German
corpses behind them... (1:37)
Thus, the modern Commandos were born. Before the end of the war,
every country would have its version of these elite forces.
Can an organization the size of the U.S. Marine Corps become
a unit of commandos? Given its traditional missions, does the
USMC need to be a commando type unit? We will explore the
selection and training of commando units, their missions, and
attempt to adapt some of their methods to the Marine missions in
order to answer these questions.
PART ONE: COMMANDO SELECTION AND TRAINING
Around the world, the term "commando" has different
meanings. However, it always denotes an elite fighting unit of
small size staffed by very highly trained men. Usually these men
tackle the toughest military assignments their country assigns.
We will focus on the selection and training procedures of the
british Royal Marine Commandos to illustrate the general traits
that commando units share.
The British Royal Marines (RM) is a unit of about brigade
strength having a total of 7500 officers and men. (9:220) They
are augmented by both British Army and Royal Navy personnel who
man artillery, engineer, medical, and logistics units. The Royal
Marines need this augmentation. Their standards are so high they
have not been able to fill their ranks with enough of the highly
trained men they need since the end of World War II.(3:188)
Today, the RM recruit throughout the British Isles and
annually train about 1000 new Marines. Usually there are 7
qualified applicants for every recruit training space. Young
high school graduates have waited 4 years for a spot in a recruit
troop. The normal training cycle is 32 weeks. This includes 5
weeks for the Commando Course.(3:188)
Selection for recruit training is not just a case of filling
out forms and passing a physical exam. Every potential Commando
must pass a potential recruit's screening course that lasts three
days. During this period, potential Marines are given a series
of physical and mental tests designed to examine their endurance
and their desire to "stick with it." They are evaluated during
this period by the same drill instructors and other NCOs who will
train them during their recruit training cycle. These
instructors cast a critical eye on potential Marines and they
have been known to disapprove an entire group. It doesn't
matter, there are always others willing and qualified to try
their hand at being accepted for training.
Once selected, recruits are formed into troops of about 50
men. These recruits will train together for the next 32 weeks.
Most of their training will be conducted by the same group of
three NCOs who will stay with the troop from beginning to end.
Because of the rigorous selection process, the troop's losses
during training will mainly be due to physical injury.
The training cycle is broken into 4 main parts. (See note 1)
The first six weeks consist of basic soldiering skills and
physical training. The idea is to teach recruits the basics and
begin to build them up for the hardships to come. Fieldcraft is
stressed and the recruits are in the field for an overnight stay
the third day of training.
During the second phase, basic tactics and advanced weapons
training are stressed. The physical training progresses at a
rapid rate. More and more of the training week is spent in the
(Note 1. All information on recruit training schedules comes
from the CTCRM training schedule for 1983-1984.)
field and recruits operate as sections (squads) most of the time.
The third phase is the 5 week Commando Course. This phase
does not teach Commando tactics. Rather, it is designed to test
the recruits to their physical and mental limits to see if they
can endure continual hardship and display the "Commando Spirit."
The course is built around a series of field exercises on
the vast expanses of Dartmoor National Park in southwest England
about 20 west of the Commando Training Center in Lympstone.
Dartmoor is a desolate area of rocky hills, bogs, and marshes and
has some of the worst weather in England. The course culminates
with a series of Commando Tests designed to push recruits past
their limits. If they pass the tests, they earn the coveted
Green Beret of the Royal Marine Commandos.
Major Ian Gardiner, who commanded X-Ray Company of 45
Commando Group in the Falklands War, said this about his Marines:
I was continually amazed at the men. I knew that they
were physically and mentally done in. Many had not
been dry for weeks, their feet swollen and purple with
trench foot from the wet and cold. But they just would
not stop. .. I only had to stand up and put my bergan on
my back when the whole lot of them would rise as one,
strapping 120 lbs of kit to their backs.(4:13)
He attributes this endurance to the training Royal Marines
receive during the Command Course.
The fourth phase of training teaches the advanced arts of
demolitions, reconnaissance techniques, raiding, communications,
and advanced tactics. The Royal Marine recruit is trained to
operate all the weapons organic to the Commando battalion. The
result of the training is a Marine Commando who posses the skills
to be of immediate use to his new unit. The new Commando is a
supremely confident fighting man and will need very little follow
on training in his unit.
Most other Commando units of the world have very similar
selection and training criteria. They select only the most
qualified men and then spend large amounts of time and money to
train them to very high levels. All of these elite units include
some sort of rigorous mental and physical testing phase during
recruit training.
PART TWO: U.S. MARINE COMMANDOS?
Typically, Commando units are given missions that require
only small units of highly trained men. These missions may be
similar to those performed by the U.S. Army Rangers, the Navy
SEAL Teams, or the "Delta Force." On the other hand, U.S.
Marines are more likely to be assigned main force missions.
These missions include amphibious assault, ground combat, and
other light infantry missions.
