The Observer Group (precursor to Marine Corps Amphibious Reconnaissance Company and the Navy Scouts and Raiders ) was a joint- United States Army / Marine Corps unit that was the first in the United States and Fleet Marine Force to be organized and trained specifically for amphibious reconnaissance . The Observer Group experimented in the methodology and equipment for projecting reconnaissance from the sea before the establishment of the OSS Maritime Unit, the Underwater Demolition Teams , and before the Army Special Forces and Air Commandos . It was also the birth of naval amphibious intelligence.
54-622: On January 13, 1941, Major General Holland M. Smith relinquished command of 1st Marine Division and became Commanding General of I Corps (Provisional), U.S. Atlantic Fleet with Colonel Graves B. Erskine as his Chief of Staff . Throughout the year, the joint command, which was assembled together at Quantico , Virginia , was subsequently redesignated variously several times: Task Force 18, U.S. Atlantic Fleet; 1st Joint Training Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet; Atlantic Amphibious Force; Amphibious Force, Atlantic Fleet; and finally Amphibious Corps, Atlantic Fleet. Colonel Erskine, under General Smith,
108-689: A type command and is therefore under the operational control of Navy fleet commanders; however, the Commandant of the Marine Corps (CMC) still retains administrative and training control. The Commanding General of the Fleet Marine Force; either its Pacific (CG FMFPAC) or Atlantic (CG FMFLANT) command, are responsible for the administration and training of all of the subordinate units of the Marine Corps Forces (MARCORFOR). The subordinate units of
162-735: A few years before) by the Marines' Platoon Sergeant Russell Corey. He trained the Observer Group in hands-on work at sea abroad fleet submarines and in the tower for instructions in the Momsen lung . Another Marine by the name of Sergeant Thomas L. Curtis was selected from the Observer Group and was sent to the United Kingdom to train with the British Royal Marines and subsequently was transferred to Office of Strategic Services (precursor to
216-456: A list of officers it recommends for promotion to general rank. This list is then sent to the service secretary and the Joint Chiefs of Staff for review before it can be sent to the president , through the secretary of defense for consideration. The President nominates officers to be promoted from this list with the advice of the secretary of defense, the service secretary, and if applicable,
270-562: A type command within the U.S. Pacific Fleet, with its Commanding General answering directly to the Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Fleet, and responsible for all organization and support of units under FMFPac, while also advising the Pacific Fleet commander on all matters related to the Marine Corps. Air units were designated as part of this structure as Aircraft, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific. The headquarters of Fleet Marine Force, Pacific,
324-520: Is a two-star general officer in the United States Army , Marine Corps , Air Force , and Space Force . A major general ranks above a brigadier general and below a lieutenant general . The pay grade of major general is O-8. It is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other United States uniformed services which use naval ranks . It is abbreviated as MG in the Army, MajGen in
378-528: The Marine Corps Gazette published an article by officers John H. Russel and John A. Lejeune (both future Commandants) advocating for the usage of Marines as part of a fleet Marine force, and in 1921 the East Coast and West Coast Expeditionary Forces were established as amphibious warfare units for offensive purposes and integrated with the U.S. Navy. The Marine Corps Schools at Quantico further developed
432-627: The 1st Infantry Division and Marines from the First Marine Division ; two officers and 22 enlisted men. The Marines were mostly from the 5th Marines ' Battalion Intelligence (S-2) and Regiment Intelligence Sections (R-2), and the Division Intelligence Sections (G-2) of the 1st Marine Division. The Observer Group was led by 1st Lieutenant Lloyd Peddicord, Jr. of the United States Army and began to operate under
486-684: The Atlantic ( Amphibious Corps, Atlantic Fleet ) and to the United States Navy of primary responsibility for the Pacific (the Amphibious Corps, Pacific Fleet ), the joint command under General Smith divided as he relocated from Quantico to Camp Elliott , northeast of San Diego , California . Major General (United States) In the United States Armed Forces , a major general
540-620: The Central Intelligence Agency ). They began experimenting in the methodology for launching reconnaissance from the sea and testing various equipment. Inflatable rubber boats were mostly used, although kayaks and canvas folding boats had been tested but were rejected. The determining criteria for boat selection was that recon boats needed to fit through the small hatches of fleet submarines while carrying weapons and equipment and be capable of handling related loads. Lt. Peddicord designed an inflatable boat and brought his plans to
