3d MSOB welcomes new commanding officer

Photo By Sgt. Donovan Lee | Lieutenant Col. Adam S. Conway, the incoming 3d Marine Special Operations Battalion commander, speaks to the Marines, sailors and special guests during a change of command ceremony at Stone Bay aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C., June 25. During the ceremony, Conway took command of the battalion from Lt. Col. Eric D. Cloutier. “I’ve watched your accomplishments during the past couple years and I’ve been very impressed,” Conway said to the 3d MSOB Marines present at the ceremony. “I think it’s safe to say that our operational cycle will continue, our deployments will continue and probably will even elevate. It is my objective to prepare the battalion and your families to meet these services head on.”  

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, NC, UNITED STATES

06.25.2014

Story by Cpl. Donovan Lee 

Marine Forces, Special Operations Command

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. – Lieutenant Colonel Eric D. Cloutier relinquished command of 3d Marine Special Operations Battalion, Marine Special Operations Regiment, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command, to Lt. Col. Adam S. Conway during a change of command ceremony at Stone Bay aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C., June 25.

During his tenure, Cloutier grew his command from an undermanned headquarters, two skeleton Marine Special Operations Companies and about 14 Marine Special Operations Teams, into a fully manned Marine Special Operations Battalion. The battalion now has a Headquarters and Support Company and four MSOCs with 16 MSOTs and is almost double 3d MSOB’s former size. The battalion’s operational focus has also developed significantly during the past two years, and it is now regionally aligned with U.S. Africa Command’s area of responsibility.

Cloutier heads to the Naval War College in New Port, R.I., as a student and leaves MARSOC praising his time here.

“It has been my extreme honor and privilege to serve alongside some of the finest men and women in the nation,” said Cloutier. “I wish the best of luck to (Conway) and look forward to reading about the great things the battalion will continue doing in the future.”

Conway graduated from East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C., in 1996 and was commissioned Dec. 20, 1996.

He served his first assignment as a platoon commander with Sniper Platoon, 1st Bn., 2nd Marine Regiment. Since then, he has served as an instructor with the Navy and Marine Corps Intelligence Training Center in Virginia Beach, Va., as the Director of the Ground Intelligence Officer Course in Dam Neck, Va., and as an intelligence officer with 1st Reconnaissance Battalion and with the Defense Intelligence Agency.

In July 2009, Conway joined MARSOC where he served as the MSOC F company commander, the 3d MSOB executive officer and as the MSOR operations officer.

“I’ve watched your accomplishments during the past couple years and I’ve been very impressed,” Conway said to the 3d MSOB Marines present at the ceremony. “I think it’s safe to say that our operational cycle will continue, our deployments will continue and probably will even elevate. It is my objective to prepare the battalion and your families to meet these services head on.”

• Date Taken: 06.25.2014
• Date Posted: 06.26.2014 15:24
• Story ID: 134542
• Location: MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, NC, US