CAMP PENDLETON — When Americans think of the U.S. military's elite, Army Rangers and Navy SEALs come to mind--not the Marine Corps' Force Reconnaissance.
That could change with a decision by the Marine Corps to drop what some saw as organizational aloofness and join the other military services in coordinating special warfare operations.
In another sign that the war on terrorism is reshaping the U.S. military, officials from the Marine Corps and the U.S. Special Operations Command recently met to discuss how Force Recon and other Marines trained in special operations can help as the war enters its next phase.
Before Sept. 11, the Marine Corps had largely remained unconnected to SOCOM, the control center in Tampa, Fla., that Congress established in 1987 to handle special operations planning and reduce interservice rivalry. The Marines have been the only service not to commit troops to SOCOM.
But the war in Afghanistan--and Marine Commandant Gen. James L. Jones Jr.'s desire to bolster Force Recon and the Marines' other special operations units--led to a change that was unthinkable until recently.
Jones, whose father commanded an amphibious reconnaissance company in World War II, is considering organizing a reconnaissance unit specifically for SOCOM, a major commitment for an organization such as the Marine Corps with an unusually small budget and a go-it-alone ethos.
Retired Col. Fred Peck said the commitment to SOCOM shows the Marine Corps is moving away from its historic aversion to getting involved in operations with other services.
''The conventional wisdom used to be: If we carve out our own unique niche, then we won't have to engage in turf wars with our much larger service brothers,'' Peck said. ''Jumping into the joint arena was greatly feared [by Marine brass] for a long while.''
Like other military planners, Jones believes the war on terrorism will be fought less by massive headlong assaults and more by small units that can move quickly, conduct surveillance and intelligence-gathering, then apply firepower in concentrated bursts.
"'The Sands of Iwo Jima' is a great movie, but it doesn't reflect the reality of how we will fight in the future," Jones said.
Experts say the Marines have already adroitly adapted to the new kind of warfare that emphasizes joint operations.