594-667: The Deputy Judge Advocate General of the Army is a major general in the Army; the same rank is held by the Deputy Judge Advocate General of the Air Force; the Army's Chief of Engineers is also appointed as a major general and thereafter promoted to lieutenant general. The United States Code also limits the total number of general officers that may be on the Reserve Active Status List (RASL) in
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#1732852468615648-663: The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company who produced the Landing Craft Rubber-Small craft able to hold seven men that was extensively used by the later Naval Combat Demolition Units . The Marines were trained and taught knife fighting and escaping techniques in Shanghai by British Commando Instructor Lieutenant Colonel William E. Fairbairn , formerly an Inspector of the Shanghai Municipal Police . Fairbairn
702-581: The Act of January 11, 1812, as preparations were being made for the War of 1812 . Major general has been a rank in the U.S. Army ever since. Until the American Civil War , major general was the highest rank that could be attained by an officer in the U.S. Army, though Winfield Scott had been given the brevet rank of lieutenant general in 1855. This was a consequence of the fact that at his death George Washington
756-742: The Atlantic Amphibious Force in August, and finally Amphibious Force, Atlantic Fleet, in October 1941. Holland remained in command and much of the year was spent training the Army division for amphibious purposes. The Fleet Marine Force became a training command in the United States. In November 1941, the 2nd Joint Training Force was created on the West Coast in San Diego, paralleling Smith's organization on
810-651: The Commanding General, Fleet Marine Force, who was tasked with ensuring its readiness and efficiency. The Marine Corps kept the FMF and the "post troops" divided, with the latter focused on garrison, maintenance, and security duties so that the FMF could remain focused on amphibious landings. Marines were rotated between both to get experience in each task. In the mid-1920s, the East Coast Expeditionary Force had about 3,000 personnel at Quantico, Virginia, with
864-571: The East Coast Expeditionary Force in 1921, re-designated on Lejeune's orders, and in 1925 the West Coast Expeditionary Force was established at San Diego. After 1933, the Fleet Marine Force was initially headquartered at Quantico and consisted of the 1st Marine Brigade, also stationed there, and the 2nd Marine Brigade in San Diego. Between 1934 and 1941, the Fleet Marine Force carried out several amphibious landing exercises, taking place off California , Hawaii , or Midway Island on
918-520: The East Coast, with the Army taking the responsibility for amphibious training on the East Coast while the Marine Corps did so on the West Coast. In early 1942, the organization became the Amphibious Corps, Pacific Fleet, under General Clayton B. Vogel , who also became the commander of Fleet Marine Force, San Diego Area, in charge of training and the administration of Marine Corps bases there. In September 1942, Holland Smith and his staff arrived on
972-645: The Fleet Marine Force in 1933. Since World War II there have been two Fleet Marine Forces, the Pacific and Atlantic. The Fleet Marine Force (FMF) was established on 7 December 1933 by Secretary of the Navy Claude A. Swanson 's General Order No. 241, which defined the organization and its relationship with the Navy, on the recommendation of the Major General Commandant of the Marine Corps, John H. Russell . This event
1026-487: The Fleet Marine Force would be a permanent formation that would not be disrupted by other tasks, and would be under the operational control of the Commander, United States Fleet . The Secretary of the Navy's order established the Fleet Marine Force as the force of marines maintained for operations with the U.S. Fleet, and falling under the command of the Commander, U.S. Fleet, when aboard Navy ships, while otherwise being led by
1080-528: The Fleet Marine Forces come under the operational control of the commanders, U.S. Fleet Forces Command (formerly Atlantic Fleet) or United States Pacific Fleet , when deployed. The commanders of Marine Forces Command (MARFORCOM) and Pacific (MARFORPAC) serve as Marine Corps component commanders to their respective combatant commanders and may also serve as commanding generals of Fleet Marine Forces (FMFs) Atlantic, or Pacific. The operating forces of
1134-551: The Force Service Support Group (FSSG)), and an MEF Information Group. Other miscellaneous supporting units may be attached. In addition to one or more MEF(s), each FMF is further organized into one or more intermediate-sized MAGTFs called Marine Expeditionary Brigades (MEBs) and smaller MAGTFs called Marine Expeditionary Units (MEUs). For service in the Fleet Marine Force, the United States Department of
