MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N. C. -- The 4th Marine Expeditionary Brigade (Anti- Terrorism) will disband in a ceremony held here Friday.
The components that make up 4th MEB (AT) will be reorganized to better enable the Marine Corps to fight and win the Global War on Terror.
The MEB is currently comprised of five subordinate units, each with a specific mission and tailored capabilities.
The Marine Corps Security Force Battalion trains and equips Marines and Sailors for anti-terrorism and physical security missions to protect designated naval or national assets worldwide.
The Chemical- Biological Incident Response Force responds to chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or high yield explosive incidents in order to assist first responders and the regional combatant commander in consequence management.
The Anti-Terrorism Battalion consists of more than seven hundred Marines and Sailors and is the most robust anti-terrorism force available.
These three units will fall under II Marine Expeditionary Force once the MEB is deactivated.
The Marine Security Guard Battalion, which provides internal security at designated U.S. diplomatic and consular facilities to prevent the compromise of classified material and equipment vital to U.S. national security, will report to Marine Corps Combat Development Command.
The Foreign Military Training Unit, which provides tailored military combat-skills training and advisor support for identified foreign forces in order to enhance their tactical capabilities, will integrate into the Marine Corps Special Operation Command, which will be activated Friday morning at a ceremony here.
The MEB was activated and organized into an anti-terrorism organization following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The MEB’s mission was to provide unified combatant commanders with rapidly deployable and sustainable specialized anti-terrorism forces designed
to deter, detect, defend against terrorist threats, to conduct initial incident response to combat the threat of worldwide terrorism, and to provide initial consequence management should an attack occur.
Since it’s reactivation, elements of the MEB have participated in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Additionally, the brigade had four task forces deployed in combat operations during 2003 and 2004 in Djibouti, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Guantanamo Bay.