MAGTF · 7:59am Nov 27th, 2013
Marine Air-Ground Task Force: sealed badass in a can.
When the United States needs amphibious capability, the Marine Corps is primarily called on to handle it. The Marines are also pretty good at quickly deploying to places. A MAGTF can be assembled with the correct elements for the job in order to conduct a specific mission. Short of a country-wide occupation force, they can pretty much be called on for a variety of tasks.
Picture vaguely related. I just needed something pretty near the top of the page.
A MAGTF comes in three sizes:
MEF: Marine Expeditionary Force - about 30,000 people. There are MEF's in Okinawa, Japan; Camp Pendleton, California; and Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Rarely will an entire MEF get deployed.
MEB: Marine Expeditionary Brigade - about 14,500 people. MEB's are formed out of parts of MEF's
MEU: Marine Expeditionary Unit - about 2,200 people. There are three MEU's in California and North Carolina, and one in Japan.
Each MAGTF has a three part organization.
Let's talk more about MEU's since that's the size that you will most often see. MEU's are typically deployed in Amphibious Ready Groups (ARGs).
The three ships that typically make up an ARG- an LHD/LHA, an LPD, and an LSD.
All three will have flight decks for serving VTOL aircraft and helicopters, as well as well decks for basing landing craft and hover craft
An ARG is pretty cool. With those three ships, they carry the 2,200 Marines in the MEU, plus: 4 tanks, 12 armored personnel carriers, 15 amphibious assault vehicles, 6 artillery cannons, 8 mortars, 6 Harrier jets, 6 SuperCobra attack helicopters, a mix of two dozen utility helicopters and MV-22 Ospreys, 60 Humvees, 30 MTVR trucks, 10 construction vehicles, 3 bulldozers, and 3 high capacity water purification plants.
The entire group can plan and execute a landing in just six hours and have the entire MEU ashore and operating in one day.
A basic landing craft. These, along with hover craft, go inside the ship's well deck to collect vehicles, cargo, and passengers before transferring them to shore.
Inside view of the well deck with a hover craft (landing craft, air cushioned - LCAC) LCACs are about twice the size of landing craft, but they are much faster and can drive right up on the beach.
LCAC with its airbag deflated so its cargo can drive off.
The MEU can operate self-sufficiently for 15 days and maybe use their construction equipment to build a dirt runway and start bringing in C-130 cargo planes for supplies and reinforcements. The MEU brings everything it needs to set up a base. It's got medical, postal, communications, intelligence and investigations staff, etc. If needed, back on the ship there is a 64-bed hospital and six operating rooms. The MEU has a lot of support personnel, but 1,100 of them are dedicated infantry, plus another 300 or so of special forces, security, and reconnaissance. The ARG also probably deployed with destroyers, cruisers, and submarines for protection, thereby adding a robust fire support ability with 5" gunfire and cruise missiles. Such a collection of ships in addition to the ARG is called an Expeditionary Strike Group.
Marine amphibious assault vehicles. AAV's can swim and don't need landing craft.
So we've established that this is all really cool and stuff. Our enemies are trembling in fear. But it may surprise you that the #1 use for a MAGTF is humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. In fact, one of the first assistance groups to arrive in the Philippines after their recent typhoon was the United States Marine Corps.
But when you think about it, it makes a lot of sense. You've got construction equipment to start cleaning up rubble; a hospital, water purifiers, and a lot of food to help people; equipment to restore communications; trucks and helicopters for transportation and observation; and more than a thousand guys with guns to deter looting.
I've already covered maritime prepositioning and seabasing, so I won't belabor the point further. Being ready for anything is pretty much what a MAGTF is for.
I am of the opinion that if we truly want peace in our time, then our military should do a lot less fighting and a lot more helping like you describe at the end.
The whole 'drive ashore and start building an airstrip' bit makes me think of every RTS game ever.
How many harvesters do they come equipped with?
1545898 Ok, that would be ideal... if those whom we as Marines are sent to fight would think the same way. What would you have us do? Go sit out in front of the enemy rifles smoking joints and chanting peace songs as they roll the fuck over us in tanks?
Yeah, it would be nice if there was more peace in this world, but, unfortunately, some nations just want to do whatever it is they want to do to their neighboring countries.
Now, if you want to do your little hippy sit-in, be my guest. you and your friends can have your little peace-bake. Those of us who understand that the world does not work that way, and are willing to stand up against those who would wrongly attack others, we will go where needed, and defend those who are in need of our help.
Do not get me wrong, I am all for our military helping out when disaster happens, but that is NOT what the military is for. If you think the military needs to fight less, ask someone who has had firsthand experience what aggression at a national level can do. I suspect that those who spent time in the camps in Germany in the early 40's appreciate the brave men who were willing to fight for them.
Well. Quite an informative blog.
1545933 ...so what did you think of the blog?
1545923 Wouldn't work. Places like Somalia don't have anything to harvest.
1545944 Pretty accurate of what our mission requirements and capabilities was when I was in, and still is. Granted, the equipment used now may be newer, but its still basically the same as it was in 91-95 when I served.
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I didn't know Biker_Dash was a marine. I need to pay more attention..
I have a Marine-related question, though not related to this blog specifically.
So a Navy SEAL decides to do the Blue-to-Green program (I think it's called that). Former SEAL is now a Marine. He still wore his SEAL insignia. From what I can tell, that's fine to do, but an officer made him discard his SEAL status, and he had to sear some diving insignia that was completely unrelated to being a SEAL or Marine equivalent. Should he have been able allowed to wear his SEAL insignia, even though he was now a Marine?
1547791 I honestly do not know. Personally, I feel that the Seal-turned-Marine should be allowed to wear it. after all, he EARNED the honor of being a Navy Seal. Airborne wear their chutes after they go on to other roles in the Army, and Submarineers wear their sub insignia after they move on to serving in another billet.