USMC forms MCTAG

LtCol Tim Grattan, Deputy Director of the newly formed Marine Corps Training and Advisory Group (MCTAG), was by my 'day job' office today and I was able to go through his briefing on the Group's 'way ahead' to include the proposed table of organization and equipment, basic concept of employment and many other issues associated with training and advising foreign military forces. While I cannot go into any details, I can say I came away quite impressed and hopeful that the Marine Corps has a solid plan to meet future training and advising requirements. A recent Marine Corps News item on MCTAG follows.

USMC forms MCTAG; Consolidates Reconnaissance Training

Nov. 14, 2007

By Cpl. Margaret Hughes, Marine Corps Forces Command

Fort Story, Va. (Nov. 14, 2007) -- Col. Barton S. Sloat, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Command G-3 assistant chief of staff, accepted control of the Amphibious Reconnaissance School Compound from Col. Stuart L. Dickey, commander of the Expeditionary Warfare Training Group, Atlantic, Nov. 14 here.

The compound is the location for the newly appointed Marine Corps Training and Advisory Group (MCTAG), an organization to coordinate, form, train and equip Marine Corps advisor and training teams for current and projected operations.

"This is the driving force to being successful in combating terrorism in the future," said Sloat.

Before the designation of MCTAG, the Marine Corps divided advisor requirements between Headquarters Marine Corps, its service components and the operating forces in a marginally effective, inefficient process, said Lt. Col. Tim Grattan, MCTAG deputy director.

"The Marine Corps Training and Advisory Group will act as an advocate to the deploying forces," said Grattan. This would provide one command that best gauges the Marine Corps risks in terms of force management, future challenges and the institution.

"Centralizing advisor capability allows... assets to meet service and joint priorities. It (also) allows the command to prioritize advisor support to those in contact whether in Iraq, Afghanistan or elsewhere," he said.

The MCTAG was created to fill future needs to young officers advising a host nation military or host nation security forces with regard to training, organization and record book tracking, said Gen. James T. Conway, the Marine Corps Commandant, while speaking at a Center for a New American Security forum in Washington.

The MCTAG's collateral mission is to conduct detailed planning in order to support the CMC decision-making process and Doctrine, Organization, Training, Materiel, Leadership and Education, Personnel and Facilities (DOTMLPF) analyses as they relate to service advisor capabilities.

"We ask them four questions... and we felt like if they could answer those four questions, then they would give us a pretty good launch point, in terms of what our Corps needed to look like," said Conway.

The transition process is scheduled to last until fiscal year 2012, at which time the MCTAG is planning to achieve full operational capabilities.

The Basic Reconnaissance Course will move and consolidate its forces with the School of Infantry, West, Camp Pendleton, Calif. An additional 100 reconnaissance Marine graduates are projected annually with the consolidation.