From Station
The United States Marines
24th Century
Starfleet Marine Corps has become primarily a special operations force, used to defend the Federation when Starfleet simply isn't enough. In 2311, no less then 123 colonies petitioned the Federation Council to station a ground base unit on their colonies, or they would abandon them all. Pushed into a decision, the Federation Marine Corps went active that year. Lack of equipment, and proper Training facilities forced Starfleet Academy to begin a separate Marine training program. By 2320, the FMC had dictated construction on bases, and equipment diverting resources that would have gone into starship construction.
Starfleet saw record numbers of casualties as a result of close quarters combat with the Jem'Hadar during the Dominion War, the Federation Council ordered the change of the Marine charter, specifically for the purpose of combat and to be used in the most urgent of situations.
Major Renbe Dergos, SFMC, probes the depths of a cavern with the beacon on his type III SOCOM carbine, 2381
After the Shinzon Incident of 2379, the Romulan Star Empire, the primary enemy of the Federation, sued for peace, and the Federation was enemyless. Thus, the Corps became mostly a defensive force, used to stop any number of minor threats to the Federation, and to protect its interests throughout the galaxy.
Starfleet is not primarily a military organization. Despite its military ranks and procedures, its frequent space battles, and its ships which carry enough firepower to bake the crust of a planet, Starfleet is devoted primarily to the peaceful exploration of space and the policing of Federation spacelanes. However, there are times when military intervention on a planet becomes necessary, and when those times come, the Federation maintains an elite force of soldiers - Starfleet Marines. Starfleet Naval personnel serve a wide variety of purposes, diplomatic as well as scientific. Starfleet Marines serve only one purpose - combat - and they are used if diplomacy fails.
Even when forgotten, the Starfleet Marine Corps is always hard at work upholding the ideals of the Federation while guarding it from any adversary that may present itself. In true military fashion, officers of the SFMC place the lives of others before their own, ready to sacrifice anything for their government.
Marines are carried aboard Starfleet ships, but they have their own commanders and are separate from the regular shipboard chain of command. Twenty-fourth century technology, and particularly Holodeck technology, have made it possible to give rank-and-file soldiers the kind of intensive military training that was the sole preserve of special forces units a mere four centuries before. Starfleet Marines are exceptionally well trained and capable, even by Starfleet standards. They are meant to operate primarily on planetary surfaces, both land and water, but are also trained to participate in space-based operations as well. Their skills reflect the fact that they frequently have to operate in a long-range reconnaissance fashion, often with little or no support from Starfleet.
Unlike Naval personnel, Starfleet Marines must meet exacting physical criteria. They are particularly expected to display above-average intelligence and exceptional endurance.
Marine BDUs
The first difference between the naval and marine branches of Starfleet that one notices is the rank system. Carried down from generation to generation, the system resembles quite closely the ranking method used in 20th century Earth. The next difference is the militaristic nature of the corps. While the Starfleet navy tends to maintain order in a loose but firm manner, some have called the Marine Corps' management technique stringent or even harsh. Quite simply, Marine commanders do not tolerate anything less than the absolute best in their men, knowing that to do so would risk the lives of others. There is little room for error in such a dangerous and important field.
Typical missions
Starship Boarding actions (in hostile territory e.g. without a Starship for backup)
Pre-assault sabotage (disturbing enemy communications, supplies, shields)
Guerrilla actions.
Reconnaissance.
Insertions/Extractions.
Military support for Starfleet Intelligence missions if required.
Generally the very practical side of covert operations.
- This article uses material from the [1] article on the "Star Trek Expanded Wikia" at Wikia and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License.
