Marine infantrymen switch to law-enforcement mission

  • Published
  • By David Bedard
  • JBER Public Affairs
JOINT BASE ELMENODRF-RICHARDSON, Alaska --  When Lance Cpl. Joel Cage joined the Marine Corps Reserve, he joined to close with and destroy the enemy as a military occupational specialty 0311 infantryman. He joined the few to run around in the woods and to break stuff.

After the Eagle River native's Reserve unit started a massive overhaul of its mission last month, Cage still gets to do those things but soon, he will be able to arrest people too.
Cage's new capability arises from the fact JBER's Marine Corps unit, formerly flagged as Company D, Antiterrorism Battalion, was redesignated in January as Company D, 4th Law Enforcement Battalion - a military police unit.

According to a Marine Corps news release, the unit change stems from a Commandant of the Marine Corps directed Force Structure Review, which affects 147 of 183 Marine Forces Reserve sites, as the Marine Corps restructures after a decade of war.

MARFORRES is shaping its force to meet modern combat needs by increasing the number of units such as civil affairs, intelligence and military police.

Marine Maj. Roberty Lafferty, Co. D, 4th LEB commander, said the force restructure makes sense because of the pressing needs of overseas contingency operations.
"In this case, the Force Structure Review Group decided they needed more law enforcement because of the last decade in Iraq and Afghanistan, where we built up the police capabilities of those host nations," the Baltimore native said. "They realized they needed more Marines to carry out that mission."

Lafferty said, in response to the FSRG requirement, the Marine Corps established two active-duty law enforcement battalions and one Reserve battalion - the 4th LEB, headquartered at Minneapolis.

The major said the unit will not focus on garrison MP duties and will not be outfitted with squad cars. Instead, the company will concentrate on gaining and maintaining proficiency at combat MP tasks such as convoy security, detainee handling and training of allied nation police.

"Being that we're infantry Marines already, it's a much easier transition for us, because we're used to going to the field," he said. "Now we're adding a few different skill sets that we haven't trained to yet."

Lafferty said the Marine Corps sent a Personnel Transition Team from Headquarters Marine Corps, Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., to JBER to help the company's Marines navigate the restructuring.

Infantry Marines may decide to stay infantry - separating at the end of their enlistment or associating with other Reserve units - or they can change to MOS 5811 military police.
Enlisted Marines who decide to make the transition to MPs will be required to attend three months of training at the U.S. Army Military Police School, Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. Officer training is five months. Lafferty said it will be a few years before every Co. D, 4th LEB, Marine is MOS trained.

"It's not a complete change overnight," he said. "But rather a gradual increase in MP capabilities."

Lafferty said the company is working closely with Alaska's Marine Corps recruiters to educate them in the transition and the new needs of the unit. New Marine Reserve recruits are already being sent to MP training, with the first graduates reporting in the fall.
Another company element going through a transition is the unit's inspector-instructor staff - a cadre of active-duty Marines charged with mentoring the unit, and running administrative and logistical functions between drill weekends. Infantry I&I will be replaced at the end of their overseas tour, and Lafferty said MP I&I will be critical in mentoring the company through the transition.

An FBI special agent in his civilian job, Lafferty said he welcomes the change in mission, because there are more opportunities for an MP company to deploy in support of international exercises in places like Africa and the Pacific Theater.

Another bonus, the major said, is the marketable job skills Marines will gain as MPs.
"A lot of Marines go into law enforcement after their enlistment, so this will be one of those things where you can say, 'Look, now you're a military policeman,'" Lafferty said. "That will look favorable if you go to any police academy out there and try to get a job in law enforcement. You have a step up."