Fleet Marine Force insignia

The Fleet Marine Force warfare insignia, also known as the Fleet Marine Force badge or FMF pin, are three military badges of the United States Navy which are issued to those U.S. Navy officers and sailors who are trained and qualified to perform duties in support of the United States Marine Corps. There are currently three classes of the Fleet Marine Force pin, being that of enlisted, officer, and chaplain.

Enlisted

thumb|upright|Embroidered FMF badge on a navy corpsman's utility shirt in July 2002

thumb|upright|Hospital corpsman [[Luis Fonseca (United States Navy)|Luis Fonseca in June 2012 wearing the FMFEWS on the NSU.]]

The Fleet Marine Force enlisted warfare specialist device (FMFEWS) is a qualification insignia of the United States Navy earned by enlisted U.S. Navy sailors assigned to the Fleet Marine Force of the U.S. Marine Corps who have successfully completed the requirements of the Enlisted Fleet Marine Force Warfare Specialist (EFMFWS) program per OPNAV Instruction 1414.4B. This involves serving one year with a Marine Corps unit (two years for reserves), passing the Marine combat fitness test (CFT), a written test, demonstrating skills used in service with the Marines such as weapon breakdown and familiarization, land navigation, combat communications and an oral examination by senior enlisted sailors who are FMF qualified. The Enlisted Fleet Marine Force Warfare Specialist designation is most commonly awarded to the hospital corpsman (HM) and religious program specialist (RP) ratings, although it is also awarded to other sailors who support Marine Corps commands (e.g. logistics specialists assigned to medical logistics companies). It was created in 2000.

An enlisted U.S. Navy sailor who has qualified may place the designator (FMF) after their rating; for example, HM3 John Doe, having qualified, is identified as HM3 (FMF) Doe. , all U.S. Navy corpsmen assigned to a Marine unit are required to earn the FMF badge within 18 months of their being assigned to said unit.

Enlisted requirements

When qualifying for the enlisted Fleet Marine Force warfare specialist pin, a sailor (typically a hospital corpsman, logistics specialist, religious programs specialist, personnel specialist, along with some construction battalion "SeaBee" units [when directly assigned to a U.S. Marine Corps combatant command]) is required to have detailed knowledge on the following subjects:

CORE

Safety fundamentals (operational risk management)
Marine Corps History, Rank Structure, and Courtesies (notable dates, personnel, battles, and Naval courtesies as they pertain to the USMC)
Marine Corps Mission and Organization
Administrative Fundamentals (Naval correspondence, courts martial, and service record information)
General Combat Leadership Fundamentals (Combat elements, POW rights and responsibilities, Military Code of Conduct)
First Aid and Field Sanitation Fundamentals (Triage, MEDEVAC & CASEVAC classifications, "Self" and "Buddy" aid skill sets for non-medical personnel)
Security Fundamentals (Security classifications, terrorism, lethal force, and guard skills training)
Field Communication Fundamentals (hands on detailed knowledge of the PRC-119 SINCGARS radio, loading frequencies and communication of the 9-Line CASEVAC message)
Weapons Fundamentals (Detailed knowledge of small arms such as the M9, M16A4, M4, M1014, M67 grenade, M203, and M249 SAW) and machine gun platforms (M240G, M2 .50 cal, Mk19)
Tactical Fundamental Procedures (platoon hand and arm signals, SALUTE and SMEAC reports, fighting positions, MOPP gear, formation movements in day/night conditions)
Marine Corps Operations Fundamentals (In-depth knowledge of all USMC aircraft, US Navy amphibious transports, hospital ships, as well as Urban warfare examples, and Military Operations Other Than War examples)
Chemical, Biological Radiological and Nuclear Defense Fundamentals (minefield signage and detailed signs, symptoms, & treatment of chemical agent exposures)
Drill and Ceremonies Fundamentals (breakdowns of formations, drill & cadence, color guards, and formal ceremonies)
Land Navigation Fundamentals (Map reading and compass handling)

Additionally a second section of the course is detailed toward the element of the United States Marine Corps with which the candidate is assigned. For example: a line corpsman with an infantry battalion will learn the ground combat element (GCE).

GCE

Infantry fundamentals (mission & structure of the Marine division, regiment, battalion, infantry & weapons companies, platoon, squad, and fire teams)
Marine artillery regiment (mission, structure, equipment of the artillery battalion; such as the M198 or M777 howitzer)
Tank battalion fundamentals (mission, structure, and equipment of the tank battalion; such as the M1A1, TOW missile, M88A1E1 Hercules, and M60A1 bridge vehicle)
Assault Amphibious Battalion Fundamentals (mission, structure, and vehicles of the AAB; such as the AAVP7A1, AAVC7A1 and AAVR7A1)
Combat Engineer Battalion Fundamentals (mission, structure, mobility/counter mobility/survivability tasks of the CEB, Engineer Support Company, and Combat Engineer Company)
Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion (mission, structure, and vehicles of the LAV Battalion; such as the LAV-25, LAV-M, LAV-AT, LAV-C2, LAV-R, and LAV-L)
Amphibious Reconnaissance Battalion Fundamentals (mission, tasks, and training of Force Recon and Division Recon)

The qualification was created in July 2005; SECNAVINST 1412.10 outlines the requirements for qualification.

Chaplain

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Chaplains do not bear arms; therefore, they are designated as Fleet Marine Force Qualified Officers vice Fleet Marine Force Warfare Officers, and are waived from completing certain [weapons related] portions of the Personnel Qualification Standards (PQS). The Chaplain version of this badge does not include the crossed rifles and has a gold anodized finish.

Navy Fleet Marine Force Ribbon

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As a result of the Fleet Marine Force Qualified Officer and Enlisted Fleet Marine Force Warfare Specialist programs, the Navy Fleet Marine Force Ribbon was replaced effective October 1, 2006.

Those individuals who previously qualified for the Navy Fleet Marine Force Ribbon will retain the FMF designator; however, they are not entitled to wear the EFMFWS insignia until completing another FMF assignment and meeting all requirements outlined in OPNAVINST 1414.4B.

References

External links

OPNAV Instruction 1414.4B: Navy Enlisted Fleet Marine Force Warfare Specialist Program
OPNAV 1414.6 CH-1