(C) U.S. State Dept
This story was originally published by U.S. State Dept and is unaltered.
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U.S. Marines and Embassies: Historic Ties [1]
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Date: 2024-07
The relationship between the State Department and the U.S. Marine Corps goes back to the earliest days of our nation. Though the Marine Security Guard Program became official in 1948, formalizing an agreement to provide a force of U.S. Marines to protect embassies and consulates around the world, the Marines have provided security for U.S. diplomats on their missions abroad since the beginning of our nation’s history.
Our founders knew from the beginning that one of the most persuasive ways our young Nation could make itself understood abroad was to send Marines along with a diplomat. International relations were simpler then. The only thing a diplomat had to say was something along the lines of “you can talk to me, or you can talk to these Marines.”
Indeed, the Marines’ reputation for “steadiness and smart actions” was so well known that in 1805 our Consul General in Tunis asked the Navy for money, weapons, and one hundred Marines to expel the pirates on Africa’s northern Barbary coast.
In one of the great examples of history serving as a guide to the future, the State Department’s request for staffing and funding was denied, and so the Consul General set out with the detachment already on board his ship, which included a whopping total of eight Marines: an officer and seven enlisted.
You can see things haven’t changed all that much – our standard Marine Security Guard detachments are still eight Marines and the State Department’s budget and staffing requests still routinely get denied.
But what also hasn’t changed is that Marines and the State Department share a unique ability to thrive abroad with little more than our shared commitment to the mission and our expeditionary nature. And so it was with the Consul General and those eight Marines. That group set forth on one of America’s most storied military expeditions, leading them eventually to raise the U.S. flag above the pirate fortress outside Tripoli, as memorialized in the Marine Corps Hymn.
My own connections to the Marines also go way back (though not quite as far as the 19th century). I’ve worked with Marines nearly my entire career, beginning when I first worked as a young intern on Capitol Hill for legendary Pennsylvania Congressman Murtha, who, among his many admirable traits, was a Marine officer who had joined in 1952. He was a decorated Vietnam veteran, and continued in the reserves until 1990.
Whether it was from his days as a Drill Instructor at Parris Island, or somewhere else, Congressman Murtha had developed a patriotic, inclusive manner that made him a beloved Member of Congress. He taught me about leadership, patriotism, and national security. He was my commissioning officer into the Air Force and I have always been grateful for that lightning strike of an opportunity to work for a great and famous Marine at the start of my career. He showed me the values of service, support of the mission, and support of each other; the values that exemplify all Marines.
I’ve had the good fortune to work with many Marines since then. I had the honor and privilege of working closely with our Marine Security Guard detachment when I was the U.S. Ambassador to India.
When I say honor and privilege, I really mean that. It was an honor to arrive on my first day to the salute of the entire detachment in New Delhi, and a privilege to get to know them personally. I witnessed their leadership firsthand as they put together the Marine Corps Ball, Toys for Tots drive, and other major community events. I got to see their competitiveness when we played basketball together. I like to think I crossed them over a few times, but I was also thankful they saved their hard fouls for each other, and not me. I think they thought they had to go easy on me because the court happened to be in my driveway.
In New Delhi, we had Marines from every corner of the country and every type of background. Like me, there were several first- and second-generation Americans that were proud to serve their new country putting everything they could into this mission. The Marine Security Guards at our overseas posts are part and parcel of the greater Embassy community, and their promotion ceremonies, their award ceremonies, the Marine Corps Ball celebrating the Marine Corps birthday, and philanthropic activities are all cherished parts of embassy life for everyone who serves there. They were for me, and for my family.
In my role now as Deputy Secretary, my most important role is to look after the safety and security of our people and the facilities overseas. I learned quickly that when a crisis like a coup or civil war breaks out, one of the first questions from the Secretary or the White House is, “How many Marines do we have there?” That’s one reason why I make a point of meeting every Marine detachment at every post I visit—that’s about 50 in the 16 months I’ve been in this position.
More importantly, as I tell each and every Marine Security Guard I meet, we could not do the job of diplomacy, development or anything we are trying to do across the interagency or across the globe without each of them. They are the key part of the embassies and consulates – there are no embassies without them.
I recently had the honor of addressing the newest class of Marine Security Guards, and their many family members there in support. The 137 Marine Watch Standers and Detachment Commanders of Class 2-24 were about to ship out around the world, from Adana to Vienna and every point in between.
On behalf of the entire Department of State and foreign affairs community, I expressed my gratitude to those who made those Marines—their instructors, their families, all of whom instilled and cultivated the qualities of valor and patriotism. I congratulated the Marines on their accomplishment completing one of the most demanding schools in the Marine Corps. I thanked the newest Marine Security Guards for their willingness to serve, in every clime and place threatened by terrorism, authoritarianism, civil strife, and natural disasters. And I reminded them that there are Embassies open today – promoting America’s national security through global diplomacy and development, building global partnerships for peace and security–only because Marines are there standing watch.
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[1] Url:
https://www.state.gov/u-s-marines-and-embassies-historic-ties/?utm_source=news_bar&utm_medium=dipnote
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