NOSI - Naval Open Source Intelligence: USMarines

US Marines - Pentagon extends tour of Marines in Afghanistan

Michael D'Alessandro — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 08:51:45 GMT

Associated Press - The Pentagon has extended the tour of 2,200 Marines in Afghanistan, after insisting for months the unit would come home on time. The 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, which is doing combat operations in the volatile south, will stay an extra 30 days and come home in early November rather than October

US Marines - New training hones Marines' visual skills

Michael D'Alessandro — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 08:55:11 GMT

USA Today - Faced with an alarming increase in sniper attacks in Iraq, Marine commanders in late 2006 began looking for ways to turn the tables on an elusive enemy. The result is the combat hunter program, an experiment in training Marines to fight insurgents by making the Marines as wily as the enemy they face. The training combines outdoor skills culled from hunting and tracking with the street smarts developed by police and Marines who grew up in cities.

US Marines - US Marines deploying in Afghanistan for first time in years

Michael D'Alessandro — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 09:45:53 GMT

Associated Press - U.S. Marines are crossing the sands of southern Afghanistan for the first time in years, providing a boost to a NATO coalition that is growing but still short on manpower.

US Marines - Ready to Kill

Michael D'Alessandro — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 11:52:05 GMT

Washington Post - AH-1 Super Cobra pilot Katie Horner has blasted the enemy with missiles and a three-barrel 20mm turreted cannon. Being a woman hasn't made her any less lethal.

US Marines - The story of 'Task Force Violence'

Michael D'Alessandro — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 10:04:26 GMT

Marine Corps Times - Sean Naylor on the actions of Marine Special Operations Company Fox in Afghanistan.

US Marines - Guam Braces for Peaceful Military Incursion

Michael D'Alessandro — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 09:53:00 GMT

Washington Post - People on this faraway island -- a U.S. territory 7,824 miles west of Los Angeles -- delight in calling Guam the "tip of the spear" for its role defending U.S. interests in the Far East...The Pentagon has chosen Guam, a quirkily American place that marries the beauty of Bali with the banality of Kmart, as the prime location in the western Pacific for projecting U.S. military muscle.

US Marines - 3,200 Marines to Deploy To Afghanistan in Spring

Michael D'Alessandro — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 10:54:39 GMT

Washington Post - President Bush has approved an "extraordinary, one-time" deployment of about 3,200 Marines to Afghanistan for seven months starting this spring, the Pentagon announced yesterday, while defense officials continued to urge NATO allies to supply more forces to fill a long-standing shortfall of 7,500 troops that commanders say are needed to improve security.

US Marines - U.S. to Bolster Forces in Afghanistan

Michael D'Alessandro — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 09:51:44 GMT

Washington Post - The U.S. military is planning to deploy about 3,000 Marines to Afghanistan this spring to counter an expected offensive by Taliban insurgents, a Pentagon spokesman said yesterday, citing NATO allies' failure to provide additional combat troops.

US Marines - Osprey is put to the test in Iraq

Michael D'Alessandro — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 10:21:23 GMT

Virginian Pilot - A look at how the MV-22 Osprey is doing on its first operational deployment.

US Marines - Gates said to oppose force shift to Afghanistan

Michael D'Alessandro — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 09:57:11 GMT

New York Times - Senior Pentagon and military officials said Wednesday that Defense Secretary Robert Gates had decided against a proposal to shift Marine Corps forces from Iraq to take the lead in American operations in Afghanistan.

US Marines - Out of the Frying Pan…

Michael D'Alessandro — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 09:33:07 GMT

Defense and the National Interest - William Lind analyses the Marines' proposal to focus their operations in Afghanistan.

US Marines - Generals slam Marine plan for Afghanistan

Michael D'Alessandro — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 08:43:39 GMT

Army Times - Sean Naylor writes that Generals in the Army and on the Joint Staff reacted with surprise at a Marine Corps move to assume the Army’s combat role in Afghanistan and expressed doubt that the Corps could handle the mission without substantial support from the larger ground service.

