U.S. Marine Corps MV-22 Ospreys drop off Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force-Crisis Response-Central Command (SPMAGTF-CR-CC) 19.2 Marines at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, Dec. 31, 2019.
BAGHDAD, IRAQ
12.31.2019
Video by Sgt. Maj. Joey Thompson
According to a story by Ben Werner of USNI News published on December 31, 2019:
The Pentagon is sending more forces, including roughly 100 Marines, to provide additional security to the U.S. embassy in Baghdad after a mob stormed the compound’s main entrance on Tuesday.
Marines assigned to Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force-Crisis Response-Central Command deployed to Baghdad Tuesday from Kuwait, according to the Pentagon.
Addtitionally, an infantry battalion from the Immediate Response Force (IRF) of the 82nd Airborne Division are headed to U.S. Central Command, the Pentagon announced following an earlier version of this post.
“Approximately 750 soldiers will deploy to the region immediately, and additional forces from the IRF are prepared to deploy over the next several days,” the Pentagon said in a statement.
“This deployment is an appropriate and precautionary action taken in response to increased threat levels against U.S. personnel and facilities, such as we witnessed in Baghdad today.”
The protesters included members of the Shia group Kataib Hezbollah militia, according to an NPR report. Group members were protesting recent U.S. military airstrikes on five Hezbollah sites in Iraq and Syria.
The U.S. airstrikes were in response to Kataib Hezbollah militia attacks on Iraqi bases hosting Operation Inherent Resolve coalition forces including U.S. military personnel, according to a statement released Sunday by chief Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman.
“Recent KH strikes included a 30-plus rocket attack on an Iraqi base near Kirkuk that resulted in the death of a U.S. citizen and injured four U.S. service members and two members of the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF),” Hoffman’s statement said….
The Marine Corps’ Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Crisis Response trains to respond to emergency operations throughout U.S. Central Command.
The Marine Corps revamped its U.S. embassy crisis response program after the murder of U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three Americans in his security detail during an attack on the American consulate in Benghazi, Libya, on Sept. 11, 2012.
And in a follow-up story published on January 2, 2019, Werner added the following:
The Marines now in Baghdad are assigned to the Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF)-Crisis Response-Central Command. Among their skill sets is to provide additional security to U.S. embassies in the CENTCOM region quickly.
The Marine Corps revamped its U.S. embassy crisis response program after the murder of U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three Americans in his security detail during an attack on the American consulate in Benghazi, Libya, on Sept. 11, 2012.
However, with the MAGTF now in Baghdad, Esper and Milley said they needed to send additional forces to act as a regional reserve force. They want CENTCOM Commander Marine Corps Gen. Kenneth McKenzie to have sufficient forces to respond quickly to any emergency in the region, which is why about 750 members of the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division left for Kuwait on New Year’s Day.
“A special purpose MAGTF can only go so far, so the 82nd brings in, again, additional soldiers to augment that as needed,” Esper said. “And why them? That’s because they bring an 18-hour readiness status. It’s unique in our military.
Esper would not provide a timeframe for how long the Marines will remain in Baghdad or how long the 82nd Airborne Division will remain in Kuwait….
The Pentagon has to be much more flexible and willing to send its ready forces, Esper said.
“This is an example of dynamic force employment where we’re able to quickly deploy forces and use them as we need to and then redeploy them,” Esper said. “We have to get much more nimble operationally, so this is a good opportunity for us to do that as well.”
Meanwhile, Esper and Milley have other options near the region if more forces are necessary. The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group with Carrier Air Wing 1 is operating in the North Arabian Sea.
The Bataan Amphibious Ready Group with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit embarked is operating in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of responsibility. The Bataan ARG and 26th MEU are scheduled to start the African Sea Lion naval exercise soon with forces from Morocco, a Navy spokesperson told USNI News.