Marines forming new unit

WASHINGTON – Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld Tuesday announced creation of a force of about 2,600 highly specialized Marines intended to address a shortage of elite troops available for counterterrorist operations and other missions requiring exceptional skills.

But in a marked departure for the fiercely self-reliant Corps, the new contingent will report not to the Marine leadership but to the multi-service command responsible for other special operations troops.

The move follows months of difficult negotiations between the Marines and the special operations community. For years, the Marine Corps has resisted joining the Army, Navy and Air Force in ceding permanent control of a segment of its forces to Special Operations Command, known as Socom.

Rumsfeld has pushed the Marines to set aside their traditional sense of separateness and help Socom expand the number of troops under its direct management. After rejecting previous proposals that fell short of a full integration of the Marines into Socom, Rumsfeld approved the new structure at a meeting Friday that included Marine Corps Commandant Michael Hagee and Army Gen. Bryan Brown.

A senior Marine officer, in an interview Tuesday, attributed his service’s change of mind to a recognition that the new arrangement could afford a larger role for Marines in U.S. counterterrorism efforts.

“We finally came to the realization that unless we were a full partner in U.S. Special Operations Command, we probably weren’t making maximum use of the Marine Corps’ capability,” said Lt. Gen. Jan Huly, deputy Marine commandant.