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#17328524686151188-787: The Marine Corps are currently organized into two Fleet Marine Forces (FMF): Each FMF is equivalent to a U.S. Navy type command and reports to its respective Fleet Commander-in-Chief. The commanding general—a lieutenant general—may be either an aviator or a ground officer. His deputy commanding general is from the other community. Marine Corps forces are organized into warfighting units of combined arms known as Marine Air Ground Task Forces (MAGTFs) and are either employed as part of naval expeditionary forces or separately as part of larger joint or combined forces. Each FMF consists of at least one Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) consisting of at least one Marine Division (MARDIV), one Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW), one Marine Logistics Group (MLG) (formerly
1242-622: The Marine Corps, and Maj Gen in the Air Force and Space Force. Major general is the highest permanent peacetime rank that can be conferred upon a commissioned officer in the uniformed services (except when General of the Army & General of the Air Force have been authorized and granted by Congress) as higher ranks are technically temporary and linked to specific positions, although virtually all officers promoted to those ranks are approved to retire at their highest earned rank. A major general typically commands division -sized units of 10,000 to 15,000 soldiers. The Civil Air Patrol also uses
1296-792: The Navy issues the FMF Enlisted Warfare Specialist Insignia and the FMF Qualified Officer Insignia (formerly, the Fleet Marine Force Ribbon was issued). Navy Fleet Marine Force personnel, usually Corpsmen , Religious Program Specialists , Logistics Specialists or Naval Gunfire Liaison Officers who participate in amphibious assaults , are also eligible to receive the FMF Combat Operations Insignia to certain service medals and ribbons. Such Navy personnel are authorized to wear
1350-845: The Navy established the Amphibious Scout and Raider School on NAB Little Creek , subsequently forming the Navy Scouts & Raiders unit. On 7 January 1943, the remaining Observer Group, with Captain James L. Jones Sr. commanding, formed the Amphibious Reconnaissance Company , Expeditionary Troops, Amphibious Corps Pacific Fleet (ACPF). Most of the training was done on the Potomac , the Chesapeake Bay area (upper Chesapeake River and Norfolk ), and NAB Little Creek , Virginia ; and off
1404-569: The Reserve Component, which is defined in the case of general officers as the Army National Guard , Army Reserve , Marine Corps Reserve , Air National Guard , and Air Force Reserve . To be promoted to the permanent grade of major general, officers who are eligible for promotion to this rank are screened by an in-service promotion board composed of other general officers from their branch of service. This promotion board then generates
1458-586: The U.S. Marine Corps was the Advanced Base Force , created to defend the overseas naval bases established by the U.S. Navy . However, Marine forces were being used in offensive operations during the United States occupation of Haiti and Nicaragua . Because of the demands of World War I , where Marines fought in conventional land warfare, the Advanced Base Force no longer existed as of 1917. In 1916
1512-578: The United States Department of the Navy that perform offensive amphibious or expeditionary warfare and defensive maritime employment. The Fleet Marine Forces provide the National Command Authority (NCA) with a responsive force that can conduct operations in any spectrum of conflict around the globe. The organization originated as the Advanced Base Force in 1913, which became the East Coast Expeditionary Force in 1921, and then
1566-604: The West Coast and in the Caribbean for the East Coast. In May 1935, the Marine Corps Schools published the Tentative Landing Operations Manual as a guide for Navy–Marine Corps landings against opposing forces, which was officially adopted by the Navy in 1938 as its doctrine for landing operations, and in August 1935 the headquarters of Fleet Marine Force was transferred to San Diego. In early 1941, with
1620-407: The West Coast when it became apparent that the amphibious warfare would be taking place in the Pacific. He took over as both the head of the Amphibious Corps, Pacific Fleet, and the Fleet Marine Force, San Diego Area, from Vogel. In this position, Smith was responsible for both the training and deployment of the Amphibious Corps with the Pacific Fleet, as well as the maintenance of Marine facilities and
1674-546: The coast of Maryland, particularly St. Mary's and Solomon Island, which became their simulated battleground as squads attempted to scout each other's defenses. Submarine training took place at Naval Submarine Base New London , Connecticut in June 1942. The Observer Group began to conduct reconnaissance exercises on both the Atlantic and the Caribbean , (just as the Fleet Marine Force 's Fleet Landing Exercises had done
