.Questions Regarding MARSOC Mission and Recon Future

[MarineWyrd]

Good evening,

As I look to the future in terms of my career I see myself considering either a reconnaissance career or that of a Special Operations Officer. While I understand there is a long way to go and things may change I would also like to begin orientating myself towards this direction. It's my understanding that MARSOC is removed from the control of the Marine Corps and the new SOO MOS designation creates a closed loop for MARSOC Marines. My question for any Raiders around is this: In what capacity does MARSOC interact with the Marine Corps mission today? I.e. Do you feel like you are still contributing to the Marine Corps as a whole, if that is important to you?

In terms of the reconnaissance community, the snooping around I've done so far would indicate that Bn and force reconnaissance are relatively married. In then Major Alex Lee's book, "Force Recon Command," Maj Lee goes through great pains to distinguish and separate the two, is this the future of the recon community? Furthermore, what does the typical officer career route look like leading up to and into Force Recon today?

Thank you for your time.

Very Respectfully, B/A

 

[Teufel]

MARSOC doesn’t work for the Marine Corps. They work for SOCOM. I wouldn’t say the MARSOC is outside of the Marine Corps’ control though; mother Marine Corps supplies the majority of MARSOC’s budget.

MARSOC CSOs and SOOs do not really interact with the MAGTF for the rest of their careers. Recon Marines do. Some Marine officers want to do a single tour in recon and go back to the grunts, or bounce between Recon and the grunts. Recon is a good fit for those officers. It doesn’t lock you into a narrow career field with limited command opportunities. Some Marine officers want to go SOF and never leave. MARSOC is a great fit for them. This is obviously a shallow look at the problem. It’s up to the individual.

Keep in mind that you will likely have the most fun as a platoon commander, regardless of your MOS, enjoy your company command time, and spend the next decade earning your shot at battalion command. That’s a lot of staff time. Staff time for Recon officers, infantrymen, and Special Operations Officers looks pretty similar, especially at the service component level or higher.

 

[MarineWyrd]

Thank you for the insight, sir.

 

[Teufel]

Step 1 is getting selected for infantry or ground intel. You won’t go to recon with any other MOS. That will make your decision a lot easier. Secondly, life comes at you fast. You may see the world differently in a few years after a tour in the grunts, especially if you start a family.

 

[MarineWyrd]

Yes sir, IOC is currently what this site might call the 25m target.