The U.S. Marine Corps has employed a new and highly-specialized intelligence and cyber warfare unit during Norway’s Cold Response exercise, which has recently been pulled under the umbrella of NATO’s Arctic Sentry activities.
The Multi-Domain Task Unit, comprised of units from the II Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group, is an emergent capability that combines multiple information warfighting capabilities into a single task organized construct and represents another way the Marine Corps is designing and modernizing the force for future fights. The team from U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C. is designed to operate across multiple domains of warfare, integrating information, intelligence, and fire support capabilities to conduct operations during competition, crisis or contingency.
The inclusion of the MDTU comes as NATO increases its own multi-domain efforts with Arctic Sentry – an enhanced vigilance activity designed to bolster Arctic security and better posture forces in the High North. The MDTUs key support functions are assuring command and control; intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, counter-ISR; and integrating effects in order to persistently compete, set the theater for contingencies, and rapidly respond to crisis.
“The MDTU’s attributes make it a vital enabler to NATO’s Arctic Sentry mission,” said U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Patrick V. Fritter with U.S. Marine Corp Forces, Europe and Africa’s information support element. “We can enhance vigilance in the High North and ensure forces are postured to compete, deter, and respond decisively in this strategically critical region."
The U.S. Marine Corps’ force design initiative amplifies the importance of specialized units like the MDTU. According to formal Force Design documents, “a foundational requirement for the future force is the ability to sense and make sense in a complex and contested environment.” In his February 11 prepared statements announcing NATO’s Arctic Sentry mission, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte acknowledged the Arctic as one of these complex and growingly contested areas and firmly explained, “We are doing this together.”
The MDTU’s NATO debut during exercise Cold Response 26 will be one of the first real-world tests of the unit’s ability to provide commanders with advanced capabilities that counter adversaries in day-to-day competition. “Force Design challenged us to create units and capabilities that can compete and win before conflict begins,” said U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Daniel Shipley, Commander, MARFOREUR/AF. “It’s about creating a force that can act decisively, at a moments notice, and much of that happens in the information environment.”
Specific IE capabilities planned for employment range from signals intelligence and reconnaissance capabilities to defensive cyber and joint targeting capabilities. Fritter explained these capabilities can supplement and enhance other NATO capability areas to bolster European allies’ ability to posture for success and effective deterrence.
Underscoring the importance of competition before conflict, MARFOREUR/AF’s Influence Operations Chief, U.S. Marine Corps Master Sgt. Mathew A. Klopp explained that battles begin in the information environment. He asserted that “to prevail, we must act with precision—leveraging signals intelligence, reconnaissance, cyber defense, information operations and joint targeting capabilities. Backed by resilient information networks, these tools ensure we stay ahead of any adversary, strengthen NATO alliances, and deter aggression with unwavering resolve."
Should a crisis escalate, the MDTU is designed to integrate directly with a larger Marine Air-Ground Task Force. It provides the commander with a dedicated unit to protect friendly networks and influence the adversary, reducing risk and enabling greater freedom of maneuver for traditional combat forces.
The employment of the MDTU at Cold Response 26 marks a milestone for the Marine Corps' modernization. It demonstrates a tangible commitment to fielding forces capable of competing and winning in the so-called "gray zone," while providing a critical new capability to the NATO Alliance in the strategically vital High North.
“This is a direct result of the Corps’ new vision,” Shipley said. “Seeing it operate here, in extremely demanding and austere environments alongside NATO allies, is a landmark moment for the Marine Corps.”