By Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization
A “Special Operations Capable” Marine Corps Expeditionary Unit is training and conducting wargames off the coast of Latvia just a few hundred miles from the Russian border. The 26th MEU (SOC) is on a collaborative mission to connect with Latvian NATO allies in preparation for an upcoming large-scale exercise called Northern Coasts 2023.
The German-led NATO exercise is massive, and will include as many as 14 countries as well as 30 ships and submarines in the Baltic Sea supported by aircraft and as many as 3,200 military personnel, a Navy essay on the MEU explains.
“The Marines and Sailors of the 26th MEU(SOC) Bravo Command are excited to be here in Latvia as well as demonstrate our warfighting proficiency and competency during Northern Coasts 2023,” said Lt. Col. Josef Wiese, executive officer, 26 MEU(SOC), officer in charge of the Marines aboard the USS Mesa Verde. “The Marines and Sailors are looking forward to integrating and building trust with the German Sea Battalion on board as well as showcasing their interoperability and interdependence with our Allies and Partners in the Sixth Fleet area of responsibility.”
523 Miles from Russian Border
While the Marines are in Riga, Latvia to unload equipment for the upcoming exercise, it also seems significant that a highly-capable, multi-domain attack force is operating and training only 500 miles from Moscow Russia, a distance merely a few hundred miles from the Russian border. Given that the MEU (SOC) is supported by AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters and transport CH-53 rotary aircraft as well F-35B vertical take-off 5th-generation stealth aircraft, the Marines are quite capable of attacking within Russia should that be necessary. Certainly NATO and the US Marines are not planning to attack Russian forces, as of course the Pentagon has been clear that it does not want US or NATO forces involved directly in Ukraine’s war. However, it might be accurate to suggest that placing and demonstrating new dimensions of multi-domain combat power within clear easy striking range of Russia can be seen as a “deterrence” message. Putin and his Russian regime do not hesitate to make very serious and ominous threats, including even the possible use of nuclear weapons. Therefore, a massive multi-national force of combat power equipped with high-speed amphibious forces, long-range weapons from the sea and 5th-generation aircraft undoubtedly send a message of deterrence to Russia, essentially making it clear that any attempt to challenge NATO of pursue further acts of aggression may be met with rapid, decisive and overwhelming force. Russia is not likely to have air defenses available for some areas North and East of Moscow, as most of their assets are likely committed to the Ukraine war or only defending the capital, so the presence of Tomahawk missiles, F-35s and Marine Corps Special Operations Forces capable of rapid amphibious strike … clearly seems to send a message to Russia.
Marine Corps Expeditionary Unit in Baltic Sea
Marine Corps Expeditionary Units, often between 2,000 and 4,000 Marines, are armed with helicopter-deployable 155mm mobile Howitzer weapons, Javelin and TOW anti-tank missiles as well as several small, organically connected unit-launched drones. They are intended for “rapid attack” or “crisis response,” and often referred to as a small Marine Corps Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF), yet the Corps modern multi-domain networked joint warfare strategy outlined in Force Design 2030 calls for secure, high-speed integration with larger, well-armed stand-off surface ships able to fire precision weaponry and launch heavier, follow-on forces as needed.
“Stand In” Force
It seems quite significant that the Navy essay refers to the arriving Marine Corps Expeditionary Unit as a “Stand In” crisis response force capable of amphibious operations to enable “follow-on” forces and support Special Operations as needed. This aligns with the Corps’ “Force Design 2030” strategy essay released earlier this year which calls for a highly expeditionary, lighter, faster yet extremely lethal air-sea-ground combat force. As part of Force Design, the Corps seeks to optimize the impact of emerging small, highly-mobile unmanned systems to enable high-speed, networked warfare able to “penetrate” enemy formations.
“The 26th MEU (SOC) serves as a premier stand-in force with a full complement of all-domain capabilities to operate persistently within the littorals or weapons engagement zones of an adversary,” the Navy essay explains.
While equipped with less heavy armor and mechanized forces than previous forward-attacking units, a Corps “Stand-In” force is intended to bring equivalent or superior lethality in the form of mobile dismounted and vehicle-integrated anti-armor weapons able to operate at unprecedented speeds and destroy enemy forces with support from long-range fires and multi-domain combat assets such as fighter jets, unmanned surface vessels and even submarines. Newer, longer-range ship-and-land-fired weapons enable lighter attack forces to exact a highly lethal, high-speed battlefield effect with less heavy armor. Should the MEU be fortified by Cruisers and Destroyers as part of an Expeditionary Strike Group, the Marine’s “Stand In” combat capability could be enabled by highly-precise, long-range ship-fired weapons such as the Naval Strike Missile or Tactical Tomahawk able to track and destroy moving targets. In addition, the Corps has been working with Raytheon to test a land-variant of the NSM to enabled offensive firepower to be delivered from islands, coastal locations and other forward positions on land.
The Corps is of course keeping and upgrading a substantial force of heavy, mechanized attack vehicles as well, something also specified in “Force Design 2030,” yet such forces are fortified and in many cases meant to be led or preceded by a “close with the enemy” high-speed, drone-enabled, multi-domain networked attack force. This kind of integrated warfare approach is intended to optimize Expeditionary Warfare by enabling long-range attack and heavy mechanized attack integrated with and supporting highly lethal, high-speed, lighter, faster-units fortified by unmanned systems, anti-armored weapons and long-range fires.
Kris Osborn is the President of Warrior Maven – the Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a Highly Qualified Expert with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University.
