?I would have thought this would have come under the role of the USN's new organic infantry force??---Yimmy

I think you misunderstand the role of the Navy Unit.  Its stricly Riverine, the only reason they receive Infantry training is b/c they based the Units capabilities off of those present in the Marine Corps Small Craft Company who were mostly infantry.

The only reason the MC let the mission go was b/c Marine Infantry units were operating at around 85%, Rumsfeld asked the Corps to expand its Anti-Terror Brigade, ANGLICO, & the Recon Community& there were talks of the Marines contributing 2500 men to SOCOM.

However, Rumsfeld wanted all of this to take place but was set on not allowing the MC to grow beyond 178,000 base 183,000 w/ a wartime supplement.

Cuts had to be made. 

But either way the Navy's 'Riverines' are not Infantymen & are limited in scope to riverine ops, not the full list of missions envisioned in these Coastal Forward deployed ops. 

There is talk however about doing the coastal and river FID missions that Small Craft used to do in South Am & Africa, but only as an attachment not as a stand alone force.

Also it should be clear that the 'Riverines' main mission besides patrolling the water ways(on the water) is Troop Transport.

Which is another reason the MC dropped the mission, they didn't want to use skilled infantrymen in a support role.

UNITAS Marines returning from multinational deployment 

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (November 29,2001) -- Warriors of Marine Forces UNITAS (MARFORUNITAS), II Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF), are scheduled to return to North Carolina next month, following agricultural inspections and wash-down of their vehicles and equipment.

The Marines under the command of Maj. John D. Hicks, departed in July aboard the USS Gunston Hall. Deployment highlights included combined amphibious operations and small unit tactics and cross-training in the Central and South American countries of Colombia, Panama, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Argentina and Brazil, as well as the African countries of South Africa and Ghana, according to Capt. Stephen L. Castora of Danville, N.J., executive officer and operations officer for both the UNITAS deployment and the West African Training Cruise 02.

"Peru was probably our most comprehensive exercise," said Castora. "We did everything live-fire, from a pre-dawn amphibious live-fire assault to weapons cross-training on every weapons system we brought with us, from the M9 9mm to the tube launched, optically tracked, wire command link guided missile (TOW). We also did nonlethal weapons and noncombatant evacuation operations training in Salinas and Ancon."

"Each country had its own little thing we'll remember," said Castora. "We trained with some great foreign military personnel and made some great friends."
Combat training with foreign military units was not the only item on the leathernecks' agenda during the deployment however. While in Colombia and Ecuador, the Marines helped paint and refurbish two schools in a community relations effort to help local children, according to Gunnery Sgt. Scott L. Mastranunzio of Palm Beach, Fla., UNITAS communications chief.

"It was a good float," said Mastranunzio. "The Sept. 11 incident really hampered a lot of the training we did. It was good, quality training on the South American side and a lot of goodwill training on the West African side. The Marines enjoyed it - UNITAS is a unique situation for small unit leaders."

Marines sail for West African Training Cruise 06

ATLANTIC OCEAN (Nov. 11, 2005) -- Marines recently traveled to Toubakouta, Senegal during the West African Training Cruise 06 Nov. 11. The WATC enhances security cooperation and fosters new partnerships between the United States, NATO partners and participating West African nations through real-world training and engagement opportunities.

U.S. Sailors, Marines exercise with Cameroon military

DOUALA, Cameroon (Nov. 15, 2003) -- U.S. Sailors and Marines on board High Speed Vessel Swift (HSV 2) completed the second phase of West African Training Cruise 2004 here Nov. 14, after a day of challenging joint at-sea rescue and amphibious exercises with members of the Cameroon Naval Infantry. The training was conducted to promote interoperability between the U.S. and host nation, as well as explore and refine operational capabilities of U.S. assets.

"We were really impressed with how well the operation went," said Cameroon Navy Lieutenant Emmanuel Sone, liaison officer between his service and participating U.S. units. "Observing the communications and the tactics was very beneficial. I think this showed both sides that it is possible for us to work together if there is ever a problem or crisis in this region. We hope that we can establish a true partnership between the two militaries."

