Why can't Marine Force Recon become SEALs?

Answer 1

Navy and Marine SpecOps forces personnel are dedicated to their respective branches; the biggest exceptions are aviation (Naval and Marine Corps aviators fly off of Navy carriers) and Navy Corpsmen, who serve as combat medics for the Marines. The Navy also provides the Chaplains, Doctors, Dentists and JAG officers for the Marine Corps. The only combat trained officers from the Navy that serve with the Marines are those assigned as NGLOs, Naval Gunfire Liaison Officers that work with the Marines in coordinating Naval Gunfire support to the Marine forces. The only other Sailors who train with the Marines are the Navy's SeaBees, who must complete Marine Corps Basic Infantry training.

Their respective missions are also different; where Force Recon is first and foremost an advance scouting/recon unit deep inside enemy territory (ahead of invasion or larger forces), the SEAL's are geared more toward active combat behind enemy lines, as well as providing support to other government agencies (e.g., CIA, NSA).

That doesn't mean that they don't work together; they do. But their respective training is much different.

Of course a Marine can always leave the Corps and become a sailor and try to become a SEAL and vice-versa, but the likelihood of that happening is slim to none, and slim's out of town. Once you achieve the rank, respect, and honor that the hard work and training has given you by being selected, you don't want to leave.

Answer 2

Marine Force and Battalion Recon report to Marine Special Operations Command (MARSOC) with their reports and requests.

SEAL's report to Naval Special Warfare Command (NSWC), as well as SOCOM depending on if they are JTF with NATO forces.

Every branch of the military that has special operators report to their own branches command centers. NATO forces communicate with US forces through SOCOM. Though Marine recon reports to MARSOC, they are Joint Task Force (JTF) with SOCOM forces, the reason for the separate command centers is because of the large quantities of Intel flowing in everyday.

The Marine Ground Task Force (MGTF) already produces enough Intel and reports, the Recon Marines main goal is to provide Intel and tactics as to how a commanding officer should use his forces based on enemy positions (POS) and/or build up, so try to imagine how much information must be processed by the Marines alone.. It's staggering.

Though they are separate, they make COMS (communications) with each other on a daily basis due to information that is collected by a unit through one command that might compromise a plan of action that the other command wants to execute or has been in course already.

I disagree with the previous posting. First of all Bn RECON and Force RECON DO NOT report to MARSOC. Bn RECON elements answer to their respected Marine Division (MARDIV) the Force Recon Company used to fall under the Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) however, has been restructured under the Recon Bn.

Force Recon/Bn Recon/MARSOC Operators are all 0321's, RECON Marines. However the selection for a non-0321 Marine to move into MARSOC is greatly different than taking a RECON indoctrination. MARSOC now falls directly under The Special Operations Command (SOC) as where Bn RECON is a Marine Corps asset that is directly task-able by Marine Corps leadership.

The previous author also spoke of a MGTF... It is called Marine Air-Ground Task Force a MAGTF.

But to answer the question that was posed, in a sense Force Recon Marines are apart of SOCOM, they are just labeled MARSOC instead of Force Recon. Force Recon Platoons are attached to the MEU, or Marine Expeditionary Units.

You will find many Marines that are part of Force or MARSOC and some will say that they still do the same function: Long Range Recon, HAHO, HALO, DA missions. etc, and others will argue that MARSOC is a more elite unit than force, and Force could argue that MARSOC is a bunch of glorified operators.

Regardless of the Marines stand point, the men of Force and MARSOC are first class operators and I have the upmost respect for all of them. Force Recon / MARSOC Marines would go head to head, and beyond any other branches' "Special Forces".