MARINE CORPS AIR STATION BEAUFORT, S.C. -- A group of Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command recruiters held a recruiting a brief aboard Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, Dec. 13. MARSOC is based out of Camp Lejeune, N.C.
“MARSOC is highly sought after in the special forces community,” said a MARSOC representative. “Commanders from other branches always want to see us work because they know what we can do and what we’re capable of.”
MARSOC started as Force Reconnaissance during World War II as an amphibious recon battalion before being merged in the 1st Force Reconnaissance Company. After the Vietnam War they deactivated until after the Gulf War. In 2005 Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld directed that a Marine component be created within United States Special Operation Command. In 2008, MARSOC reached full operation capability with 2,500 Marines serving in it.
According to their website, the core activities of MARSOC are direct action, special reconnaissance, security force assistance, counterterrorism, counterinsurgency, and foreign internal defense.
“We operate in secret and almost everything we do falls under unconventional warfare,” said a recruiter. “MARSOC embodies everything that it means to be a Marine. We are what the American public thinks of when they think of the Marine Corps.”
To qualify for the assessment and selection process, Marines must have a 105 GT score, a 225 Physical Fitness Test, pass the swim assessment, pass medical screenings and be eligible for secret clearance.
“All phases of the training serve an important purpose in molding a potential MARSOC operator,” said a recruiter. “Starting with Assessment and Selection all the way to the Individual Training Course, we want to push you to your limits and see if you have what it takes to be a part of this brotherhood.”
The Individual Training course ends with a culminating exercise called Derna Bridge. Candidates will deploy to a town in the U.S. where they will have a realistic environment to implement the skills they have learned over the months.
“The entire purpose of our training being this long is to make the skills we teach become pure muscle memory,” said the recruiter. “The best case scenario for us is to teach Marines these skills to become second nature so they can be prepared for everything that comes their way.”
Applicants can talk to their career planner or visit marsoc.com to begin the application process. Marsoc.com also has training guides and contact numbers for recruiters.