Regardless of a lot dialogue of and emphasis on “naval integration” lately among the many Sea Providers, most Marines and Navy personnel are usually unaware that these efforts have already taken maintain. The U.S. Sixth Fleet just lately created the latest of those; certainly, proper now inside Sixth Fleet Headquarters in Naples, Italy, a Marine basic officer and task-organized employees are deployed to command and management (C2) an amphibious prepared group (ARG), a Marine expeditionary unit (MEU), and reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance (RXR) forces. In its first 30 days of deployment, this group—often known as Activity Power 61 Naval Amphibious Forces Europe/2nd Marine Division (TF 61/2)—has led a mixed joint train, deliberate operations for the ARG/MEU staff in a number of areas all through the theater, and accelerated the operationalization of the Marine Corps’ idea for stand-in forces. TF 61/2 offers the fleet commander with a purpose-built C2 functionality designed to answer crises throughout a number of combatant instructions whereas additionally representing and advancing the Marine Corps’ Power Design 2030 efforts.
In April 2021, the Commandant of the Marine Corps tasked II Marine Expeditionary Power (MEF) and the 2nd Marine Division to “speed up experimentation with maritime, multidomain reconnaissance constructs and actions to boost the power of the Stand-in Power to dominate the data atmosphere, sense and make sense of the state of affairs, and win the recon vs. counter-recon competitors.” In response to this tasking, II MEF and 2nd Marine Division, working with Sixth Fleet, created the initiative now often known as Activity Power 61/2. As II MEF and 2nd Marine Division operationalized the Commandant’s steering, the Division participated in Marine–particular operations forces (SOF) integration workout routines, Navy-informed fire-support workout routines, Giant Scale Train 2021, and a collection of division-driven littoral workout routines. The fruits of this imaginative and prescient got here in March 2022, when Sixth Fleet established TF 61/2 underneath Activity Power 61 Naval Amphibious Forces Europe to synchronize C2 of deployed Navy and Marine Corps amphibious forces and advance the mixing of Marine Corps capabilities within the Sixth Fleet space of operations (AO).
A Confirmed Naval Power Assemble
In some ways, TF 61/2’s group is predicated on a confirmed mannequin inside the U.S. Fifth Fleet—Naval Amphibious Power, Activity Power 51/fifth Marine Expeditionary Brigade (TF 51/5). Comparable constructs have been employed throughout World Conflict II however have been largely underused till just lately. In Might 2016, Naval Forces Central Command (NavCent) and Marine Forces Central Command (MarCent) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to combine the employees of CTF 51 and fifth Marine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB) with the target of making an built-in construction that might strengthen partnerships with each naval and particular operations forces, improve interoperability with joint and regional coalition companions, and function a joint process drive headquarters for the Commander of U.S. Central Command.
TF 51/5 employed ARG/MEU and particular Marine air floor process drive (SPMAGTF) forces all through the Fifth Fleet space of operations in assist of a variety of operations that spanned the competitors continuum, from fight operations within the southern Crimson Sea to in depth theater-wide safety cooperation actions. In August 2021, TF 51/5 was deployed to steer a joint process drive consisting of TF 51/5 personnel and joint enablers to conduct the noncombatant evacuation operation in Afghanistan. TF 51/5 offers a wonderful template for naval amphibious drive integration that may be modeled in different geographic combatant instructions. Whereas a Marine basic officer leads TF 51/5, both a Navy flag officer or Marine basic officer may lead TF 61/2, ideally rotating annually or based mostly on the wants of the supported fleet commander.
The Want for Activity Power 61/2
Commander, U.S. Sixth Fleet, acknowledged the necessity for a TF 51/5–like functionality. This got here due to a confluence of occasions together with a requirement from Sixth Fleet, Power Design 2030 duties, and the II MEF and 2nd Marine Division RXR initiatives. The RXR drive started forming relationships and creating alternatives in Sixth Fleet greater than 5 months previous to TF 61/2’s institution. Different process forces within the theater, together with CTF 65 (destroyer squadron), CTF 67 (maritime patrol squadron), CTF 68 (expeditionary operations) and CTF 69 (submarine squadron), welcomed RXR and started making use of Power Design ideas to advance naval warfighting. The addition of TF 61/2 to supply C2 over naval amphibious forces within the European Command and Africa Command theaters gave RXR forces an advocate within the fleet headquarters to open doorways, coordinate efforts, tie initiatives collectively, and fuse operations in assist of service and fleet aims. With TF 61/2 in place, built-in naval warfighting and developments in Power Design 2030, together with RXR, have been accelerated and expanded. Within the brief time TF 61/2 has been working for Sixth Fleet, the duty drive has commanded parts interoperating with an expeditionary sea base (ESB) ship in assist of Africa Command operations, actions, and investments, an Ohio-class guided-missile submarine within the Mediterranean, an Arleigh Burke–class guided-missile destroyer, quite a few military-to-military coaching occasions, and a multinational train in Iceland. All of the whereas, these occasions have occurred within the contact layer in a theater centered on the continuing warfare between Russia and Ukraine.
