Starfleet Marine Corps
Starfleet Marine Corps personnel are trained at the Starfleet Marine Corps Academy, located in San Francisco on Earth.
All Starfleet officers who accepted assignment to Starfleet Intelligence or the Security And Tactical Division of the Starfleet Support Services Section were subjected to an accelerated course of SFMC training in a holographic environmental simulator program called "The Crucible." This program is designed to train, shape and mentally prepare the future Marines for a variety of combat and mission scenarios.
The roots of the Starfleet Marine Corps date back to the mid-eighteenth century on Earth. The mission of these marines was to provide sharp shooting and security support to naval captains, as well as perform amphibious raids on shore facilities. The Marine Corps of the United States of America is of particular note, and many of the SFMC's traditions originated with them. the Marines of the United States would fight many galactically known battles during their three hundred years of service, these included the landings at Tripoli, Libya, during the Barbary Wars, they marched on the Halls of Montezuma during the Spanish American War, eventually they would be involved in the Second World War, fighting actions on Guadalcanal, Bougainville, Tarawa, Iwo Jima and Okinawa, among other places. The United States Marines fought in several more battles during the latter half of the Twentieth century and the first half of the Twenty-first. Decimated by the Third World War, they were officially disbanded by the new world government in 2075 on their three hundredth birthday. The first Starfleet Marines were commissioned under UESPA as Military Assault Command Operations, their first fully joint mission was on board Enterprise NX-01 during the Xindi crisis in 2153. when the Earth-Romulan War broke out, the MACOs served as security forces on larger vessels, in case of boarding. With the Federation Charter in 2161 the MACOs were officially reorganized as the Starfleet Marine Corps. They later fought during the Cardassian War as landing forces and Mako Fighter pilots. They also were used in surgical strikes, deep into enemy held territory.
Their equipment is similar to fleet standard, but with several noted differences, most of the weapons are fitted with expanded power supplies for covert missions, their uniform is quite different from starfleet norm, borrowing elements from various Battle Dress Uniforms throughout history.
Among the most archaic weapons in a marines arsenal is his ceremonial Cutlass, as part of a tradition dating back to the barbary wars, all marines have them, although they are only worn during dress uniform occasions.
Marine Gear:
When on base or starship,, the standard marine will be issued:
- Marine II-D Sidearm with 3 extra clips - Standard Duty Uniform (see below for Armor and Uniform) - Pallas Helmet (See Armor and Uniform) - Marine Combat Knife
When in operations or in the field, the standard marine will be issued:
- Marine III-C Phaser Rifle, with 3 extra clips - The Field or Heavy BDU (depending on the nature of the mission, again see Armor and Uniform) - Pallas Helmet (Armor and Uniform) - 3-5 Photon Grenades - Combat Knife
