...An Excellent Article on Force Recon and Marsoc issues.

SOFREP did an article on Force Recon and Marsoc that is a must read.  Go here to check it out but a tidbit...

By 2008, it was becoming evident to the Marine Corps that while, MARSOC was doing some good, in spite of certain growing pains, it really worked for USSOCOM, not the Marine Corps.  In effect, while expanding the Marine contribution, the Marine Expeditionary Forces had lost the Direct Action and Deep Reconnaissance capability that the Force Companies had owned since Vietnam.  While technically the capability was retained in the Deep Recon Companies, these were shadows of what Force had been, in the case of 1st Recon being barely two platoons strong.  In 2003, 1st Force Recon Company had had nine.
So it was decided to stand the Force Company back up as a separate entity, once again working for the MEF.  In August 2008, Force Recon Company I MEF and Force Recon Company II MEF were officially stood up.  The Marine Corps was on its way to getting back the capability that it had effectively ceded to SOCOM.

Like I said, read it all.

One thing is clear however.  The Marine Corps has lost organic capability in its effort to support SOCOM and has become weaker because of it.  Additionally Marsoc duplicates capabilities already found in SOCOM.  Lastly, SOCOM and the Marine Corps work for the same masters...Combatant Commanders via the President.

There are really only two options.  Either shut down Marsoc and make the Marine Corps whole again OR secede those positions, understand that Marsoc is and will always be a drain on resources and develop a new direct action/deep recon capability based on a different type unit.  I've always stated that it should be based around the Scout Sniper Platoon and my thinking now is that we should enlarge it to become Scout Raiders.

We were ordered by a former Sec of Defense to stand up Marsoc.  We can solve the problem that his inept decision caused by making Scout Raiders a reality.