What is the purpose and employment of a Marine Division?

What is the purpose and employment of a Marine Division?

• A. Executes amphibious assault operations
• B. Provides the ground amphibious forcible-entry capability to an amphibious task force
• C. Employed as the Ground Combat Element of the MEF
• D. All of the above

Answer: (D)

The idea being tested is how a Marine Division is used within a MEF and what it is built to do on the ground and at sea. A Marine Division is designed to lead and execute large-scale ground operations and to participate in amphibious actions as part of an amphibious task force. It provides the ground forcible-entry capability needed to seize a beachhead or lodgment from the sea and to open the way for follow-on forces. In the MEF structure, the Ground Combat Element is the Marine Division, meaning this formation is the primary land component that fights the ground war after the embarkation, landing, and establishment of a lodgment. Since all of these roles—conducting amphibious assaults, enabling forcible entry from sea to land, and serving as the MEF’s Ground Combat Element—fit together, the option that includes all of the above best describes the Marine Division’s purpose and employment.

The idea being tested is how a Marine Division is used within a MEF and what it is built to do on the ground and at sea. A Marine Division is designed to lead and execute large-scale ground operations and to participate in amphibious actions as part of an amphibious task force. It provides the ground forcible-entry capability needed to seize a beachhead or lodgment from the sea and to open the way for follow-on forces. In the MEF structure, the Ground Combat Element is the Marine Division, meaning this formation is the primary land component that fights the ground war after the embarkation, landing, and establishment of a lodgment. Since all of these roles—conducting amphibious assaults, enabling forcible entry from sea to land, and serving as the MEF’s Ground Combat Element—fit together, the option that includes all of the above best describes the Marine Division’s purpose and employment.