A Maritime Special Purpose Force (MSPF) was a

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through c ...

specialized sub-unit of a

Marine expeditionary unit (special operations capable) Marine expeditionary unit (special operations capable) (MEU(SOC)) was a program created by the United States Marine Corps and the United States Navy in 1985 for Marine expeditionary units (MEU). As of 2013 the term MEU(SOC) is obsolete. The pr ...

(MEU(SOC)). A MSPF was deployed to give the commanders low profile, two-platoon surgical emplacement in the accessible littoral regions. The MSPF provided the enhanced operational capability and precision skills to complement, enable, and execute selected conventional, maritime

special operations Special operations (S.O.) are military activities conducted, according to NATO, by "specially designated, organized, selected, trained, and equipped forces using unconventional techniques and modes of employment". Special operations may include ...

. They could also perform operations not resident in traditional

amphibious Amphibious means able to use either land or water. In particular it may refer to: Animals * Amphibian, a vertebrate animal of the class Amphibia (many of which live on land and breed in water) * Amphibious caterpillar * Amphibious fish, a fish ...

raid Raid, RAID or Raids may refer to: Attack * Raid (military), a sudden attack behind the enemy's lines without the intention of holding ground * Corporate raid, a type of hostile takeover in business * Panty raid, a prankish raid by male college ...

companies. The MSPF provided the MEUs with rapid

direct action Direct action originated as a political activist term for economic and political acts in which the actors use their power (e.g. economic or physical) to directly reach certain goals of interest, in contrast to those actions that appeal to oth ...

capabilities. They were also responsible for ''in extremis''

hostage rescue A hostage is a person seized by an abductor in order to compel another party, one which places a high value on the liberty, well-being and safety of the person seized, such as a relative, employer, law enforcement or government to act, or refr ...

(IHR) in urban areas. A MSPF could not operate independently of its parent MEU(SOC), on which it relies for

logistics Logistics is generally the detailed organization and implementation of a complex operation. In a general business sense, logistics manages the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of consumption to meet the requirements of ...

intelligence Intelligence has been defined in many ways: the capacity for abstraction, logic, understanding, self-awareness, learning, emotional knowledge, reasoning, planning, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. More generally, it can ...

communication Communication (from la, communicare, meaning "to share" or "to be in relation with") is usually defined as the transmission of information. The term may also refer to the message communicated through such transmissions or the field of inqui ...

transportation Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land ( rail and road), water, cable, pipelin ...

, and

fire support Fire support is defined by the United States Department of Defense as " Fires that directly support land, maritime, amphibious, and special operations forces to engage enemy forces, combat formations, and facilities in pursuit of tactical and ope ...

. However, it was capable of conducting operations with, or in support of the operators of the United States special operations forces. The MSPF's task organization was often conformed as an addition of the

Amphibious Ready Group An amphibious ready group (ARG) of the United States Navy consists of a naval element—a group of warships known as an Amphibious Task Force (ATF)—and a landing force (LF) of U.S. Marines (and occasionally U.S. Army soldiers), in total about ...

’s Naval Special Warfare Task Unit detachment. MSPF with DPD -001-

As of 2013 the term MEU(SOC) is obsolete.

Marine expeditionary unit A Marine expeditionary unit (MEU, pronounced as one syllable "" IPA: ) is the smallest air-ground task force (MAGTF) in the United States Fleet Marine Force.Force Reconnaissance Force Reconnaissance (FORECON) is one of the United States Marine Corps' special operations capable forces (SOC) which supplies military intelligence to the command element of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF). Force Reconnaissance compa ...

detachment.

Organization

The Maritime Special Purpose Force contains a command element, security element, assault element, and support element. The security element consists of one or more reinforced rifle platoons. The assault element is organized to conduct on-scene command, assault, security, and support functions. The support element is organized to conduct

reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops ( skirmishe ...

and

surveillance Surveillance is the monitoring of behavior, many activities, or information for the purpose of information gathering, influencing, managing or directing. This can include observation from a distance by means of electronic equipment, such as ...

sniper A sniper is a military/paramilitary marksman who engages targets from positions of concealment or at distances exceeding the target's detection capabilities. Snipers generally have specialized training and are equipped with high-precision r ...

control and support,

counter-intelligence Counterintelligence is an activity aimed at protecting an agency's intelligence program from an opposition's intelligence service. It includes gathering information and conducting activities to prevent espionage, sabotage, assassinations or ot ...

, human intelligence (

HUMINT Human intelligence (abbreviated HUMINT and pronounced as ''hyoo-mint'') is intelligence gathered by means of interpersonal contact, as opposed to the more technical intelligence gathering disciplines such as signals intelligence (SIGINT), imager ...

signals intelligence Signals intelligence (SIGINT) is intelligence-gathering by interception of '' signals'', whether communications between people (communications intelligence—abbreviated to COMINT) or from electronic signals not directly used in communication ...

electronic warfare Electronic warfare (EW) is any action involving the use of the electromagnetic spectrum (EM spectrum) or directed energy to control the spectrum, attack an enemy, or impede enemy assaults. The purpose of electronic warfare is to deny the opponent ...