US Marines - Marine Corps Moves to Take Lead Role in Afghanistan

Michael D'Alessandro — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 09:48:36 GMT

Washington Post - The Marine Corps is making a bid to take over the command and primary mission of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, anticipating a gradual withdrawal of its troops from Iraq's western province of Anbar.

New York Times - Marines Press to Remove Their Forces From Iraq.

US Marines - Iraq insurgency: Fighting on the beaches

Michael D'Alessandro — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 09:38:20 GMT

Daily Telegraph - US Marines in Iraq's Anbar province have taken the battle against al-Qa'eda to the unlikely setting of a beachside resort in the desert.

US Marines - V-22 Osprey: A Flying Shame

Michael D'Alessandro — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 10:38:48 GMT

Time - A critical review of the V-22 program...

...and Bill Sweetman's response to it: Aviation Week - V-22 - The Real Questions

US Marines - Marines Dispute Accounts of Excessive Force in Afghans’ Deaths

Michael D'Alessandro — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 09:16:04 GMT

New York Times - When a suicide bomber struck a convoy carrying special operations marines along a highway in northeastern Afghanistan in March, the blast killed one bystander and wounded one marine and three Afghans in a nearby vehicle, a military police report said.

What came next - a lethal response by the Marine platoon along a seven-mile stretch of road that American military commanders say killed about a dozen civilians - caused outrage among Afghan villagers and criticism from high-ranking Afghan officials about the rising civilian toll in American military operations.

But as a Marine general is mulling whether to bring charges against a handful of the 30 Americans involved in the episode, lawyers for two of the marines, including a company commander riding in the convoy, are disputing the official military and Afghan descriptions of their actions that morning.

US Marines - Foreign Weapons Symposium

Michael D'Alessandro — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 08:23:53 GMT

Marine Corps Gazette - An update to the plan to provide Marines with foreign weapons training. The training will provide deploying tactical units, such as infantry battalions, as well as specialized units with the capability to provide foreign weapons training to foreign militaries.

US Marines - Six Methods

Michael D'Alessandro — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 08:02:24 GMT

Marine Corps Gazette - As the Marine Corps seeks to increase its size incrementally over the next several years to 202,000 active duty Marines, concerns have arisen over how to recruit the additional personnel we will require. In this article the author, who has commanded a recruiting station, postulates six ideas that he believes will improve recruiting productivity immediately.

US Marines - A Perspective on Anbar

Michael D'Alessandro — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 10:44:53 GMT

Defense and the National Interest - William Lind analyzes the happenings in Anbar province in Iraq.

US Marines - Marines Battle Bureaucrats and Plead for High-Tech Gear

Michael D'Alessandro — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 11:30:37 GMT

Wired - A look at how difficult it is for Marines to field new weapons...

US Marines - 69 Afghans' Families Get a U.S. Apology

Michael D'Alessandro — Wed, 09 May 2007 10:20:16 GMT

Washington Post - A U.S. Army brigade commander in Afghanistan yesterday told the families of 69 civilians who were killed or wounded by members of an elite Marine Special Forces unit in March that he is "deeply, deeply ashamed" about the incident, describing the series of shootings along a civilian thoroughfare as a "terrible, terrible mistake."

US Marines - Navy argues against Marine variant of JSF

Michael D'Alessandro — Mon, 07 May 2007 10:23:21 GMT

Marine Corps Times - Despite public support by Pentagon and Navy leaders for the short-take-off/vertical-landing version of the Joint Strike Fighter, debates about the planned acquisition and operation of the F-35B continue behind the scenes - worrying Marine Corps officials and potential foreign customers who are counting on the versatile aircraft.

US Marines - Report On Haditha Condemns Marines

Michael D'Alessandro — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 11:22:51 GMT

Washington Post - The Marine Corps chain of command in Iraq ignored "obvious" signs of "serious misconduct" in the 2005 slayings of two dozen civilians in Haditha, and commanders fostered a climate that devalued the life of innocent Iraqis to the point that their deaths were considered an insignificant part of the war, according to an Army general's investigation.

