United States Marine Corps Forces, South

The U.S. Marine Corps has a long history in Latin America and the Caribbean,^[1] and in the late 19th and early 20th centuries it participated in the Banana Wars in this region. The Marine Corps' Small Wars Manual was written based on the experiences of Marines in those interventions. Between 1800 and the 1930s the majority of the deployments of Marines outside of the country were in the Western Hemisphere, in support of the Monroe Doctrine.^[2] Marines landed in Cuba and Puerto Rico during the Spanish–American War, a conflict that began the expansion of the Corps from a small force used to provide security aboard naval ships to a larger fleet marine force capable of expeditionary warfare.^[3]

The Raid of Nassau in March 1776 was the first amphibious operation by Continental Marines, taking place in the Bahamas during the American Revolutionary War.^[1] In April 1885, during political tensions in Panama, Marines were sent by the United States Secretary of the Navy to protect American interests in the isthmus of Panama. One battalion was initially deployed, and was later joined by another two battalions, in a provisional Marine brigade commanded by future Commandant of the Marine Corps, Major Charles Heywood.^[4] In November 1903 Marines were sent to Panama again to support the separation of Panama from Colombia, where the marine force included future general John A. Lejeune.^[1] Marines were deployed to Nicaragua in 1894 and 1910,^[5] with the latter involving Smedley Butler,^[1] to Haiti in 1915,^[6] and to the Dominican Republic in 1916.^[1] In Haiti, they provided support for an allied government, while in the Dominican Republic a U.S. military administration was established. In both countries Marines helped set up and served as officers in local security forces, including the Haitian Gendarmerie and the Dominican National Guard.^[6][7] Marines were withdrawn from these countries in the early 1930s, with the onset of the Great Depression and President Franklin Roosevelt's Good Neighbor policy.

The current objectives of MARFORSOUTH include the training of Latin American marines and naval infantry, providing disaster relief, and counter-terrorism.^[1] In October 1999, Marine Corps Forces South headquarters was moved to Miami, Florida, and grew to be a fully fledged headquarters to assist the Commander of U.S. Southern Command with all Marine Corps activities in Latin America.^[1] From 1992 until 2007, the Commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Command (previously Marine Corps Forces, Atlantic) was also the Commander-designate of MARFORSOUTH.^[1] From 2007 to 2015, the position of Commander, Marine Forces South, was held by the Deputy Commander of Marine Corps Forces Command, based in Norfolk, Virginia. In July 2015, Brigadier General Eric M. Smith became the first dedicated commander of MARFORSOUTH at its Miami headquarters. His appointment occurred as the Marine Corps began increasing its activity in Latin America, with the focus of building partnerships with allies in the region, and during Marine General John F. Kelly's tenure as the head of Southern Command.^[8]

Since 2021, MARFORSOUTH has been supported by the United States Marine Corps Reserve (MARFORRES). As part of Force Design 2030, the Marine Reserve will be providing forces for Southern Command and all other theaters that are not part of the Indo-Pacific Command.^[9] Because of these changes, starting in 2021, MARFORSOUTH became a three-star command from the previous one-star, with Lieutenant General David Bellon being dual-hatted as the commanding general of both MARFORSOUTH and MARFORRES. Between 2014 and 2021 the Southern Command had a Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force assigned to it, until the Reserve took over that role.^[8][10] From 2014 to 2021, the Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force – Southern Command (SPMAGTF-SC) was stationed at Soto Cano Air Base in Honduras, from where it deployed Marines to participate in international training exercises and humanitarian relief missions across Latin America.^[11]

• Marine Forces South Website