TIMELINE of DET ONE

Commandant of the Marine Corps signs a memorandum of agreement with the commander of Special Operations Command (SOCOM) to reestablish the SOCOM/USMC Board to examine enhanced interoperability between the two forces in the wake of the 11 September attacks.

Commandant of the Marine Corps directs the activation of Marine Corps Special Operations Command Detachment for a two-year proof-of-concept operation with SOCOM.

Detachment One, as part of Naval Special Warfare Squadron, conducts a pre-deployment certification exercise at Edwards Air Force Base, California; personnel from the detachment staff and intelligence element augment the squadron’s capabilities; the reconnaissance element remains intact as the core of the raid force task unit.

Commandant of the Marine Corps directs the activation of Marine Corps Special Operations Command Detachment for a two-year proof-of-concept operation with SOCOM.

Detachment One transfers from Marine Forces Pacific to the operational control of Naval Special Warfare Command in accordance with the 20 February memorandum of agreement and in preparation for deployment.

Detachment One deploys to Iraq, establishing a base of operations near Baghdad International Airport; selected personnel from the intelligence element are detached to serve with outlying task units and with other government agencies; the remainder of the detachment forms Task Unit Raider under Naval Special Warfare Task Group- Arabian Peninsula, and commences direct action raids and other operations.

Commanding Officer Naval Special Warfare Task Group-Arabian Peninsula receives orders to shift operations and provide personal security details (PSD) to the four principal figures of the interim Iraqi government; Task Unit Raider Marines are assigned to protect one of the two Iraqi vice-presidents.

Commanding Officer Naval Special Warfare Task Group-Arabian Peninsula reconstitutes Task Unit Raider for offensive operations; a small liaison cell is sent to the GROM, the Polish special forces unit, which is then constituted as Task Unit Thunder.

Task Unit Raider executes “Objective Razor,” the third in a series of three raids on a high-value target, in which the complete spectrum of the task-organized capabilities of the detachment were fully employed.

Marines from Task Unit Raider reinforce U.S. Army Special Forces units in al-Kut, providing sniper, intelligence and fires support in operations against Shi’a militias; their support enabled coalition forces to help the governor of al-Kut rid the city of enemy forces and reestablish his authority.

Marines from Task Unit Raider reinforce U.S. Army cavalry units in an-Najaf, providing sniper, intelligence and fires support in operations against Shi’a militias; their support enabled coalition forces to compel the Mahdi Militia to cease operations and withdraw from the key city.

Task Unit Raider, in conjunction with Task Unit Thunder, executes a daylight raid into Baghdad to capture or kill a high-value target, “Objective Rifle,” who had been tracked for five months; the raid is successful, and all forces withdraw without casualties.

Naval Special Warfare Task Group-Arabian Peninsula stands down from operations; Detachment One reconstitutes and redeploys to Camp Pendleton, California; the unit commences sustainment training and examination of future employment options.

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld requests the Commandant of the Marine Corps and the Commander of SOCOM to assess the possibility of MARSOC.

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld approves a joint recommendation by the Marine Corps and Special Operations Command to add Marine Corps special operation forces to SOCOM.

Marine Corps Special Operations Command Detachment deactivates in a ceremony at the unit’s compound at Camp Del Mar, Camp Pendleton, California.