Marines Create Law Enforcement Battalion

[Trooper]

Probably not when they're acting as part of the military, but their peacetime home is now under Homeland Security.

The PCA only covers the Army. And because the AF came out of the Army then they are under it as well.

As the PCA is an act of congress, congress can grant the Army additional powers and responsibilities. At one time the primary LE force for the federal government was the Army. Even to this day all federal LE powers are based on the authority of an Army officer to enforce federal law.

Basically the Army got too heavy handed after the Civil War and the congress decided to restrict them. Also to limit the local sheriff from making the local soldiers part of his posse.

 

[gvbcraig]

I am plagued by my eastern European heritage. Look at the history of the KGB, they used to be called NKGB (People's Commissariat for State Security). Sounds like Home land security to me. NKGB were the same people that took my great grandparents land because they were profitable and sent my grandfather to siberia for being a subversive.

I just see things differently because my family has lived through it once already.

 

[Booya]

I didn't think anything was out of the ordinary about this article until a friend told me that local FDA and USDA inspectors were getting tactical training at a local gun range. Now Marines are becoming Law Enforcement.

Not to sound paranoid, but is the administration getting Federally controlled groups prepared and ready, allowing them to enact Martial Law if the elections not go in their favor?

Just too many things happening that have never happened before

I can only comment on the Marine side of things, but yes, you sound paranoid. The Corps has been using MP (not exactly LE) battalions for a very long time and is doing nothing more then consolidating. Tons of guys getting deployed today are doing Security, provisional rifle company... Etc. They're just moving the MP's together. Google Force Structure Review Group (FSRG) and you'll see that this happens quite frequently. The Corps is in the process of shrinking and realigning A LOT. You'll continue to see changes on the Marine side of things.

The thing that stands out the most about your paranoia though is that you seem to believe that these "Federally controlled groups" would actually follow through unlawful acts. I can assure you and the many others here that when some far off commander gives the order for his guys to start going door to door and arresting, accosting, whatever your everyday civilians, it's just not going to happen.

Your voluntarily serving military is not going to try to take over anyones neighborhood. Most of your military probably see the majority of things the same why you do...

 

[Sweetums]

I think that this is pretty simple. The Marines, as they always have, are evolving their forces. IMO, there are ALOT of things that could have been headed off in Iraq and Afghanistan had there been some proper MP/SF presence when it was needed, not after.

 

[Trooper]

One thing to think about. If an infantry unit takes the ground then who holds it? While infantry is great at removing the enemy, it is weak at dealing with the issues that come with holding an area.

Once an area has been taken, it takes three times the force to hold it. Plus it takes military forces that can deal with civilians. The Military Police (MP) are trained to deal with civilians and are still seen as light infantry. So they are best at holding the area taken by infantry. But then it takes a force three times larger due to the need to run around the clock in shifts.

The military has not been all that excited about creating a large MP force. It is not sexy, has huge PR problems and would shift internal politics (within the military) because the MPs would have more numbers thus more political pull. It might be best to turn the National Guard into MPs. Let most of the MPs force be in reserve (Guard), not active duty.

 

[Blackhawk2001]

The PCA only covers the Army. And because the AF came out of the Army then they are under it as well.

As the PCA is an act of congress, congress can grant the Army additional powers and responsibilities. At one time the primary LE force for the federal government was the Army. Even to this day all federal LE powers are based on the authority of an Army officer to enforce federal law.

Basically the Army got too heavy handed after the Civil War and the congress decided to restrict them. Also to limit the local sheriff from making the local soldiers part of his posse.

I didn't know that. Thanks for the info.

 

[Blackhawk2001]

Another way to look at things is what the Army did with artillery troops in Iraq. Once the invasion was complete, there wasn't much need for artillery, but there was a tremendous need for convoy and perimeter security (two traditional MP jobs), so many artillery troops were retrained as MPs (or to perform those MP duties needed) to fill those positions. Have what were once scattered Marine MP detachments consolidated into battalion-sized elements simplifies several issues involved with training and administration and doesn't make them a bit more difficult to deploy in smaller elements, if required.

