Do Force Recon Marines have to qualify in HALO jumps?

Question

what i am asking is do you have to be HALO qualified to be Force Recon

Answer 1

force recon does the same as Airborne recon. Rangers do Halo, but not all Rangers are qualified for Halo.

The technique of HALO was used for combat for the first time in the U.S. military involvement in Laos, when members of MACV-SOG performed the first high altitude combat jumps.

SEAL Team SIX of the United States Navy also expanded the HALO technique to include delivery of boats and other large items in conjunction with parachutists.

The technique is used to airdrop supplies, equipment, or personnel at high altitudes when aircraft can fly above Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) engagement levels through enemy skies without posing a threat to the transport or load.

For military cargo airdrops, the rigged load is pulled from the aircraft by a stabilizing parachute. The load then proceeds to free-fall to a low altitude where a cargo parachute opens to allow a low-velocity landing. Military personnel will later move to the landing point in order to secure the equipment or to unpack the supplies.

In a typical HALO exercise, the parachutist will jump from the aircraft, free-fall for a period of time at terminal velocity, and open his parachute at a low altitude. The combination of high speed downwards, and minimal metal and forward air-speed serves to defeat radar, enabling a stealthy insertion.

Answer 2

Every Force (when they still were called this ,Hello MARSOC!) operator I met in the past was either qualified or was going to be in the future. It wasn't mandatory. And everything I have read, says they are AFTER they go through our Basic Airborne Course at FT. Benning, GA. The slots for MFF (Military Freefall School) can take years to get (I know, I was in LRS and a Schools NCO at Bragg) so the Marines from what I know conduct their own HALO/HAHO (High Altitude High Opening) training (or until they go to the school. The SEALs do their own thing some Jump School on) so an operator can still perform his team and insert since that's all it is anyway: a method of insertion.

From Wikipedia:

" The Advanced Airborne package is extremely important for Recon Marines when it comes to inserting behind enemy lines. In this three-week period, Marines will make the changing approach from conventional LLSL insertions into the hallmark of HAHO techniques. Usually it consists of night consecutive night jumps with night combat equipment, but also HAHO training are exhibited in the Paraloft of the S3 Section using a complex virtual reality-based computer system. While wearing a VR headset device, the Marines hang suspended from the Paraloft ceiling that resembles the MC-5 Ram Air parachute. Many simulations are factored in this Virtual Reality Parachute Simulation; it allows the Marine to jump at high altitudes and visually check his main canopy for proper deployment, alleviate malfunctions, to cutaway and deploy a reserve parachute, then employ guidance and control to an unmarked drop zone (DZ)."

http://www.shadowspear.com/forcerecon.ht...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Force_Recon

Answer 3

No Marines in Force Recon, do not have to be halo qualified.

But there are alot of them, who are halo qualified.

The only spec ops members who must be halo qualified are

Air Force Combat Controllers and Para Rescue.

If they fail halo school, they fail out of the combat controller or para rescue program.

Answer 4

I attended the MFF course in 1994.  We had around 50 students in my class, two of them were Marines...

Answer 5

I haven't seen them with HALO wings but they do more than basic airborne training.

Answer 6

Short Answer: No, not at all.

Long Answer:

Well first of all, the active duty special forces in the Marines are now MARSOC -Marine Special Operations Command.

The MARSOC selection and training pipe is very similar to, but not exactly like, the old Force Recon pipe. Now be aware that recon Marines (Enlisted MOS 0321, Officer MOS 0203) are not the same as "force recon". A Marine after at least one tour can attempt to join MARSOC from almost any MOS as long as he meets certain criteria (ex 20/20 vision, no moral waivers (criminal convictions), GT at least 105, CWS-1 swim, etc etc). To be a candidate "roper," there is also a fitness screening. Candidates need to meet all the requirements of MOS 0321 through the various schools mostly on land(navigation) and in water(diving). Marines who come from 0321 take on additional special schools while the other Marines take the 0321 courses. This means that some Marines will be going to Military free Fall School (HALO). However the slots available to Marines at this high-demand school are too few to bottleneck the expansion of MARSOC. So it is neither guaranteed, nor required training (at least it isn't required to get in). Some get to go, some don't. There are other schools for them at this level too -like helicopter rope suspension training, ranger school, Low-Level Static Line, Emergency Medical Technician Course (a squid course for Marines and Corpsmen), Pathfinders, Long Range Surveillance, and more!

After completing 0321, candidates go for their jump wings. This training includes tower jumps and actual parachute jumps, but not HALO jumps. These jumps and their jump wings badges are not the same as the Military Free Fall wings. There are two badges for this jump school: silver for five jumps and gold for ten jumps with one being a jump/dive. Some of the jumps are at night too. After jump school the Marine can be called MOS 8652.

After all that the Marine would normally be a "Force Recon" Marine -not to be confused with a "Recon" Marine. And the next, and only other manditory school I know of, is SERE. Even then, the Marine is a Force Recon.

There are many unit-level training phases within MARSOC that he must go through, but he is no longer a candidate and I assume he may be deployed after unit-level training.  As normal, he may attend other schools which he didn't have the room or slot for, before, following or between deployments.

Answer 7

Force Recon has not existed since  2006 guys.

It is now MARSOC (Marine Special Operation Command)

There are 2 Battalions, 1 one each coast. The 1st and 2nd MSOB (Marine Special Operations Battalion)

Before you can join you need to be an outstanding Marine or Sailor.

As they are light infantry "similar" to the 75th Rangers I will guess that HALO jumps are not likely but hey who knows. Besides I would also guess that few Marines have gone to jump school prior to being selected for SOC. They do train at Benning with the Army for that. I believe they can go to Ranger School too. Remember too that each branch gets trained for different types of missions. They try to not overlap what they do too much.

Concentrate on being outstanding, then apply.

SSG US Army 73-82

Answer 8

no