Battalion Changes, Unit Shakeup

Attention All Hands,

Everyone knows over the last couple years our numbers have not been as strong as we want. MEU HQ and Command Staff has done everything possible to mitigate and overcome these issues. Many of you have weathered through these problems and done everything you can as well, to your own credit. Thank to your efforts we've been able to put off something we've not wanted to do longer than we probably should have. However with the release of 64-bit, and the general improvement of ArmA and modding in general, MEU HQ and Command Staff are now comfortable enough to make the move we'd rather not make, though it is at the current time the best move for the unit.

On March 27th, 2017, we will be shutting down both Echo Company and Foxtrot Company. 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines Regiment will be rotated out of duty with the 15th MEU Realism Unit. Rotating into duty will be 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines Regiment and we will be standing up India Company. (In other words: Echo and Foxtrot Companies will be combining into a single company, and we will be re-designating our BLT and company.)

The company HQ for this new company will be as follows:

Company Commanding Officer: Major Keta
Company Executive Officer: Captain Gaden
Company First Sergeant: First Sergeant Hoagland
Company Gunnery Sergeant: Master Sergeant Smyth

Company HQ support staff will include both company corpsmen (HM1 (FMF) Perrault and HM1 (FMF) Ziegler) and will return to a single billeted position when either or both vacate. JTACs will also all remain without losing their jobs, but will remain at only three official billeted positions. The extra two members will lose their positions only through transfer (lateral or reserve), and those positions will not be filled.

Platoons and platoon command will be mixed between the previously-billeted Echo and Foxtrot Company commands. Leadership will be as follows:

1st Platoon, Platoon Commander: First Lieutenant Karelia
1st Platoon, Platoon Sergeant: Staff Sergeant H. Mitchell

2nd Platoon, Platoon Commander: First Lieutenant J. Murphy
2nd Platoon, Platoon Sergeant: Gunnery Sergeant Cariddo

3rd Platoon, Platoon Commander: Captain Smart
3rd Platoon, Platoon Sergeant: Gunnery Sergeant Astrope

Weapons Platoon, Platoon Commander: Second Lieutenant C. Smith
Weapons Platoon, Platoon Sergeant: Gunnery Sergeant Cohrs

First Lieutenant D. A. Thomas will be transferred to S-3 Training and Operations to take over the S-3 Officer position from Major D. Schultz, who will be moving the the Chief position. Gunnery Sergeant Frey will be transferring to S-1 Personnel Chief full time. Gunnery Sergeant Sierra will be transferring to S-3 Training & Operations full time. Any names not mentioned that are currently platoon leadership will be rolled into the platoon with first consideration for next commander and NCO leadership openings. Rosters for specific assignments of these new platoons will be posted by the new India Company HQ in the coming days. Along with these changes, because of the better performance of ArmA, mods, and 64-bit the unit's priorities will be shifted to filling 3rd Squads in all platoons.

Force Reconnaissance will be remaining at their current two teams and will not lose any numbers, but they will be moving to operating on 2nd and 4th Sundays (the rest of the unit will operate only on 1st and 3rd Sundays, with the exception of LED and the Cadet Corps which will be operating on Saturdays like they do now). This will allow them to operate in advance of the main unit operations for better intelligence processing, as well as allowing them to more easily operate as roleplayers for the main operations.

Another section facing major changes will be S-2 Zeus Controllers. Because of the way we will operate Zeus Controllers are necessary, but currently they operate when their own section is not (ie. a Foxtrot Company member does Zeus Controlling for Echo Company operations). These positions are still highly needed. Because of this the S-2 Zeus Controller billets will become official full-time duty billets. They will be structured in a squad-like fashion:

S-2 Zeus Controllers
Zeus Chief (Gunnery Sergeant billeted)

Alpha Team
Team Leader (Staff Sergeant billeted)
Zeus Controller (Sergeant billeted)
Zeus Controller (Sergeant billeted)

Bravo Team
Team Leader (Staff Sergeant billeted)
Zeus Controller (Sergeant billeted)
Zeus Controller (Sergeant billeted)

Charlie Team
Team Leader (Staff Sergeant billeted)
Zeus Controller (Sergeant billeted)
Zeus Controller (Sergeant billeted)

These billets will not be eligible for Category B promotions, but will still (as with all billets), fall under the One Up, Two Down Policy (maximum rank to hold the billet will be one rank above the noted rank, while the minimum rank is two ranks below the noted rank). Gunnery Sergeant Donado will remain the S-2 Zeus Controller Chief and will be organizing the filling of these teams.

Gator, Titan, LED, and the Cadet Corps will be unaffected by these changes.

Because of these changes there will be some adjustment to the deployment schedule. Originally slated to begin on 02APR17 this will, instead, be pushed back to 16APR17. The operation day for 02APR17 will be set as FTX 11-17. This FTX will be dedicated simply to allowing you all to get familiar with your new compositions on a full-unit scale. This mission will be R2P2 and designed and executed solely by the Task Force Command.

Coinciding with these changes we will be officially launching the new forums. This week I will be opening it the S-Shops to transition over in preparation for the move (especially S-1 to familiarize themselves with the new systems). On 27MAR17 (the date noted above for the battalion changes) the new forums will be officially released, and the DNS will be changed. These forums will remain available for the general membership for the rest of the week (and FTX reports posting) to move any information they need. New registration will be required for these forums. We are not exporting anything.

These changes are not easy to make. We all have done as much as we can to avoid it. But we are now at the point, and ArmA is at the point, that it is now better for the unit as a whole to make these changes, and make them now. Some of you have been asking for this for a while. Some of you may be discouraged by these changes. Some of you may lose your jobs and move down.. this is not a reflection on you. Senior guys are being forced to move down because of these changes and must go where is best for the unit as a whole.

These changes are not bad. They do not mean the unit is dying.. just the opposite. Our unit will be made stronger and more prepared for any challenges ahead with these changes. MEU HQ and Command Staff remain dedicated to the welfare of this unit and its members.

If you have any questions or concerns about this change, please seek out your current Chain of Command. They will have the answers you need.

For the Command,

Col Penny
MEU CO