(SIGINT/EW), and

close air support In military tactics, close air support (CAS) is defined as air action such as air strikes by fixed or rotary-winged aircraft against hostile targets near friendly forces and require detailed integration of each air mission with fire and movemen ...

Command Element

The commander of the MSPF is designated by the MEU(SOC) commander.

Command and control Command and control (abbr. C2) is a "set of organizational and technical attributes and processes ...

hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

employs human, physical, and information resources to solve problems and accomplish missions" to achieve the goals of an organization o ...

remains with the MEU(SOC) Commander. *Commander, MSPF *Team(s), Communications Detachment *Team(s), Human Exploitation Team (HET) *Team(s), Medical Section *Team(s), Intelligence section from MEU(SOC)

Security Element

The security element is normally structured around a platoon provided by the Battalion Landing Team (BLT) and may be augmented by the Naval Special Warfare Task Units (NSWTU) embarked within the

. The security element will act as a reinforcing unit, a support unit, a diversionary unit, or an extraction unit. *Rifle Platoon (-) (reinforced) * Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Strike Platoon, NSWTU, Amphibious Squadron ( PHIBRON) ''(as required)'' * Special boat teams Strike Platoon, part of NSWTU, Amphibious Squadron (support element).

Assault Element (AE)

The AE is the main effort of the MSPF and is organized to perform assault, explosive breaching, internal security, and sniper functions. The assault function will normally be executed by the Force Recon detachment. Mission-specific augmentation (e.g., additional sniper support, specialized demolitions,

explosive ordnance disposal Bomb disposal is an explosives engineering profession using the process by which hazardous explosive devices are rendered safe. ''Bomb disposal'' is an all-encompassing term to describe the separate, but interrelated functions in the milit ...

(SIGINT/EW), etc.) will be provided from other MEU(SOC) assets or from the NSWTU embarked with the ARG. *Detachment,

Force Recon Force Reconnaissance (FORECON) is one of the United States Marine Corps' special operations capable forces (SOC) which supplies military intelligence to the command element of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF). Force Reconnaissance compa ...

Direct Action Platoon (DAP) *Team(s), Security, Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team (FAST) Company *Team, Explosives Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Detachment *Team(s), Combat Photo Detachment

Reconnaissance and Surveillance Element (R&S)

The Reconnaissance and Surveillance Element normally consists of the Scout Sniper Platoon from the Battalion Landing Team. *Team(s), Scout Sniper Platoon *Team(s), Radio Reconnaissance Team (Signals Intelligence) NOTE: The Maritime Special Purpose Force are no longer active and have been replaced with the Maritime Raid Force (MRF). The MRF specializes in operations conducted on structures in or near bodies of water. They utilize speed and stealth to take enemy forces by surprise and secure their target. In order to counter the growing threat of piracy, the MEU created the MRF.

Support Element

The support element normally is composed of assets from the BLT Reconnaissance Platoon coupled with elements of the Aviation Combat Element (ACE),

Radio Battalion Radio Battalions are tactical signals intelligence units of Marine Corps Intelligence. There are currently three operational Radio Battalions in the Marine Corps organization: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. In fleet operations, teams from Radio Battalions are ...

Detachment, Communications Detachment, and HET assets from the MEU(SOC) CE. Additional capability may be provided by the NSWTU embarked with the Amphibious Ready Group. *Team(s),

Reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops ( skirmishe ...

*Team(s), Communications Detachment *Team(s),

Detachment *Team(s), HET Detachment *NSWTU, PHIBRON ''(as required)'' *Aviation Support Element The aviation support element is a task organized portion of the

Marine Air-Ground Task Force Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF, pronounced MAG-TAF) is a term used by the United States Marine Corps to describe the principal organization for all missions across the range of military operations. MAGTFs are a balanced air-ground, combined a ...

's MEU Aviation Combat Element. They are capable of precise

night vision Night vision is the ability to see in low-light conditions, either naturally with scotopic vision or through a night-vision device. Night vision requires both sufficient spectral range and sufficient intensity range. Humans have poor night v ...

flying and navigation, various insertion/extraction means and forward arming and refueling point operations. The specific structure of the aviation support element will vary depending on the lift requirements and distance to the crisis site.

References

External links

* {{cite web , url=http://marines.mil/news/publications/Documents/MCO%203502.3A%20W%20ERRATUM.pdf , first=T. S. , last=Jones , title=Marine Corps Order (MCO) 3502.3A, Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) Predeployment Training Program (MEU(SOC) PTP) , location=Washington, D.C. , publisher=United States Department of the Navy , date=2001-01-10 , url-status=dead , archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090419034956/http://www.marines.mil/news/publications/Documents/MCO%203502.3A%20W%20ERRATUM.pdf , archivedate=19 April 2009 , df=dmy-all Marine expeditionary units of the United States Marine Corps