Oman. (February 29, 2023): Terrorists and their schemes never sleep. They won’t be getting much sleep when they realize they are being pursued by the U.S. Marines and our allies the Royal Oman Police. In the U.S. Army photo above, the Marines Fleet Anti-Terrorism Security Team (Central Command) and the Omani Special Task Unit conduct live fire exercises as part of Invincible Sentry 23. This recurring exercise brings together partner nations to coordinate responses to terrorist threats to the region.

The Fleet Anti-Terrorism Security Team organizes, trains, equips, and provides anti-terrorism security forces for expeditionary forces guarding American interests in the Central Command region. The Team provides strategic weapons and training to provide dedicated security and anti-terrorism protection of high-value naval installations, most notably those containing nuclear vessels and weapons.

Fleet Anti-terrorism Security Team (FAST) platoons are capable of rapidly deploying around the world to immediately improve security at United States  government installations under threat. These units are experts at special operations, including advanced close quarter battle and in-extremis hostage rescue. Established in 1987, FAST platoons are forward deployed at various naval commands to rapidly respond to unforeseen contingencies worldwide. Each FAST company is made up of 500 Marines equipped and trained with the most state-of-the-art weaponry available.

Each company is well grounded in basic infantry skills which are then tailored to specific tasks including conducting defensive combat operations, military police, and rear area security. They also can be tailored for specific tasks, for example, such as ensuring nuclear material on submarines is not compromised when the vessels are docked.

This limited-duration, expeditionary security force lives a high operational tempo and has been deployed to Operation Just Cause, Desert Shield/Storm, among others.

FAST Company marines are vital to America’s ability to ward off future terrorist attacks.