USMC Officer Leading From The Front
by U.S. Marine Corps 1st Lt. Taylor Dorsey
April 27, 2023

Ensuring the safety and security of a 125,000-acre Marine Corps installation with 42,000 active-duty servicemembers and a daily population averaging 80,000 people is no easy feat. Maj. Shelley Ansbigian, Operations Officer, U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton Provost Marshal's Office, handles the day-to-day operations of installation protection with poise and confidence.

Ansbigian, a native of Whitney, Texas, felt called to service at a young age. Her interest in joining was sparked while witnessing family members join the military in response to the 9/11 attacks in 2001. Upon graduating from The University of North Texas with a Bachelor of Arts in History, Ansbigian pursued her interest in service to her country and commissioned Aug. 10, 2012. She then attended The Basic School in Quantico, Va., where she was assigned the military occupational specialty of Military Police Officer.

The 2023 Women’s History Month theme was Women Who Tell Our Stories. Ansbigian found inspiration in her mother’s story, who spent years working in a male dominated field, as a telephone repair technician for a largescale telephone company. She made the daily 140-mile roundtrip commute to a physically demanding and sometimes arduous career. Her work was often referred to as “men’s work”, such as crawling under houses, scaling telephone poles and running wires, -- and she loved it. She always instilled in her daughter that gender is no factor when it comes to completing the job, and while doing it well.

“Growing up, my mom took a lot of pride in being able to keep up with all the men and even out-performing them. That was inspiring to me, that was the kind of encouragement I received growing up,” said Ansbigian. “I know my mom can now see the mark on history I have made, even though I am not the first, I still try to embrace in helping to make a name for women in the Marine Corps.”

Upon completing the Military Police Officer Basic Course at the U.S. Army Military Police School at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., in 2013, then 2nd Lt. Ansbigian, was assigned to Camp Pendleton PMO as a watch commander, where she immediately fell in love with her job.

Ansbigian quickly excelled in her in career field and first billet. While serving as a watch commander she learned the ins and outs of military law enforcement and how to manage her team of 33 Marines and civilians of the Marine Corps Law Enforcement Program. She was responsible for the direct supervision and coordination of military police personnel performing law enforcement and response, security operations, and gate procedures.

This is where Ansbigian really began to understand the importance of leadership and mentorship, and she discovered one of the best parts of the job – interacting with her Marines. “The everyday conversations and interactions with the Marines are imperative, and my favorite part of the day,” said Ansbigian. “The more senior in rank you become, the more you must make time and seek those conversations out.”

After a successful first tour on Camp Pendleton, Ansbigian was assigned to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit as the Anti-terrorism Force Protection Officer, where she felt she learned invaluable leadership skills and was surrounded by leaders who mentored her and expedited her growth as an officer. She felt this was the most formative time in her career and gave her a broader appreciation of Marine Corps operations, and where future career opportunities exist.

Subsequent assignments included serving as a company commander for 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, attending Expeditionary Warfare School, and deploying with Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force – Crisis Response – Central Command as the AT/FP officer with the 1st Marine Logistics Group. While with the 1st MLG she knew she could make her dreams of going back to Camp Pendleton PMO a reality. Ansbigian knew if she ever had the opportunity to come back to her old first-tour stomping grounds, she would immediately jump on it. In 2022 her opportunity presented itself when hand-selected to serve as the Operations Officer for Camp Pendleton PMO.

“This billet was my number one choice. I wanted to get back and be a positive influence as much as I could,” said Ansbigian. “It was the dream job when I was a lieutenant. I had been the watch commander and I knew what goes into police work in the Marine Corps, especially at this installation.” Since having served as the watch commander 10 years earlier, Ansbigian felt she could positively influence those she led. She knew what they went through day in and day out, had been in their shoes, and felt as though she could connect with and lead her Marines on a more in-depth level.

Now Maj. Ansbigian, she is responsible for the day-to-day operations maintaining the safety and security for one of the Corps' largest West Coast expeditionary training installations. Her team's responsibilities are two-fold; there are Marines standing as sentries on static posts, like those processing and authorizing access to the base. There are also those on mobile patrols serving as first responders.

As the Operations Officer, Maj. Ansbigian ensures her Marines and MCLEP Officers are trained and equipped to serve in the critical roles of law enforcement, crime prevention, preservation of military control, investigations, apprehensions, military working dog handling, and as correctional specialists. Marines in this field may also be involved in antiterrorism or the handling and safeguarding of prisoners of war, refugees, or evacuees.

These Marines must be prepared to handle a multitude of roles and responsibilities, while making small unit level leadership decisions – they are the first line of defense and the first responders. “I don’t think military police get the respect they deserve; we ask them to arm up and go condition-one every single day. We ask them to stand posts or patrol zones and they often operate independently, expected to make snap decisions without higher leadership direct supervision,” said Ansbigian. “This is what you want out of Marines, this is what the Commandant is looking for, and we do it here every single day.”

In February 2023, the Commandant of the Marine Corps published Installation and Logistics 2030, a subsequent plan of Force Design 2030, where there is an emphasis on logistical planning, improving our sustainability and maintaining the safest and most resilient installations. Citing emerging and expanding threats facing our installations, I&L 2030 asserts we must ensure our force protection efforts enable continuity of operations, protection and safety of our families.

The mission of PMO is to ensure the safety and security of the installation 24-hours a day, 365 days a year, while also conducting law enforcement operations across the base. This is done all while providing support to the power projection platform of the I Marine Expeditionary Force as they prepare to forward deploy at a moment’s notice in defense of our nation. “It’s all in support of the main effort, I MEF, as they prepare to forward deploy,” said Ansbigian. “They know we have the security, and we are providing them a stable environment for them to conduct training and operations.”

Marine Corps installations must be ready to meet service-directed requirements in support of FMF operations in a contested environment, according to I&L2030. To meet this end state, Marines assigned to our supporting establishment, especially those responsible for base security must be ready every day when they put their uniform on and begin their day at their respective posts. This readiness is exemplified at every level of leadership from the most junior to the most senior Marines.

“Readiness is a mindset; it is the mentality we bring to the fight every day. That mentality is on the backs of our leaders, the staff non-commissioned and commissioned officers who lead them day in and day out,” said Ansbigian.

Strong leadership is putting yourself at the point of friction and being willing to make the difficult decisions yet being prepared to pivot when necessary. Ansbigian demonstrates this effort every single day, building and earning trust of her Marines and the thousands of servicemembers, families and base patrons throughout Camp Pendleton.

When asked what she would want the public to know about her and her team, she simply stated, “We are here to serve, and that is ultimately what it comes down to. We want folks to know we have a challenging job, but we lead with compassion and always have our mission of safety and security for the installation in mind.”

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