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1728-469: The continental United States, and the supply service. These were eventually expanded, with FMF Pacific including the III Amphibious Corps and V Amphibious Corps , each consisting of three divisions and corps troops, and the commander of FMF Pacific also oversaw all of the supporting troops for the theater forces. The Fleet Marine Force, Pacific, essentially became a field army in 1944, while being
1782-557: The disbanding of the Continental Army at the end of 1783 only one major general, Henry Knox , remained in service until his resignation in June 1784. The rank was revived on March 4, 1791, when Arthur St. Clair was appointed as major general in command of the U.S. Army. St. Clair was succeeded by Major General Anthony Wayne who commanded the Army (then named the Legion of the United States ) until his death on December 15, 1796. The rank
1836-680: The exception of one battalion that was stationed at Guantanamo Bay . The West Coast Expeditionary Force was in San Diego , California , with about 1,200 men. Both were meant to be the nucleus of a much larger force in the event of a war, which would involve the entire Marine Corps and the Marine Corps Reserve . John Lejeune, as the Commandant of the Marine Corps, wrote in 1926 that the two expeditionary forces could be described as training centers during peacetime. The former Advanced Base Force became
1890-543: The fleet marine force areas: U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific (MARFORPAC) for the Pacific Command and Marine Corps Forces, Atlantic (MARFORLANT) for the Atlantic Command . The commanders of each MARFOR are dual-hatted as the commanding general of the respective fleet marine force. In December 2005, Marine Forces Atlantic was renamed Marine Corps Forces Command (MARFORCOM). The Fleet Marine Force, San Diego Area,
1944-637: The landing force doctrine based on lessons learned from the Gallipoli campaign of World War I, and in the early 1930s the Roosevelt administration ending the occupation of countries in Latin America freed up significant numbers of Marines from overseas duties. This allowed the East and West Expeditionary Forces to be expanded, culminating in the founding of the Fleet Marine Force in 1933. Unlike other previous iterations,
1998-562: The month after their 64th birthday. The Continental Army was established on June 15, 1775, when the Continental Congress commissioned George Washington as a general and placed him in command of the Army of Observation then besieging Boston . The rank of major general was first established two days later on June 17, 1775, when two major generals were commissioned by Congress. Two more major generals were appointed on June 19. Following
2052-476: The organization of the Fleet Marine Force. In the spring of 1944, on the initiative of Lieutenant General Holland Smith, his duties as commander of V Amphibious Corps were expanded, and that summer the Headquarters, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific, was established as a new command. It included four Marine divisions in the theater, a Marine brigade nearly the size of a division, the 5th Marine Division being trained in
2106-695: The rank held by the commandant was raised to major general. It remained the highest rank in the Marine Corps until January 20, 1942, when the rank held by the commandant was raised to lieutenant general. Given that the United States Air Force evolved from its predecessors, the United States Army Air Service , the United States Army Air Corps (1926–1941), and the United States Army Air Forces (1941–1947),
2160-409: The rank of major general in the Air Force coincides with its establishment as an independent service in 1947. The United States Space Force became independent of the U.S. Air Force on 20 December 2019 and has a similar rank structure which includes the rank of major general. Fleet Marine Force The United States Fleet Marine Forces ( FMF ) are combined general and special forces within
2214-433: The rank of major general, which is its highest rank and is held only by its national commander . The United States Code explicitly limits the total number of general officers that may be on active duty at any given time. The total number of active duty general officers is capped at 231 for the Army, 62 for the Marine Corps, and 198 for the Air Force. Some of these slots are reserved or finitely set by statute. For example,
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2268-611: The rudiments of jujitsu , pistol shooting from the hip, and operation of the Thompson submachine gun , or TSMG. While the Observer Group was practicing their operational skills, the Intelligence Officers had worked out the tactical utilization of amphibious reconnaissance developing a new doctrine and organizational plan for the Fleet Marine Force. With the assignment to the United States Army of primary responsibility for
2322-474: The service's chief of staff or commandant. Other than voluntary retirement, statute sets a number of mandates for retirement of general officers (called flag officers in the Navy and Coast Guard ). All major generals must retire after five years in grade or 35 years of service, whichever is later, unless appointed for promotion or reappointed to grade to serve longer . Otherwise, all general officers must retire
