Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
Mideast Stars and Stripes
February 2, 2008 By Leo Shane III, Stars and Stripes
WASHINGTON — The 2,000- plus Marines headed to Afghanistan from North Carolina will serve as a quick-strike support force for NATO units throughout the country and won’t be charged with securing one specific area, the Corps commandant said Friday.
In a meeting with reporters, Gen. James Conway said U.S. and International Security Assistance Force commanders recently finalized mission statements for the Marine units expected to arrive in country this spring.
The 24th MEU, based in Camp Lejeune, will operate primarily in the south and east of the country but could be deployed to other regions as needed, Conway said.
“They have their own mobility, they have their own fire support, so in that context the commander can deploy them in a number of areas,” he said. “If they were tied to ground, that would be a different issue.”
Regardless the region, the commandant said he expects the MEU to see combat.
“The commander has said they’re going to live hard and fight well,” he said.
Another 1,000 Marines from the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment from California will train with Afghan National Army and police members and will be more stationary than the MEU.
The 3,200-person deployment is designed to help fill shortfalls in NATO security forces and react to increasing attacks by Taliban and al-Qaida forces.
Conway would not reveal specifics of the Marines’ chain of command, but he said their role has been discussed at length with ISAF and Canadian officials.
“They are on [Operation Enduring Freedom] rules of engagement,” he said. “They are working in the same area as the Canadians, at least initially. I think there is going to be a great deal of discretion applied to what the threat appears to be come springtime.”
While the initial deployment is expected to last seven months, Conway could not say whether Afghanistan could become a long-term mission for the Marines. But he noted that any additional burden on the force there would likely require a drawdown of Marine forces in Iraq.
“We have told the secretary (of Defense) that we’re taking one for the team here,” he said. “The point we have made is we can’t continue to do it without relief elsewhere.
“That needs to be part of the consideration come October, hopefully before, so that we can do proper training and planning for our young men and women.”
February 2, 2008 By Leo Shane III, Stars and Stripes
WASHINGTON — The 2,000- plus Marines headed to Afghanistan from North Carolina will serve as a quick-strike support force for NATO units throughout the country and won’t be charged with securing one specific area, the Corps commandant said Friday.
In a meeting with reporters, Gen. James Conway said U.S. and International Security Assistance Force commanders recently finalized mission statements for the Marine units expected to arrive in country this spring.
The 24th MEU, based in Camp Lejeune, will operate primarily in the south and east of the country but could be deployed to other regions as needed, Conway said.
“They have their own mobility, they have their own fire support, so in that context the commander can deploy them in a number of areas,” he said. “If they were tied to ground, that would be a different issue.”
Regardless the region, the commandant said he expects the MEU to see combat.
“The commander has said they’re going to live hard and fight well,” he said.
Another 1,000 Marines from the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment from California will train with Afghan National Army and police members and will be more stationary than the MEU.
The 3,200-person deployment is designed to help fill shortfalls in NATO security forces and react to increasing attacks by Taliban and al-Qaida forces.
Conway would not reveal specifics of the Marines’ chain of command, but he said their role has been discussed at length with ISAF and Canadian officials.
“They are on [Operation Enduring Freedom] rules of engagement,” he said. “They are working in the same area as the Canadians, at least initially. I think there is going to be a great deal of discretion applied to what the threat appears to be come springtime.”
While the initial deployment is expected to last seven months, Conway could not say whether Afghanistan could become a long-term mission for the Marines. But he noted that any additional burden on the force there would likely require a drawdown of Marine forces in Iraq.
“We have told the secretary (of Defense) that we’re taking one for the team here,” he said. “The point we have made is we can’t continue to do it without relief elsewhere.
“That needs to be part of the consideration come October, hopefully before, so that we can do proper training and planning for our young men and women.”