Marsoc Needs Marine Aviation

On 16 April, 1987 the Department of Defense activated US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). The Army, Navy, and Air Force were all tasked to provide their Special Operations Forces to this new command. The Marine Corps successfully argued that it did not have additional forces to spare and thus was excluded. Since then, the absence of a Marine Corps component within Special Operations Command (SOCOM) has been a hotly debated topic. The activation of Marine Special Operations Command (MARSOC) on 1 November, 2005 has ended that debate. It is now time to focus on how best to ensure its success.