Ground combat element


In the United States Marine Corps, the ground combat element is the land force of a Marine Air-Ground Task Force. It provides power projection and force for the MAGTF.

Role within the MAGTF

The ground combat element, composed primarily of infantry units. These organizations contain a headquarters unit that provides command and control as well as scout/sniper, aviation liaison/forward air controller, NBC defense, communications, service, and Navy combat medical and chaplain's corps personnel. The GCE also contains combat support units, including artillery, armor, combat engineer, and reconnaissance units. At the division level, the GCE also contains limited organic combat service support, including a truck company, a military police/law enforcement company, and the division band.

U.S. Marine Corps Infantry

As the largest component of the GCE, Marine infantry is essentially multi-purpose, heavily manned and equipped, light infantry. With three rifle companies that are over 40% larger, plus a weapons company, and an additional 100 members in its Headquarters and Service Company, the Marine infantry battalion contains approximately 970 members as compared to approximately 560 in an Army light infantry battalion.

Marine infantry battalions that are reinforced to form a Battalion Landing Team are also very heavily supported with additional organic assets. This combat support includes: a field artillery howitzer battery containing a firing platoon of six 155mm howitzers, plus three reinforced armored vehicle platoons, and one platoon each of infantry reconnaissance and combat engineers.

While primarily trained, organized and equipped to be foot-mobile, Marine infantry is of course, prepared to execute amphibious operations, either by Amphibious Assault Vehicle, Landing Craft Air Cushion, Rigid-Hulled Inflatable Boat, Rigid buoyant boat, or conventional landing craft such as the Landing Craft Utility and Landing Craft Mechanized, etc. In addition, all Marine infantry units are prepared, and regularly train, to perform heliborne, or "vertical envelopment" operations when supported by MV-22 medium tiltrotor and/or CH-53 heavy helicopters and mechanized operations. Additionally, some Marine infantrymen attend U.S. Army Airborne or Ranger training. However, since the USMC does not maintain either airborne or Ranger infantry units, only a relatively small number of Marines ever attend these two schools.
Furthermore, while not designated as special operations forces, deployed Marine Expeditionary Units are certified as capable of performing some ""special operations"" type missions. In addition to significant differences between Marine infantry and their US Army counterparts in training and organization, there are some differences in individual weapons, equipment, and vehicles, as well.

The Marine Corps conducts infantry training at three locations:


Current Marine Infantry Organization

The size of the GCE varies in proportion to the size of the MAGTF. A Marine Expeditionary Force has a division. A Marine Expeditionary Brigade holds an infantry regiment, reinforced with equipment and personnel from various divisional combat support regiments and battalions. The various Marine Expeditionary Units command a reinforced infantry battalion, which includes various combat support unit attachments. Generally, MEF postings are permanent, while MEBs and MEUs rotate their GCE, ACE, and LCE twice annually.

Hierarchy of Marine ground units

1st Marine Division">1st Marine Division (United States)">1st Marine Division

GCE of I Marine Expeditionary Force
Battalion NameInsigniaNickname
Headquarters Battalion 1st Marine Division
Standard Bearers

1st Marine Regiment">1st Marine Regiment (United States)">1st Marine Regiment

Battalion NameInsigniaNickname
1st Battalion 1st Marines
First of the First
2nd Battalion 1st Marines
The Professionals
3rd Battalion 1st Marines
Thundering Third
1st Battalion 4th Marines
The China Marines

5th Marine Regiment">5th Marine Regiment (United States)">5th Marine Regiment

Battalion NameInsigniaNickname
1st Battalion 5th Marines
Geronimo
2nd Battalion 5th Marines
Raiders
3rd Battalion 5th Marines
Darkhorse
2nd Battalion 4th Marines
The Magnificent Bastards

7th Marine Regiment">7th Marine Regiment (United States)">7th Marine Regiment

Battalion NameInsigniaNickname
1st Battalion 7th Marines
First Team
2nd Battalion 7th Marines
War Dogs
3rd Battalion 7th Marines
The Cutting Edge
3rd Battalion 4th Marines
Darkside

11th Marine Regiment">11th Marine Regiment (United States)">11th Marine Regiment

Battalion NameInsigniaNickname
1st Battalion 11th Marines
The Avengers
2nd Battalion 11th Marines
Meta-Evolutionists
3rd Battalion 11th Marines
The XX Hatchlings L
5th Battalion 11th Marines
Safiticy

