How come I keep hearing people calling for America to send more special operations units into Iraq? Why has America chosen not to send more? Also how do our military commanders go about choosing whose infantry goes into what situations (army vs. marines). Also can somebody tell me as to what the major differences are when it comes to the missions assigned to Navy SEALs, Army Green Berets, Marine Force Recon, etc. Thanks
The differences between Army and Marine Corps forces are rooted in history.
The Army fights on land of course, while the Marine Corps is an arm of the Navy. It specializes in the assault of islands, harbors, straits and other maritime features. This difference is not as strong as it once was. Marines fight far from the sea in Afghanistan. The Army led the D-Day invasion.
Each of the Armed Forces have their own special forces. Each has a different mission, although again there is much cooperation and overlap.
The Army has both the Rangers and the Special Forces (the ‘Green Berets’). The Rangers are commandos who do regular Army things very, very well. The Special Forces operate far in the enemy’s rear training local people to fight.
The Navy has the Marine Corps of course, but also the Seals. These commandos operate in small teams to conduct raids and sabotage.
The Marine Corps considers itself an elite force en banc, but also has Marine Recon forces which operate in advance of the main body to collect intelligence.
The Air Force has flying units which support the other elite groups with transport and other services. These units are in themselves considered elite. There are also the Para Rescue people who go in to recover downed fliers.
In the modern age, cooperation between the services is excellent. As a result an Army unit might fight under Marine control or visa versa.
Hijack -
Paul, who do the Marine Recon answer to? Are they a brigade-level asset? Division? Corps?
(Rumbling through a lecture at Staff College I was nodding off in…)
I seem to recall Force Recon elements are at Echelons above Regiment. The division has some and so do the Big Boys. Please do not quote me on that.