Enlisted requirements

When qualifying for the Enlisted Fleet Marine Force Warfare specialist pin, a sailor (typically a hospital corpsman, logistics specialist, religious programs specialist, personnel specialist, along with some construction battalion "SeaBee" units [when directly assigned to a U.S. Marine Corps combatant command]) is required to have detailed knowledge on the following subjects:

CORE

• Safety Fundamentals (Operational Risk Management)
• Marine Corps History, Rank Structure, and Courtesies (notable dates, personnel, battles, and Naval courtesies as they pertain to the USMC)
• Marine Corps Mission and Organization
• Administrative Fundamentals (Naval correspondence, courts martial, and service record information)
• General Combat Leadership Fundamentals (Combat elements, POW rights and responsibilities, Military Code of Conduct)
• First Aid and Field Sanitation Fundamentals (Triage, MEDEVAC & CASEVAC classifications, "Self" and "Buddy" aid skill sets for non-medical personnel)
• Security Fundamentals (Security classifications, terrorism, lethal force, and guard skills training)
• Field Communication Fundamentals (hands on detailed knowledge of the PRC-119 SINCGARS radio, loading frequencies and communication of the 9-Line CASEVAC message)
• Weapons Fundamentals (Detailed knowledge of small arms such as the M9, M16A4, M4, M1014, M67 grenade, M203, and M249 SAW) and machine gun platforms (M240G, M2 .50 cal, Mk19)
• Tactical Fundamental Procedures (platoon hand and arm signals, SALUTE and SMEAC reports, fighting positions, MOPP gear, formation movements in day/night conditions)
• Marine Corps Operations Fundamentals (In-depth knowledge of all USMC aircraft, US Navy amphibious transports, hospital ships, as well as Urban warfare examples, and Military Operations Other Than War examples)
• Chemical, Biological Radiological and Nuclear Defense Fundamentals (minefield signage and detailed signs, symptoms, & treatment of chemical agent exposures)
• Drill and Ceremonies Fundamentals (breakdowns of formations, drill & cadence, color guards, and formal ceremonies)
• Land Navigation Fundamentals (Map reading and compass handling)^[6]

Additionally a second section of the course is detailed toward the element of the United States Marine Corps with which the candidate is assigned. For example: a line corpsman with an infantry battalion will learn the Ground Combat Element (GCE).

GCE

• Infantry Fundamentals (Mission & structure of the Marine Division, Regiment, Battalion, Infantry & Weapons Companies, Platoon, Squad, and Fire teams)
• Marine Artillery Regiment (Mission, structure, equipment of the Arty battalion; such as the M198 or M777 Howitzer)
• Tank Battalion Fundamentals (Mission, structure, and equipment of the Tank Battalion; such as the M1A1, TOW Missile, M88A1E1 Hercules, and M60A1 Bridge Vehicle)
• Assault Amphibious Battalion Fundamentals (Mission, structure, and vehicles of the AAB; such as the AAVP7A1, AAVC7A1 and AAVR7A1)
• Combat Engineer Battalion Fundamentals (Mission, structure, mobility/counter mobility/survivability tasks of the CEB, Engineer Support Company, and Combat Engineer Company)
• Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion (Mission, structure, and vehicles of the LAV Battalion; such as the LAV-25, LAV-M, LAV-AT, LAV-C2, LAV-R, and LAV-L)
• Amphibious Reconnaissance Battalion Fundamentals (Mission, tasks, and training of Force Recon and Division Recon)

^[6]

Furthermore, to finally qualify, a candidate is expected to perform a disassembly and reassembly of many of the taught weapon systems, operate a SINCGARS radio, plot various points on a map, perform various carries and life saving medical techniques, and in many cases perform (and pass) a Marine Corps Physical Fitness Test (PFT) and Combat Fitness Test (CFT).

Although this qualification is for enlisted personnel serving in the United States Navy, it is unique in that only Commanding Generals or Commanding Officers of qualifying U.S. Marine Corps commands, Division, Group, or Wing; can approve awarding of the designation. As such, to some corpsmen it is the most coveted warfare insignia within the hospital corpsman community.

The eagle, globe, and anchor (EGA) makes a clear statement that the wearer is a member of the Navy/Marine Corps team. The crossed rifles symbolize the rifleman ethic of the Marine Corps; every Marine is a rifleman, just as every Sailor is a firefighter and damage controlman aboard ship and submarine. The surf and sand represent the "littoral zone," the coastal regions where sailors have served alongside Marines as they earned their reputation and world's respect -- "the shores of Tripoli" and the "sands of Iwo Jima." The scroll at the bottom stating "Fleet Marine Force" shows the exclusive community they belong to.