The Marines on alert include approximately: • 2,000 Marines which make up a contingency response force for Africa. They are stationed routinely in Sigonella, Italy and Morón, Spain. • 2,000 Marines stationed in the Middle East as a response force for that region. Some are already on duty in Iraq and Kuwait. • 2,200 Marines as part of an at-sea Marine expeditionary force currently on several ships in the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Aden. • Three teams of about 50 Marines each in Spain, Bahrain and Japan that are trained to reinforce U.S. embassies under threat. The orders for a higher alert status have come from the commanders of the Central Command and Africa Command following an order late last week from the Pentagon that all force protection standards be reviewed by combatant commanders around the globe
Posted on: Tue, 09 Dec 2014 14:02:19 +0000