United States Marine Corps

==Special Operations==
{{main|United States Marine Forces Special Operations Command}}
{{See also|Marine Raider Regiment|United States Marine Corps Special Operations Capable Forces}}
[[File:MARSOC are shooting with M4 at Washoe Coutny Reginal Shooting Facility.jpg|thumb|Marine Raiders conducting [[Close-quarters combat|CQB]] training]]

Marine Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) includes the [[Marine Raider Regiment]], the Marine Raider Support Group, and the Marine Raider Training Center (MRTC). Both the Raider Regiment and the Raider Support Group consist of a headquarters company and three operations battalions. MRTC conducts screening, assessment, selection, training and development functions for MARSOC units. Marine Corps Special Operations Capable forces include: [[Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company (ANGLICO)|Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Companies]], the [[Chemical Biological Incident Response Force]], the [[United States Marine Corps Reconnaissance Battalions|Marine Division Reconnaissance Battalions]], [[United States Marine Corps Force Reconnaissance|Force Reconnaissance Companies]], [[Maritime Special Purpose Force]], and [[United States Marine Corps Special Operations Capable Forces#Special Reaction Teams|Special Reaction Teams]]. Additionally, all deployed MEUs are certified as "[[Marine expeditionary unit (special operations capable)|special operations capable]]", namely, "MEU(SOC)".

Although the notion of a Marine special operations forces contribution to the [[United States Special Operations Command]] (USSOCOM) was considered as early as the founding of USSOCOM in the 1980s, it was resisted by the Marine Corps. Commandant [[Paul X. Kelley]] expressed the belief that marines should only support marines and that the Corps should not fund a special operations capability that would not directly support Marine Corps operations.<ref name="WThomasSmith">{{cite web | last=Smith | first=W Thomas Jr. |title= Marines, Navy SEALs Forge New Special Operations Team; An exclusive interview with U.S. Navy SEAL Commander Mark Divine |publisher= Military.com |year= 2005 |url= http://www.military.com/NewContent/0,13190,082205_Marines,00.htm?ESRC=marine.nl |access-date= 3 August 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081008003921/http://www.military.com/NewContent/0,13190,082205_Marines,00.htm?ESRC=marine.nl |archive-date= 8 October 2008 |url-status=live |df= dmy-all}}</ref> However, much of the resistance from within the Corps dissipated when Marine leaders watched the Corps' 15th and 26th MEU(SOC)s "sit on the sidelines" during the very early stages of [[Operation Enduring Freedom]] while other conventional units and special operations units from the Army, Navy, and Air Force actively engaged in operations in Afghanistan.<ref name="Priddy" /> After a three-year development period, the Corps agreed in 2006 to supply a 2,500-strong unit, Marine Forces Special Operations Command, which would answer directly to USSOCOM.<ref name="Bradley Graham">{{Cite news |last= Graham |first= Bradley |title= Elite Marine Unit to Help Fight Terrorism, Force to Be Part of Special Operations |newspaper= The Washington Post |date= 2 November 2005 |url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/01/AR2005110102069.html |access-date= 3 August 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081010175717/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/01/AR2005110102069.html |archive-date= 10 October 2008 |url-status=live |df= dmy-all}}</ref>