GyBill
11-18-2010, 01:24
All-female teams support MEUs
FETs called important to culturally sensitive missions
By James K. Sanborn - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Nov 17, 2010 6:19:12 EST
Female Engagement Teams are earning an important spot on Marine Expeditionary Units, especially on deployments to regions where cultural sensitivities can preclude male Marines from interacting with local women. Several MEUs have now deployed with FETs including the 26th MEU which is operating in the 5th Fleet area of operations.
The initiative to include all-female teams likely springs from the current operating environment that often takes Marines to places such as Afghanistan, the Horn of Africa and other regions throughout the Middle East.
In an e-mail response to questions, Staff Sgt. Michael Collins, of the operations section of Combat Logistics Battalion 26, the 26th MEU’s logistics element, said FETs “provide a valuable resource to Marines ashore and sailors afloat.”
“They can be deployed in a range of operations from vehicle checkpoints, raids where treatment of women is sensitive, or when boarding a suspected pirated vessel that may have females onboard,” he said.
Although the 26th MEU’s FET serves all components of the air-ground task force, it is comprised of Marines from CLB-26, who volunteered for the duty.
The FET members began predeployment workups with the MEU in March, but their training was broader than what most Marines receive because they could be called upon for any type of mission.
During various phases of the MEU workup, they were attached to the helicopter raid force, motorized raid force, mechanized raid force and the visit, board, search and seizure team.
The format for their expanded training was partly based on lessons learned from previous pumps. The 26th MEU deployed with female Marines serving in a similar capacity in 2008, as did the 15th MEU the same year.
The 15th MEU deployed again this year with FETs. In July, they helped train women from the Sri Lankan navy and air force, sharing their experiences patrolling with male Marines and teaching their counterparts how to treat various injuries.
The FET now with the 26th has an impressive list of skills and qualifications that include detainee handling; search and screening; entry and vehicle control points; crew-served weapons; combat lifesaver; evacuation control center and non-combatant evacuation operation.
Many female Marines were eager to volunteer for a job that often takes them outside the wire, shoulder-to-shoulder with infantry units. The duty blurs the federal law that bars women from direct combat roles, but the opportunity to hit the front lines was a lure for many volunteers.
There is no set guidance on how to form and deploy FETs; it’s left to commanders to decide if, when and where they are needed.
Lt. Col. Tim Bryant, CLB-26 commander, directed initiation of a FET early in the 26th MEU’s pre-deployment training period after consulting with Col. Mark Desens, the MEU commander, said Gunnery Sgt. Bryce Piper.
Elements of the 26th MEU are now spread across the Middle East and South Asia, with some conducting relief operations in Pakistan. The MEU’s FET is currently attached to Battalion Landing Team, 3rd Battalion, 8th Marines, in Djibouti.
FETs called important to culturally sensitive missions
By James K. Sanborn - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Nov 17, 2010 6:19:12 EST
Female Engagement Teams are earning an important spot on Marine Expeditionary Units, especially on deployments to regions where cultural sensitivities can preclude male Marines from interacting with local women. Several MEUs have now deployed with FETs including the 26th MEU which is operating in the 5th Fleet area of operations.
The initiative to include all-female teams likely springs from the current operating environment that often takes Marines to places such as Afghanistan, the Horn of Africa and other regions throughout the Middle East.
In an e-mail response to questions, Staff Sgt. Michael Collins, of the operations section of Combat Logistics Battalion 26, the 26th MEU’s logistics element, said FETs “provide a valuable resource to Marines ashore and sailors afloat.”
“They can be deployed in a range of operations from vehicle checkpoints, raids where treatment of women is sensitive, or when boarding a suspected pirated vessel that may have females onboard,” he said.
Although the 26th MEU’s FET serves all components of the air-ground task force, it is comprised of Marines from CLB-26, who volunteered for the duty.
The FET members began predeployment workups with the MEU in March, but their training was broader than what most Marines receive because they could be called upon for any type of mission.
During various phases of the MEU workup, they were attached to the helicopter raid force, motorized raid force, mechanized raid force and the visit, board, search and seizure team.
The format for their expanded training was partly based on lessons learned from previous pumps. The 26th MEU deployed with female Marines serving in a similar capacity in 2008, as did the 15th MEU the same year.
The 15th MEU deployed again this year with FETs. In July, they helped train women from the Sri Lankan navy and air force, sharing their experiences patrolling with male Marines and teaching their counterparts how to treat various injuries.
The FET now with the 26th has an impressive list of skills and qualifications that include detainee handling; search and screening; entry and vehicle control points; crew-served weapons; combat lifesaver; evacuation control center and non-combatant evacuation operation.
Many female Marines were eager to volunteer for a job that often takes them outside the wire, shoulder-to-shoulder with infantry units. The duty blurs the federal law that bars women from direct combat roles, but the opportunity to hit the front lines was a lure for many volunteers.
There is no set guidance on how to form and deploy FETs; it’s left to commanders to decide if, when and where they are needed.
Lt. Col. Tim Bryant, CLB-26 commander, directed initiation of a FET early in the 26th MEU’s pre-deployment training period after consulting with Col. Mark Desens, the MEU commander, said Gunnery Sgt. Bryce Piper.
Elements of the 26th MEU are now spread across the Middle East and South Asia, with some conducting relief operations in Pakistan. The MEU’s FET is currently attached to Battalion Landing Team, 3rd Battalion, 8th Marines, in Djibouti.