Specifically, the assistant squad leader can now manage comms with command and manage and coordinate fires, leaving the squad leader to focus on the fight. A dedicated assistant squad leader ensures the fire teams all have adequate leadership without tacking a second job onto any of their responsibilities.Īt the same time, the assistant squad leader can accomplish mission-critical tasks that could take away from the squad leader’s ability to control his squad in combat.
The old Marine Rifle Squad often used an assistant squad leader in the form of the first fire team leader, who is traditionally the most experienced and trusted among the fire team heads. To make this all possible, the Marine Corps added two of the following roles, and rebooted a third. Tack on new capabilities, and you are improving the leader’s ability to carry out their commander’s intent. This leads the culture to produce squads with more autonomy and leadership capabilities than you’re apt to find elsewhere. In my time working with both the Navy and Army, I never saw that culture repeated - but in the Corps, you’re a leader the minute you get a stripe on your collar. The Marine Corps is big on leadership at the lowest levels. The new positions within the Marine Corps rifle squad open up the squad’s capabilities and control. The New Roles Within the Marine Rifle Squad This new Marine rifle squad does not take into account weapons platoon attachments, namely machine gunners armed with belt-fed weapons with crew members carrying additional M27 IAR rifles. However, it seems like 16 automatic rifles would be one helluva way to replace the missing firepower an M249 offered. The replacement of a belt-fed light machine gun was controversial. And two extra Marines gives the squad more guns. These two new positions, alongside a Corpsman, give the Marine squad 16 guns total. The squad leader will be joined by an assistant squad leader and a systems operator.
The squad size is changing from 13 to 15 Marines. Additionally, each fireteam will have a grenadier also carrying the M27 IAR. All Marines carrying M27s have automatic capability. The latest squad eliminates the rifleman and assistant automatic rifleman positions. Fireteams consisted of a team leader, an automatic rifleman, an assistant automatic rifleman, and a rifleman. The traditional Marine Corps squad consisted of a squad leader and three fireteams of four Marines. Here’s what that’ll look like moving forward.
They will continue to locate, close with and destroy the enemy by means of fire, maneuver, and close combat. The squad might well be changing, but the mission of the Marine rifle squad will not.
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