US Marines - U.S. Calls Slain Afghans Civilians

Michael D'Alessandro — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 09:40:04 GMT

Washington Post - A preliminary U.S. military investigation indicates that more than 40 Afghans killed or wounded by Marines after a suicide bombing in a village near Jalalabad last month were civilians, the U.S. commander who ordered the probe said yesterday.

US Marines - A Combat Mission Two Decades in the Making

Michael D'Alessandro — Sat, 14 Apr 2007 11:41:15 GMT

Washington Post - After more than 20 years in development at a cost of billions of dollars, the long-troubled V-22 Osprey will head to Iraq in September for its first combat missions.

US Marines - Marines Use Wrong Rules

Michael D'Alessandro — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 09:58:02 GMT

StrategyPage - In an unusual move, the commander of U.S. special operations troops in the region, ordered a unit of 120 U.S. Marines out of Afghanistan on March 23rd. This was because of the way the marines handled a March 4th incident where they were ambushed by a suicide car bomber and gunfire.

US Marines - Marines Open Fire After Afghan Ambush

Michael D'Alessandro — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 09:48:29 GMT

Washington Post - At least eight Afghan civilians were killed Sunday in eastern Afghanistan when U.S. Marines traveling in a convoy were hit by a car bomb and responded by firing in a way that some witnesses called reckless.

US Marines - Marines fighting to win hearts and minds

Michael D'Alessandro — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 12:28:41 GMT

Los Angeles Times - In contrast to the security crackdown in Baghdad, most Marines in Iraq's western desert are engaged in nation-building, the kind of venture President Bush had publicly disdained, most notably during the 2000 presidential campaign.

US Marines - History of crashes, design flaws leaves doubt over Osprey

Michael D'Alessandro — Sun, 11 Feb 2007 12:27:32 GMT

Virginian Pilot - What began more than 25 years ago as a wild idea is supposed to go to war with the Marine Corps this summer. But problems - including one that caused the entire fleet to be grounded Friday - continue the controversy.

US Marines - Problems Stall Pentagon's New Fighting Vehicle

Michael D'Alessandro — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 11:40:51 GMT

Washington Post - After 10 years and $1.7 billion, this is what the Marines Corps got for its investment in a new amphibious vehicle: A craft that breaks down about an average of once every 4 1/2 hours, leaks and sometimes veers off course...And for that, the contractor, General Dynamics of Falls Church, received $80 million in bonuses.

US Marines - Tom Ricks' InBox

Michael D'Alessandro — Sun, 04 Feb 2007 10:36:25 GMT

Washington Post - How Marines Feel About Their Gear.

US Marines - Marine Advisors

Michael D'Alessandro — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 11:46:42 GMT

Marine Corps Gazette - Can more be done to prepare them?

US Marines - From Marine to warlord

Michael D'Alessandro — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 10:04:47 GMT

Los Angeles Times - The story of one unusual former US Marine. Hussein Mohammed Aidid, the son of Somali warlord Mohammed Farah Aidid who was one of the key players in "Blackhawk Down," was General Zinni's Marine interpreter in Somalia at that time...now he wants to be President of Somalia.

US Marines - Semper Fly: Marines in Space

Michael D'Alessandro — Mon, 25 Dec 2006 09:02:02 GMT

Popular Science - As any battlefield commander will tell you, getting troops to the fight can be as difficult as winning it. And for modern-day soldiers, the sites of conflict are so far-flung, and the political considerations of even flying over another country so complicated, that rapid entry has become nearly impossible. If a group of Marine Corps visionaries have their way, however, 30 years from now, Marines could touch down anywhere on the globe in less than two hours, without needing to negotiate passage through foreign airspace. The breathtaking efficiency of such a delivery system could change forever the way the U.S. does battle.

