4th Marine Expeditionary Brigade
| 4th Marine Expeditionary Brigade | |
|---|---|
| Country |
 United States of America
|
| Branch |
 United States Marine Corps
|
| Role | Counter-terrorism operations |
| Motto(s) | "A New Reality!" |
The 4th Marine Expeditionary Brigade was a brigade-sized unit of the United States Marine Corps that was designed specifically to be an anti-terrorism unit. The mission of this unit was to be a quickly deployable unit to wherever needed in the world so they could fight terrorism and deter, detect and defend from terrorist groups both domestically and internationally. The unit became operational on 29 October 2001, and was deactivated in February 2006.
A Marine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB) is a smaller brigade of marines that can deploy quickly when they are needed. All Marine Expeditionary Brigades are a part of a Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF).
The reason a MEB exists is that they are large enough to support themselves without needing help from local infrastructure. They are also small enough to transport easily, especially in amphibious mechanized landing craft. The 4th MEB was specifically trained to find and stop terrorist plots so civilians and other active military personnel stay safe. There are different types of the MEBs, and not all are anti-terrorism like the 4th Marine Expeditionary Brigade. The MEBs are designed so no matter what mission comes up there is always a force that can handle that specific situation effectively.
The 4th Brigade was originally formed during World War I as the 4th Marine Brigade. It served in France as one of the two infantry brigades of the U.S. Army 2nd Infantry Division and all Marine combat units in World War I were organized under the 4th Marine Brigade. The 4th fought actions at Belleau Wood, Soissons and Meuse-Argonne campaign.
Following World War I the brigade was deactivated until just before the commitment to the war in Vietnam in 1964, when it was activated as the 4th Marine Amphibious Brigade and deployed to the East Coast and Caribbean for counterinsurgency exercises. It participated in the intervention in the Dominican Republic in 1965. In the 1970s, the 4th MAB's task changed from counter-terrorism to defending NATO's north flank against the Soviet Union. It was designated to reinforce Norwegian airfields and support a naval campaign to protect Norway. The next major operation for the 4th Marine Amphibious Brigade was going to the Middle East for operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm in the 1990s. The main mission performed by the 4th MAB was Operation Eastern Exit during which the brigade rescued the Soviet ambassador, the U.S. ambassador, and 300 other dignitaries from Mogadishu, Somalia.
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