The U.S. Army has several levels of elite units. One, the
82nd Airborne Division, is basically a light infantry unit with
the special capability of airborne landing. The Ranger
Battalions are more typically an elite of commandos. They are
specially chosen and trained to conduct infantry missions of
extreme hardship, danger, and difficulty. The Special Forces of
the Army are an even more select group of soldiers chosen from
throughout the Army. The potential Special Forces soldiers are
older when chosen. They usually come from ranger or airborne
units.(3:168) All are very highly trained. The SF conduct
counter-insurgency operations and are trained to conduct missions
behind enemy lines.
The Navy SEAL Teams are seaborne rangers capable of
conducting a variety of mission in support of naval operations.
During the Vietnam War the Navy decided it needed the capability
to conduct special missions in support of its riverine
operations.
The USMC has been able, through the years, to maintain
fairly high standards when compared to other large standing
armies of the world. Success on the battlefield over many years
has contributed to the mystic of the Marines. Marines believe
themselves to be part of one of the finest fighting forces ever
raised on the planet.
However, when compared to the most elite units of the world,
Marine selection and training fall far short of that of Commando
units. This is particularly true when the USMC is compared to
the British and French Commandos, the Navy SEALs, and the likes
of the British and Australian SAS. That is not to say that the
USMC has not continually striven to keep the highest standards
possible.
When is elite really elite? Can a Corps of some 197,000 men
and women be selective enough in its recruiting, and thorough
enough in its training, to be compared with the Commando units of
the world? The Commandant thinks so. Do Marines really need to
be trained to the level of "commando" to perform their most
likely missions? Or, will such highly trained U.S. Marine
Commandos duplicate the missions and capabilities of other U.S.
elite special units?
PART THREE: MARINES AS MARINES
The U.S. Marine Corps is, by reputation and deed, an elite
unit. Recruiting and training standards are high. Marines are
dedicated to their Corps. The "esprit" exhibited by Marines over
the years is still manifested by the Marines of today. It could
very well be said that U.S. Marines exhibit that same "Commando
Spirit" that the British Royal Marines, and other elite units,
deem so important.
Before World War I U.S. Marines functioned mainly as small
landing forces for the Navy. Primary missions were always in
support of the limited ground action that naval forces sometimes
require for fleet support. Also, Marines were used as the
enforcers of American empire around the world.
After World War I, Marines were employed mainly as standing
ready forces and in many small brush-fire wars and police actions
mainly in the Americas. In World War II the Marines earned their
spurs as the premier amphibious assault force in the world. It
is this role that has been the Marine's primary mission ever
since.
Over the decades since WW II Marines have been used in a
variety of roles but the primacy of the amphibious function has
never been disputed. The Marine Corps has contingency missions
around the world. All missions in some way relate to the primary
function of providing force projection from the sea and
operations near the sea coasts.
Typically, todays Marines are asked to perform a bewildering
variety of missions. These missions include amphibious assault
in any area of the world, ground combat operations ranging from
low intensity warfare like counter-insurgency through mid
intensity conflict involving mechanized forces, and operations on
the periphery of high level conflict.
Recently the Marine Corps has added 18 missions termed
special operations missions to its repertoire. These 18
missions, ranging from providing mobile training teams to
performing night, over the horizon amphibious or air assault
raids, have always inherently been part of the overall Marine
mission capabilities. The Commandant, General Al Gray, believes
that these 18 missions, and conflict on the low intensity side of
the conflict spectrum, are the most likely Marines will face.
Although Marines always said they could perform these
missions, the reality did not always back up the
perception. (12:25) The Marines have chosen two of their
regiments, one on each coast, as "Special Operations Capable"
(SOC) units. These regiments provide battalions that deploy on
naval shipping to the western Pacific and the Mediterranean
areas. The units must undergo an arduous six month training
cycle before being designated as SOC units.
It is entirely arguable that the Marines in these units are
"Commandos" by virtue or their special training and the focus of
their unit's missions towards special operations in the hot spots
of the world. The hierarchy of the Marine Corps says that any
Marine can perform these types of missions and that the Marines
in the SOC units are no different from other Marines. This is
probably true if every Marine bets the intensive six months of
training the Marines in the SOC units get. Not every Marine
receives that training and the time and money doesn't allow every
Marine to be trained to these higher standards.
It appears that two Marine Corps exist. The SOC Marine
Corps and the traditional Marine Corps. The difference between
the two is type and amount of training and mission focus. The
traditional Corps is, never the less, made up of tenacious
fighters whose esprit, training, and expertise in amphibious
operations qualify them as elites. The SOC Marine Corps is
comprised of Commandos; a smaller group of highly trained men
whose forte is special operations.
PART FOUR: U.S. MARINE COMMANDO TRAINING
Is it possible to train 197,000 men and women to be
Commandos? What might it take in terms of time and money? Could
the USMC recruit enough very high caliber people to train? Do
U.S. Marines need to be commandos? These are questions the
Commandants statement raises.