US Marines - New US jump jet boosts capability - but lands Marines in hot water

Michael D'Alessandro — Thu, 14 Dec 2006 12:45:44 GMT

Christian Science Monitor - The Joint Strike Fighter, which is scheduled to make its maiden flight this week, is a new stealth fighter-bomber designed for three US services and eight foreign allies. But the version that the Marines (and Britain and Italy) are buying is causing friction.

US Marines - In Fallujah, Marines bring goodwill, but trouble can follow

Michael D'Alessandro — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 09:53:29 GMT

Christian Science Monitor - With the Marines in Fallujah.

US Marines - In Iraq, their weapon is data

Michael D'Alessandro — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 10:02:24 GMT

Detroit Free Press - In the ongoing fight against insurgents in Iraq's Anbar province, the Hobbits -- six Marines with computers and self-designed databases who compile information about the enemy, its strength and its position -- have a clear mission.

US Marines - Under fire, US marines hand off battered Fallujah

Michael D'Alessandro — Thu, 23 Nov 2006 12:03:37 GMT

Christian Science Monitor - Just 300 marines now patrol Fallujah as the Iraqi military takes over.

US Marines - Top Marine: Troops under too much strain

Michael D'Alessandro — Thu, 23 Nov 2006 12:01:59 GMT

CNN - The new Marine Corps commandant said Wednesday that the longer than anticipated pace of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan is putting an unacceptable strain on his troops. Gen. James Conway said the service is unable to meet its goal of giving Marines twice as much time at home as in a war zone. He said unless the demand on the corps eases, he may have to propose increasing the size of the force.

US Marines - Tending a Fallen Marine, With Skill, Prayer and Fury

Michael D'Alessandro — Fri, 03 Nov 2006 10:22:42 GMT

New York Times - A look at the corpsman's job in Iraq.

US Marines - Operation AL FAJR

Michael D'Alessandro — Fri, 17 Nov 2006 12:17:46 GMT

Marine Corps Gazette - While the combat phase of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM (OIF) reasserted American supremacy in a classic combined arms campaign on open terrain, success against the protracted insurgency in urban areas is more elusive.

US Marines - Restraint in War

Michael D'Alessandro — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 09:58:13 GMT

Marine Corps Gazette - War has a way of teaching us hard lessons, some of which we learned in previous conflicts but, for various reasons, forgot and are having to relearn now in Iraq.

US Marines - In Marine's Death, Clues to a Son's Life

Michael D'Alessandro — Fri, 13 Oct 2006 00:41:42 GMT

Washington Post - A mother finds answers in effort to understand sergeant killed in Iraq.

US Marines - Camp No Man’s Land

Michael D'Alessandro — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 09:37:27 GMT

Leatherneck - Caught between Jordan and Iraq, in no man’s land, a group of refugees rely on the Marines to take care of them.

US Marines - F–35 Maintenance

Michael D'Alessandro — Fri, 22 Sep 2006 11:15:17 GMT

Marine Corps Gazette - Repair and maintenance simulation replaces the wrench as a teaching tool.

US Marines - High Fidelity

Michael D'Alessandro — Thu, 21 Sep 2006 09:14:30 GMT

Marine Corps Gazette - Harnessing simulation for mission systems integration.

US Marines - Urban Warfare Training Instrumentation

Michael D'Alessandro — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 08:58:13 GMT

Marine Corps Gazette - New technology and facilities for urban warfare training.

US Marines - Crimes in Hostilities - Part 1

Michael D'Alessandro — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 09:07:36 GMT

Marine Corps Gazette - A review of all cases alleging misconduct by members of the Army and Marine Corps against Vietnamese which resulted in conviction. (PDF format)

Part 2 of the article is found here.

US Marines - Preventing Atrocities

Michael D'Alessandro — Wed, 13 Sep 2006 10:08:17 GMT

Marine Corps Gazette - In today's environment of instantaneous communications, can a relatively minor atrocity bring down an entire military chain of command or even a government? (PDF format)

US Marines - ...And There Was Light...

Michael D'Alessandro — Tue, 12 Sep 2006 09:17:00 GMT

Leatherneck - New gear being researched and fielded provides leathernecks the edge in battle.