2376-424: The staff supervision of the Amphibious Corps, Atlantic Fleet G-2 by Army Lieutenant Colonel Louis Ely. Captain James Logan Jones Sr. was assigned to working under Colonel Erskine as the Assistant G-2 of the Intelligence section, under the Amphibious Corps staff, at the request of the Commanding General of Amphibious Force, Atlantic Fleet, Major General Holland Smith. Jones was fluent in several foreign languages,
2430-474: The start of World War II , the Fleet Marine Force was temporarily disbanded in favor of a two-division amphibious force assigned to each fleet, in the Pacific and the Atlantic. During 1941 a new organization was created under the command of Holland M. Smith , going through multiple name changes during the year. In June 1941 it was the (Provisional) I Corps, Atlantic Fleet, before becoming Task Force 18, Atlantic Fleet, and then 1st Joint Training Force in July, then
2484-438: Was appointed lieutenant general on March 9, 1864, and took command of the Union forces, he used the three-star insignia formerly assigned to that position. There was no major general in the U.S. Marine Corps until Commandant Charles Heywood was specially promoted by Act of Congress in July 1902. From his retirement on October 3, 1903, brigadier general was again the highest rank in the Marine Corps until May 21, 1908, when
2538-498: Was extremely familiar with the target area of Africa; had experience with mechanical and mechanized vehicles and machinery, had experience in living in foreign lands, and had a military schooling and background. Because of these qualifications, he was assigned in February 1942 until September 1942, during which time he was promoted to Captain. In August 1942, both the Army and Navy separated their joint effort and continued its planning for North Africa in Operation Torch . By September,
2592-409: Was in charge of the Intelligence section jointly devised the plan in organizing a unit of men that were specialized in reconnoitering enemy shores for the upcoming mission of invading Europe and North Africa during World War II . By December 1941, when the United States has entered the war, the joint unit was designated as the "Observer Group", which was composed of a small group of soldiers from
2646-500: Was officially established on 17 September 1944. On 16 December 1946, the Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic , was established, serving a similar purpose for the U.S. Atlantic Fleet. By 1947, the Marine Corps had two Fleet Marine Forces: Pacific (FMFPac) and Atlantic (FMFLant). This structure still exists to this day, though in July 1992 the Marine Corps created two service component commands to represent Marine interests to their respective geographic unified combatant command , coinciding with
2700-504: Was officially listed as holding the rank of lieutenant general, rather than full general , and it was regarded as improper for an officer to hold a rank equal to or superior to Washington's. To address this anomaly, Washington was posthumously promoted by Congress to the rank of General of the Armies of the United States in 1976. The position of Major General Commanding the Army was entitled to wear three stars according to General Order No. 6 of March 13, 1861. When Ulysses S. Grant
2754-441: Was one of the developers, along with another Inspector, Eric A. Sykes of the Fairbairn–Sykes fighting knife that was used by the Marine Recon units and later adopted by the Marine Raiders and the Paramarines during World War II . Around this time the Observer Group was sent to the School for the Federal Bureau of Investigation , which also shared the same base at Quantico , and were trained by FBI Agents for two weeks in
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#17328524686152808-421: Was revived on July 19, 1798, when Alexander Hamilton and Charles C. Pinckney were commissioned as major generals during the Quasi War with France. The expanded Army was demobilized on June 15, 1800, when it was reduced to only four regiments of infantry and two of artillery commanded by a brigadier general. The rank of major general was abolished in the U.S. Army by the Act of March 16, 1802, and restored by
2862-409: Was tasked with training new recruits throughout the war, and in 1945 it became the Marine Training and Replacement Command. The Fleet Marine Forces (FMF) consists of Marine Corps' operating forces components that constitute the Fleet Marine Forces on the Pacific and Atlantic coasts, or within its "designate(s)". While the FMF is a Marine Corps organization, the FMF is functionally equivalent to
2916-404: Was the culmination of the Marine Corps' development of amphibious warfare doctrine during the 1920s, and was described by historians as "the most significant development with in the Marine Corps." The development of the Fleet Marine Force was made possible by the research and training done by the Marine Corps Schools, and both were headquartered in Quantico, Virginia . The first field command of
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