By definition a Commando unit is a small, elite force. By
most accounts, almost 200,000 is not a small force. In terms of
time, the Marines would almost have to triple the time spent in
training recruits to get to the standards of the British
Commandos. When the need is to train 33,000 recruits annually
the monetary cost of increasing the time spent in recruit
training by a factor of three is staggering.
Marines perform a wide variety of jobs from that of infantry
"grunt" to avionics technician. This is because the USMC is the
only true combined arms force in the world. In addition to its
normal ground combat elements, the Marine Corps has its own air
force, air defense missiles, signals intelligence branch, and
transportation and logistics support. When the Marines deploy
"one call gets it all" as they advertise. Not all Marines need
to be trained to the standard of Commando. That is not to say
that all Marines don't need to be trained to high standards. The
standards very and being a Marine is not the same as being a
Commando.
PART FIVE: WHAT SHOULD MARINES DO NOW?
The U.S. Marine Corps has a reputation for being able to
perform no matter the mission. This is as true today as it
always was. The focus of the Corps remains its traditional role
as "soldiers of the sea." Additional missions, whether special
or conventional, don't change that focus, or shouldn't be allowed
to. The United States does not need two land armies.
The Marines should continue to train recruits in the same
fashion as always using the same tried and true methods.
Additional training, as the Commandant has directed, to get the
Marines back to the warrior focus is an added plus. This
additional emphasis on every Marine being a warrior first is
really only a return to the Marine Corps' roots.(12:A10) Various
training techniques and evolutions can be incorporated from the
recruit training syllabi of the Royal Marines. This will enhance
the training USMC recruits undergo.
Further training always occurs after Marines reach their
operational units. This is a natural evolution in every fighting
force. The USMC should recognize that Commandos are only born
from the process of enhanced training of extended duration.
Extensive tests of physical and mental endurance separate those
who would be Commandos from those who would not.
Continue to train units for special missions and recognize
that these units are at a different standard than other Marine
units. The Marine Corps should not pretend that all its units
are alike but should recognize that the nation benefits from a
Corps trained and equipped for the widest variety of missions.
Eventually, as the Commandant has said, the benefits of this
enhanced training will improve the overall readiness of the
entire force.
PART SIX: CONCLUSIONS
Elite units are considered elite for many reasons. The U.S.
Marine Corps is one of the world's premier elite units. Marines,
at least U.S. Marines, are not Commandos in the accepted sense of
the word. They don't need to be. Primarily Marines perform a
specialized kind of warfare that calls for extraordinary
training, high levels of physical and mental courage, sound
leadership, and special skills and equipment. Amphibious
operations are the most difficult to perform successfully.
Marines can, with more refined and intensive training,
perform special missions that require higher skill levels,
absolute knowledge, leadership, and coordination. The Marine SOC
units, with their U.S. Navy partners, are capable of performing
these missions around the world. They give the nation a real
capability to protect U.S. interests and influence events around
the globe. Because of their forward deployed posture, they are
the most responsive units.
These SOC Marines may, in essence, be commandos. They don't
need the designation though. They are, after all, just Marines.
The only difference between these SOC trained Marines and any
others is the level of training for both the individual and the
unit. All Marines should recognize that these special purpose
units have added capabilities that serve the nation and the
Corps.
After a while, many Marines will have rotated through the
SOC units. They will carry their skills with them when they
leave the SOC units to the rest of the FMF. This is not a
competition. There is only one Marine Corps.
Marines should concentrate on the overall mission and the
needs of the nation. The country needs highly trained amphibious
forces capable of responding to any number of missions in any
number of climates. Not every Marine can be equally well trained
for every mission or climate. Simply calling a Marine a Commando
doesn't make him one. It is foolish to hide the fact some
Marines receive more intensive training than others. It doesn't
matter. Keep the focus! The nation needs a Marine total force
with many abilities.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Cohen, Eliot A. Commandos and Politicians. Cambridge, MA:
Harvard Center for International Affairs, 1978.
2. Collins, John M. Green Berets, SEALs & Spetsnaz. Elmsford,
NY: Pergamon Press, 1987.
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Publishing Co., 1984.
4. Gardiner, Major Ian. The Experiences of XRAY Comnany 45
Commando Group in the 1983 Falklands War. Official
History of the Royal Marines in the Falklands War.
London, 1984.
5. Garrett, Richard. The Raiders. New York: Van Nostrand
Reinhold Company, 1980.
6. Hoffman, Bruce. Commando Raids: 1946-1983. Santa Monica,
CA: Rand Corporation for The Office of the Under
Secretary of Defense for Policy, 1985.
7. Knight, David C. Shock Troops: The History of Elite Corps
and Special Forces. Greenwich, CT: Bison Books Corp.,
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8. Ladd, James D. Inside the Commandos. London: Arms and
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9. Nicholls, Capt. D.V. Amphibious Victory. Globe and Laurel,
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(November 1988), 25.
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