 

[MilitaryArms]

Ok, fun aside, just what is the problem?

1. The Marine Corps has organized themselves like this before. I'll let the Marines here comment on its wisdom.

Are you worried that the Marines are going to be pulling people over on 465 for speeding or something?

"Get out of the vehicle, numbnuts, and give me twenty diamond push ups!"


2. All kinds of feds get firearms training and have so for a long time.

"Tactical training"? So they are learning to use the firearms they will be carrying? Sounds good to me.

This.

Marines aren't going to play ball for martial law, especially if it were enacted by executive order by a President they don't like or trust.

I'm also somewhat amused that in every Presidential election that's been discussed on the Internet that I can remember there have been claims the sitting President had plans for enacting martial law should he lose. This includes Clinton, Bush and now Obama. I find it pretty amazing folks think this is a likely possibility. While the likelihood of such an event happening is right around 0%, I do think it's an interesting sign of how distrustful people have come about our government.

 

[badwolf.usmc]

If these new battalions are what i read about before then what they will be used for is battlefield investigations and Provincial Reconstruction Teams, and such.

One example of this is what they did in Iraq. They complied a database of IED info and used it to find bomb builders.

 

[Hohn]

The administrative law of Marshall University:

We...
Are..
Martial!!

 

[gvbcraig]

I know I am the guy that is paranoid about the Federal government turning on it's own citizens. I keep connecting the dots and the direction they are pointing is not good as far as I am concerned. Now the Social Security Administration is loading up on ammo. At the same time others in the Fed want to curtain ammunition purchases by individuals.

http://www.infowars.com/social-secu...-174-thousand-rounds-of-hollow-point-bullets/

 

[ocsdor]

 

[Blackhawk2001]

I know I am the guy that is paranoid about the Federal government turning on it's own citizens. I keep connecting the dots and the direction they are pointing is not good as far as I am concerned. Now the Social Security Administration is loading up on ammo. At the same time others in the Fed want to curtain ammunition purchases by individuals.

http://www.infowars.com/social-secu...-174-thousand-rounds-of-hollow-point-bullets/

Okay, NOAA "purchased" 46k rounds (for the fish & game officers that fall under their agency). Somebody want to research which innocuous agency under their purview is being supplied by the SSA?

 

[badwolf.usmc]

Okay, NOAA "purchased" 46k rounds (for the fish & game officers that fall under their agency). Somebody want to research which innocuous agency under their purview is being supplied by the SSA?

Kirk has, in it's own dedicated thread. Some people are just afraid and are always looking for things to be afraid of.

 

[Johnny C]

They expect turmoil and resulting martial law when the economy collapses.

 

[netsecurity]

DHS is a very real threat IMO. It is not paranoid to be concerned at the direction we are headed. DHS has too much central control now, with no checks and balances. It can use the FBI, CIA, military...heck, about every local, state, and federal agency, right? It may not be corrupt or misused now, but it has the potential to be used as another Gestapo, or Stasi/KGB.

 

[Rocket]

Good thing that NO soldiers followed orders illegally detaining citizens, unlawful entry, unlawful search and seizure and theft of property after Katrina. If they did it might have given some pause for concern. I am so glad that didn't happen. Good thing that a local .gov never broke with the Constitution and issued those orders, Phew I can take off my tin foil hat now huh.

 

[jeremy]

Good thing that NO soldiers followed orders illegally detaining citizens, unlawful entry, unlawful search and seizure and theft of property after Katrina. If they did it might have given some pause for concern. I am so glad that didn't happen. Good thing that a local .gov never broke with the Constitution and issued those orders, Phew I can take off my tin foil hat now huh.

Shame the Soldiers, and LEAs your sarcastically mention were following the State Laws during Katrina. Not all States Constitutions are written the same....

 

[cosermann]

.