Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company

Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Companies (ANGLICO)
An ANGLICO team operates from a rooftop during the Iraq War.
Active	December, 1949–present
Country	United States of America
Branch	United States Marine Corps
Type	Allied and foreign support
Role	Supported arms for Marine Air-Ground Task Force
Size	~250–350 (officers and enlisted)
Part of	Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF), Marine Forces Reserve
Nickname(s)	ANGLICANS
Motto(s)	"Lightning from the Sky, Thunder from the Sea" Non Multa Sed Multum (English: Not Many But Much)
Engagements	Vietnam War Multinational Force in Lebanon Invasion of Grenada Operation Just Cause Persian Gulf War Operation Restore Hope War in Afghanistan Iraq War

USMC Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Companies (ANGLICO) are Airborne fire support and liaison units of the United States Marine Corps. The mission of ANGLICO is "To provide Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) Commanders a liaison capability to plan, coordinate, and conduct terminal control of fires in support of joint, allied, and coalition forces." Per this mission statement, ANGLICOs are not designed to support U.S. Marine Corps maneuver elements. Instead, the doctrinal purpose of ANGLICO is to provide fire support and coordination in support of units adjacent to the MAGTF.

While ANGLICO units remain mostly unknown to the general public, they are listed among the toughest and most highly regarded in the US Marine Corps.

The mission of ANGLICO is to plan, coordinate, and conduct terminal control of fires in support of joint, allied and coalition forces operating in, or adjacent to, the MAGTF battlespace. Although ANGLICO Marines are best known for their ability to control Close Air Support (CAS), they are equally well trained to employ ground and sea based fires, to include cannon artillery, rocket artillery, precision guided munitions (such as GMLRS), and naval gunfire support.

Because ANGLICOs are designed to support non-USMC forces, they are divided into elements appropriate for each level of a foreign force's structure.

The Division Cell serves as the senior USMC fires liaison between the MAGTF and the supported division headquarters. This team is led by the Commanding Officer of ANGLICO (a combat arms Lieutenant Colonel), the executive officer (a Naval Aviator), and approximately 15 Marines and Sailors from the company staff. Their equipment is geared towards planning and communication from a headquarters. This is by no means a ‘desk job,’ however. During recent deployments to Afghanistan, company staffs have repeatedly engaged in direct combat with the enemy while visiting smaller teams. Ad hoc Firepower Control Teams led by the JTACs and FACs at the company headquarters also supported high-visibility operations.