Performance Aspects Of Operational Preparedness Differ Between Marine Raider Operators And Support Personnel During Deployment Training

The tactical demands of Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) personnel require high levels of physical performance. During combat deployments, Operators are supplemented with Combat Support personnel who specialize in mission specific tasks. Operators and Support personnel complete portions of tactical training and combat deployments together, often enduring similar training and tactical demands. Previous research comparing Operators and Support personnel has identified significant overall performance gaps, but research has yet to examine performance characteristics during a consistent training phase time point. PURPOSE: To examine performance characteristics of Marine Operators and Support personnel prior to completing unit deployment training together. METHODS: Operators (N: 39, Age: 28.8 ± 3.11 years, Height: 1.78 ± 0.08 m, Mass: 87.1 ± 8.7 kg) and Support personnel (N: 16, Age: 27.9 ± 4.6 years, Height: 1.77 ± 0.07 m, Mass: 83.03 ± 13.8 kg) completed agility, speed, lower/upper body power, anaerobic capacity, strength, aerobic power, and body composition assessments. Differences between groups were evaluated using independent samples t-tests, or Mann-Whitney U tests (p < 0.05). RESULTS: Operators demonstrated better performance in agility (4.85 ± 0.21 s, 5.04 ± 0.21 s; p=0.005), anaerobic capacity (190.58 ± 16.24 yd, 174.82 ± 18.11 yd; p=0.006), upper body power (185.03 ± 23.52 cm, 172.26 ± 27.39 cm; p=0.044), strength (2,932.85 ± 639.59 N, 2,443.75 ± 706.99 N; p=0.019), aerobic power (1,114.83 ± 66.12 yd, 1,033.7 ± 100.1 yd; p=0.001) and significantly lower body fat (17.63 ± 4.06 %BF, 21.01 ± 7.09 %BF; p=0.035). No significant differences were found in lower body power (p=0.069) and speed (p=0.051). CONCLUSION: Performance deficits in Support personnel during active deployment training could have deleterious effects on tactical training, leading to increased risk of injury and potentially effecting subsequent deployment status. The significant discrepancies in key performance outcomes suggest the need for Support personnel to incorporate additional performance training focused on improving overall strength, anaerobic and aerobic capacity, prior to unit training, in order to achieve adequate levels of operational preparedness, similar to their Operator counterparts.