The Unit
The Marine Raiders are the US Marine Corps' contribution to special operations, the operating force of MARSOC, stood up in 2006 as the Corps' component of US Special Operations Command. In 2015 the units took back the old WWII name "Raiders," honouring the Marine commandos of the Pacific.
Their operators — Critical Skills Operators (CSOs) — run the full special-operations spectrum: direct action, special reconnaissance, foreign internal defence, counter-terrorism and irregular warfare, with the Corps' expeditionary, sea-based instinct baked in.
The Gate
Candidates are serving Marines with at least three years' service or the rank of lance corporal, screened by MARSOC recruiters and eligible for a secret clearance. There is no civilian shortcut: you become a Marine first, then a Raider.
Cleared candidates are assigned to Assessment & Selection.
Selection & the ITC
Becoming a CSO is a long pipeline, not a single course.
Assessment & Selection
A mandatory two-phase course; the three-week Phase 1 hammers raw physical fitness — running, swimming and ruck marches — while screening confidence, situational awareness and how a candidate acclimatises to stress.
Individual Training Course
The selected attend the 10-month ITC in four phases: SERE and combat casualty care; small-unit tactics, small-boat and scout-swimmer work and demolitions; marksmanship and CQB; and finally irregular warfare, capped by a three-week exercise, "Derna Bridge."
Critical Skills Operator
Graduates earn the CSO designation and the Raider name, and join a Marine Raider battalion.
The Standards
Indicative of the Selection tier this reference uses, with the Corps' amphibious flavour:
Train To The Standard
A&S rewards the rucking swimmer who can keep performing under load. The Gate's Selection tier maps the run, ruck, swim and strength base it's built on.