Marine Corps Special Ops role questioned.

With forces stretched thin by deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Marine Corps is being urged to reevaluate its commitment of 3,500 troops to the U.S. Special Operations Command. The Marine Corps Special Operations Command, which was created only a year ago, has attracted some of the most highly skilled Marines, such as intelligence and reconnaissance specialists. The upshot is that those Marines are no longer available for rotational deployments to Iraq, which adds to the burden of the conventional forces, insiders say. Gen. James Conway, the commandant, says the Corps does not intend to back away from its support to SOCOM, but cautions that the demands from current conflicts may slow down the transfer of Marines to SOCOM. "In the wake of Afghanistan and Iraq, as the long war continues, and as we see terrorist forces move into ungoverned spaces, our commitment to SOF could ebb and flow."

By Sandra I. Erwin | Email your comments to [e-mail]