Marine Raiders Certified For Deployment Through RAVEN
by U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Brennan Priest June 30,
2021
Marine Raiders with Marine Forces Special Operations Command
recently completed RAVEN unit readiness exercises (April 24-June 1,
2021) alongside Marines from across the Fleet Marine Force, as well
as, U.S. Army Special Forces.
RAVEN is MARSOC’s
pre-deployment unit readiness exercise, designed to evaluate Marine
Special Operations Companies and Marine Special Operations Teams as
well as provide valuable training and experience to supporting
units.
“This exercise has evolved over time to encompass a
broad range of military operations,” said a Marine special
operations team commander. “It stresses interoperability with
partner nation forces, other services, and government agencies and
departments.”
 A Marine Raider prepares to complete a raid during a RAVEN unit readiness exercise in Nashville,
Tennessee on April. 30, 2021. RAVEN is a training exercise held to evaluate all aspects of a Marine Special Operations Company prior to a Marine Forces Special Operations Command deployment. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Brennan Priest)
|
The exercise places the MSOC into a notional country, simulating
a deployment. The training environment includes a vast network of
internet simulation and civilian and military role-players that
comprise the host-nation military security forces.
The company and supporting units constantly work through
scenarios that require them to gather intelligence, control
narratives and public perception, train host-nation forces, complete
strikes, coordinate with the Department of State, conduct
reconnaissance and execute raids. As a supporting unit, Marines with
Force Reconnaissance Company, 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion provided
their capabilities to the MSOC.
“Reconnaissance Marines are
valuable both to conventional and the special operations community,”
said 1st Lt. Rex Vankoevering, a platoon commander with Force
Reconnaissance Company, 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion. “We provide
that connecting file between the conventional forces and the special
operations capability. Additionally, another asset we provide is
that persistent near real-time ground reconnaissance and battlespace
shaping capability, allowing special operations and conventional
forces to free up and complete other mission sets.”
The
reconnaissance Marines supported multiple missions using various
insertion and extraction techniques including military freefall.
They worked alongside the MSOC to provide intelligence on objectives
that ultimately supported the commander's decision to approve
mission execution and provide an elevated level of safety and
confidence prior to any mission execution.
3rd Battalion, 2nd
Marine Regiment supported the MSOC during the final RAVEN evolution,
while various other units from the Fleet Marine Force acted as
partner-nation forces throughout the exercises. U.S. Army Special
Forces acted as a peer-to-peer competition force, gathering
information and attempting to disrupt the MSOC’s operational
foothold.
“We are here to provide that peer-to-peer threat,”
said a U.S. Army Special Forces member. “We are working on our
tactics through surveillance, counter surveillance and electronic
warfare. While completing our training we are providing similar
challenges to each other. With MARSOC having the same level of
capabilities as a Special Forces group, we have the same goals, we
are learning good lessons and getting better as a force.”
This exercise emphasizes that there is more to being a Marine Raider
than direct action raids. The company must prove their proficiency
in all skill sets that will be required during a deployment. Every
critical skills operator, special operations officer, special
operations capability specialist and support Marine demonstrates
their effectiveness as a part of the MARSOC team.
Everything
that Marines do, especially at MARSOC is rehearsed. This is an
opportunity not only to complete direct-action raids, reconnaissance
and intelligence operations but to practice strengthening
partnerships with the host-nation forces prior to deployment. Marine
Raiders ensure that they speak a common language and incorporate any
agencies or partners that could add to the fight wherever they are
across the globe.
“It’s been long days, long nights, it’s
been stressful, we are all pretty tired but we are going to come out
of this exercise fully prepared for a deployment,” said the MSOT
commander.
MARSOC units provide scalable, expeditionary
Marine Raider teams worldwide to accomplish special operations
missions assigned by U.S. Special Operations Command.
The U.S. Marines |
Marines - The Few, The Proud |
Our Valiant Troops |
I Am The One |
Veterans |
Citizens Like Us
U.S. Marines Gifts |
U.S. Marine Corps |
U.S.
Department of Defense
|
|