Other 1st Marine Division battalions

Battalion NameInsigniaNickname
1st Tank Battalion
1st Tanks
1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion
Highlander
3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion
Wolfpack
1st Reconnaissance Battalion
True That
1st Combat Engineer Battalion
The Super Breed
3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion
3rd Tracks

2nd Marine Division">2nd Marine Division (United States)">2nd Marine Division

GCE of II Marine Expeditionary Force
Battalion NameInsigniaNickname
Headquarters Battalion 2nd Marine Division

2nd Marine Regiment">2nd Marine Regiment (United States)">2nd Marine Regiment

Battalion NameInsigniaNickname
1st Battalion 2nd Marines
Timberwolf
2nd Battalion 2nd Marines
Warlords
3rd Battalion 2nd Marines
Betio Bastards
3rd Battalion 9th Marines
Shadow Warriors

6th Marine Regiment">6th Marine Regiment (United States)">6th Marine Regiment

Battalion NameInsigniaNickname
1st Battalion 6th Marines
2nd Battalion 6th Marines
The Ready Battalion
3rd Battalion 6th Marines

Teufelhunden
2nd Battalion 9th Marines
Hell in a Helmet

8th Marine Regiment">8th Marine Regiment (United States)">8th Marine Regiment

Battalion NameInsigniaNickname
1st Battalion 8th Marines
The Beirut Battalion
2nd Battalion 8th Marines
America's Battalion
3rd Battalion 8th Marines
1st Battalion 9th Marines
The Walking Dead

10th Marine Regiment">10th Marine Regiment (United States)">10th Marine Regiment

Battalion NameInsigniaNickname
1st Battalion 10th Marines
Nightmare
2nd Battalion 10th Marines
Pathfinder Battalion
3rd Battalion 10th Marines
Seven For One
5th Battalion 10th Marines
The Five and Dime''

Other 2nd Marine Division battalions

3rd Marine Division">3rd Marine Division (United States)">3rd Marine Division

GCE of III Marine Expeditionary Force
Battalion NameInsigniaNickname
Headquarters Battalion 3rd Marine Division

3rd Marine Regiment">3rd Marine Regiment (United States)">3rd Marine Regiment

Battalion NameInsigniaNickname
1st Battalion 3rd Marines
Lava Dogs
2nd Battalion 3rd Marines
Nightfighters
3rd Battalion 3rd Marines
America's Battalion
1st Battalion 12th Marines

4th Marine Regiment">4th Marine Regiment (United States)">4th Marine Regiment

Battalion NameInsigniaNickname
1st Battalion 4th Marines
The China Marines
2nd Battalion 4th Marines
The Magnificent Bastards
3rd Battalion 4th Marines
Third Herd

12th Marine Regiment">12th Marine Regiment (United States)">12th Marine Regiment

Battalion NameInsigniaNickname
1st Battalion 12th Marines
3rd Battalion 12th Marines
Warrior of the Pacific

Other 3rd Marine Division battalions

Battalion NameInsigniaNickname
3rd Reconnaissance Battalion
The Forward Shadow
Combat Assault Battalion
The Iron Fist

4th Marine Division">4th Marine Division (United States)">4th Marine Division

GCE of Marine Forces Reserve
Battalion NameInsigniaNickname
Headquarters Battalion 4th Marine Division

14th Marine Regiment">14th Marine Regiment (United States)">14th Marine Regiment

Battalion NameInsigniaNickname
1st Battalion 14th Marines
At The Ready
2nd Battalion 14th Marines
3rd Battalion 14th Marines
4th Battalion 14th Marines
5th Battalion 14th Marines

23rd Marine Regiment">23rd Marine Regiment (United States)">23rd Marine Regiment

Battalion NameInsigniaNickname
1st Battalion 23rd Marines
Fighting Texans
2nd Battalion 23rd Marines
Marshall
3rd Battalion 23rd Marines

25th Marine Regiment">25th Marine Regiment (United States)">25th Marine Regiment

Battalion NameInsigniaNickname
1st Battalion 25th Marines
New England's Own
2nd Battalion 25th Marines
3rd Battalion 25th Marines
Cold Steel Warriors

Other 4th Marine Division battalions