On Friday, Swift departed pier side in Douala at 7:30 a.m. with several members of Cameroon's military services on board as observers. An hour later, the ship received a pre-arranged distress signal from a Cameroon naval vessel code-named Charlotte, 14 knots away and taking on water. Swift raced to Charlotte's location, capitalizing on its Caterpillar 3618 marine diesel engines and wave-piercing aluminum hull to close the distance quickly and initiate the search-and-rescue evolution.

On scene, Swift crewmembers used the ship's stern slewing telescoping boom crane to launch a wave of boats assigned to Small Craft Company, 2nd Marine Division.

The Marines approached Charlotte, rapidly removed nearly 40 members of the Cameroon Naval Infantry staged as stranded passengers, and transferred them back to Swift for debrief. In the process, Marines and the Swift crew also furthered their progress towards a comprehensive set of standard operating procedures.

"Prior to WATC, we had not worked together," said Staff Sgt. David A. Ruble, a member of the Small Craft Company, which has approximately 20 personnel embarked for the remainder of the exercise. "Most of our projects with the Navy are from traditional amphib ships. Each time we do something, we figure out what works well this variant, consider the equipment we need to bring with us, and work on issues like communications. It's all part of getting that fluid movement going, with each person on their boat learning their job as well as line handlers, the crane operator, and other people on Swift."

Mostly members of the nation's elite diving commando units, the Cameroon infantrymen donned gear and weapons while moving back to Swift's portside aft personnel transfer area. Again they boarded Marine Corps rigid raider craft and combat river reconnaissance craft, this time for expeditious delivery to a local beachhead for execution of a simulated amphibious assault. For U.S. Marines, the endeavor was a learning experience.

"Any time we get the opportunity to work with a foreign service, it is beneficial," Ruble said. "We used our tactics to bring them in to the release point. From there, they used the techniques they've trained with to do the raid. In the end, we learned from each other."

After recovering the Marines and their small boats, Swift returned to the pier in Douala. Today, the Cameroon Navy hosted a reception for U.S. military personnel at their local base, marking a fitting and memorable conclusion to the three-day exercise. Commander Mark Sakaguchi, Commanding Officer of Swift's Gold Crew from Little Creek, Va., exchanged gifts of appreciation with local military officials and thanked the Cameroon service members.

"It was a privilege to work with you during our stay," Sakaguchi said to the crowd of more than 200 Cameroon military personnel. "We enjoyed the experience and appreciate the hospitality you have shown since we arrived. I hope this is the first of many exchanges to come."
Sone shared the sentiment.

"Training always gives us a splendid opportunity to measure our state of readiness, to figure out how prepared we are to respond to a mission," said Sone, a 1997 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy.

"Everyone was looking forward to this because the perception is that the U.S. has the best trained and best equipped forces. This exercise really mobilized our whole military because our chain of command wanted to make sure this worked out well. I'm confident they were pleased and look forward to more exercises in the future."

Swift will embark more than 100 Marines in Ghana before moving on to The Gambia, Sierra Leone, Senegal and Morocco to close out WATC 04. The ship will return to Little Creek upon completion of the exercise, and be turned over to the Blue Crew in Ingleside, Texas in February 2004.

Reserve Marines Board Swift in Support of WATC 04

TEMA, Ghana (Nov. 17, 2003) -- Approximately 80 Marines from 3rd Battalion 25th Marines boarded the High Speed Vessel 2 Swift here after spending a week in the near-by Bundasi Training Area.

The Marines trained with their host nation counterparts in an effort to improve security cooperation between the United States and West African nations as part of the West Africa Training Cruise 2004.

"With this training we are improving our collective military capabilities and bringing a better sense of stability to the region," said Lt. Col. Scotty Dawson, commander, Marine Forces WATC. "These reserve Marines showed they are highly trained and capable."

U.S. and African personnel had the opportunity to engage in realistic and challenging training as well as become familiar with each other.

"It was a good learning experience seeing how they live," said Cpl. Gary Legault, combat engineer. "We learned about their military tactics and their culture."

"They were very motivated to learn and very friendly to us," said Sgt. Scott Bailey, combat engineer. "All the training we did, they were right there with us. It was good training for us. We do a lot of demolition. This gave us an opportunity to go out and teach what we know, not just do it for our own sake."

The Swift is underway with the Marines on board and ready to take on the next phase of training that will include a total of seven West African nations. The regularly scheduled exercises consist of bilateral training in search and rescue, riverine operation, amphibious raids, small boat training and live fire exercises.