Train Northern Viking 22
Throughout the first month of deployment, TF 61/2 executed C2 of air, floor, antisubmarine, and land-based operations as a part of Northern Viking 22 in Iceland with a forward-deployed employees. These operations ranged from ship-to-objective maneuver by air and floor platforms; go to, board, search, and seizure (VBSS); establishing a ahead arming and refueling level (FARP); setting up counter-IED and EOD demolition ranges, evacuating control-center operations, and shock-trauma platoon coaching. The train drive was comprised of Marines and sailors from the Kearsarge ARG and twenty second MEU; twenty second Naval Development Regiment; P-8s from CTF 67; U.S., German, Norwegian, and French warships; UK Royal Marines; and the Icelandic Coast Guard. Concurrently, the remaining TF 61/2 employees continued integrating with different process forces and RXR models in theater and stateside from Naples.
Northern Viking 22 allowed TF 61/2 to exhibit the power to deploy a task-organized commander’s coordination cell (CCC). This cell is supplied with small form-factor C2 methods, simulating a deployment in assist of crisis-response tasking from Sixth Fleet. The CCC idea additionally provides II MEF a 4,700-mile head begin in case of disaster or battle to deploy and make use of fleet Marine forces as TF 61/2 may function a lead C2 ingredient for follow-on MEF disaster response operations in assist of general joint drive maritime element commander and geographic combatant command aims. The versatile employment of C2 nodes from the CCC at Northern Viking 22 to the TF 61/2 headquarters in Naples is an instance of the small signature forces required to distribute throughout the theater for assured C2, enhanced span of management, and posture appropriately to assist fleet commander and joint drive necessities.
Using Stand-in Forces
TF 61/2 has employed stand-in forces executing reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance missions designed to assist the fleet and joint drive. These forces present a spread of choices to assist the fleet commander and allow using bigger fleet Marine forces. RXR forces come outfitted with littoral mobility capabilities, maritime floor search radars, small unmanned plane methods, and suites able to speaking over the horizon and throughout the joint drive. They’ll typically use gear natural to different process forces, warships, and submarines when integrating with adjoining CTFs. Missions embody operational preparation of the atmosphere, amphibious reconnaissance, maritime area consciousness, and strike coordination. Distinctive relationships with allies and companions—fostered via periodic or annual theater safety cooperation workout routines—can present extra littoral mobility sources, entry to key terrain, and a pure tie-in to organizations comparable to NATO.
Because the Marine Corps prepares for the longer term, TF 61/2 has recognized that benefiting from current methods and capabilities inside the MEF provides TF 61/2 the instruments wanted to sense, make sense, and never be sensed contained in the adversary’s weapons engagement zone. TF 61/2, led by an admiral or basic, offers a fleet headquarters with planning, coordination, fusion, and C2 of missions in assist of the fleet, joint drive maritime element commander, and European Command throughout a significant battle. Sixth Fleet has experience in submarines, floor, and air warfare, however TF 61/2 fills a spot within the littorals, finishing the acknowledged maritime image. II MEF and Sixth Fleet have created a possibility for the Navy, Marine Corps, and geographic element commander to capitalize on with a forward-deployed Marine headquarters to C2 assigned naval forces throughout a time of elevated danger and battle in Europe.
The developments made in a brief interval to extend naval warfighting and RXR have been accelerated and enhanced by basic or flag officer presence and a task-organized employees being bodily within the fleet headquarters and establishing private relationships via day by day interplay. Whereas Marines can and can proceed to surge ahead in disaster, it stays a problem to surge belief, entry, relationships, or affect. To plan and make use of these stand-in forces, a flag- or general-level employees built-in with the fleet headquarters is a vital enabler.
Within the Commandant’s Planning Steerage, Normal Berger poses that as a drive, “We must always ask ourselves—what do the Fleet Commanders need from the Marine Corps, and what does the Navy want from the Marine Corps?” These will not be rhetorical questions, and TF 61/2 has sought and attained solutions throughout its deployment. TF 61/2 has charted a path to offering a prepared, joint process drive headquarters for disaster response that expands the probabilities of current choices. The duty drive naval amphibious drive assemble has demonstrated its utility in disaster response and maritime area consciousness via the C2 of stand-in forces, executing the RXR mission. The TF 61/2 assemble assures fleet maneuver, serves as an applicable accelerant to Power Design 2030 initiatives, and can set situations for using fleet Marine forces within the littoral contact layer.
There may be widespread recognition inside the Sixth Fleet headquarters that this assemble will show important to naval warfighting within the occasion of battle. In a brief interval, TF 61/2 demonstrated the utility of such a company—each as a headquarters and a stand-in drive. The opening iteration of TF 61/2 has initiated momentum in assist of Power Design 2030 initiatives and supplied II MEF and Sixth Fleet with elevated warfighting capabilities whereas fostering a productive relationship among the many Sea Providers. TF 61/2’s actions thus far as a ahead deployed process drive headquarters have totally built-in it right into a fleet headquarters working in an energetic and complicated littoral contact layer. TF 61/2 just isn’t a everlasting group and future iterations will likely be on-demand, episodic, or everlasting relying on the fleet commander’s necessities and Navy and Marine Corps wants.
