Meet the little-known company that connects troops to supporting fire

When I was a young grunt, most of my time was spent near the company headquarters and barracks. Nestled amongst the barracks, company office, and armory was a small building marked “ANGLICO.” For the majority of my career I rarely saw anyone enter or exit the building and had no idea what ANGLICO was.

The office seemed to be unintentionally secretive. No one else at my junior enlisted level knew what they did, and it wasn’t until I met a retired ANGLICO Marine that I got any sort of picture of their jobs and duties. I quickly discovered there was a reason for that: ANGLICO was a Marine unit designed to work with non-USMC forces.

ANGLICO, which stands for “Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company,” acts as the liaison to both American and foreign forces connecting them to naval gunfire and airstrikes conducted by Marine and Navy pilots. Some might call them the middleman of fire support, but I like to think of them as the missing puzzle piece between the guys on the ground and the ships and jets in the sky.

Imagine you’re in a U.S. Army unit conducting operations and you need immediate fire support. Your options are limited to Marine and Navy jets, or maybe a ship offshore just waiting to bring the heat. How do you call for that fire? Sadly, it’s not a quick 1800 number. It’s unlikely you know how to talk to ships or F-35s.

This is where ANGLICO Marines and Sailors step in.

The guys with radios

U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Antwon Brooks, a joint forward observer with 1st Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company, I Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group operates a PRC117-Golf radio during Steel Knight 25 at Saylor Creek Range, Idaho, Dec. 6, 2025. Steel Knight is an annual exercise that strengthens the Navy-Marine Corps team’s ability to respond forward, integrate across domains, and sustain Marine Air-Ground Task Force readiness. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Kristin Louise Long)

ANGLICO Marines and Sailors work in small teams within a relatively small unit.

The company falls under the Marine Corps – even though it also includes Sailos – and is arranged into different elements to support different levels of tactical operations. Each element coordinates with the one above it.

ANGLICO elements typically support a company-level formation and are commanded by a Marine captain or Navy lieutenant who is qualified as a Joint Tactical Attack Controller, or JTAC.

The smallest element of an ANGLICO force is the FCT, or Fire Control Team. These are five-man teams who might be broken into even smaller teams of two to three Marines or Sailors. At times, they even operate individually alongside special operations forces or Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure teams (VBSS).

The Supporting Arms Liaison Team, or SALT, is a larger team consisting of 18 Marines and Sailors. There are two FCTs inside a SALT and an eight-man SALT headquarters unit. SALT supports a battalion.

Then there is the Brigade Platoon level that consists of higher-level officers and staff NCOs. It is led by a major and a gunnery sergeant and is geared toward command post operations. The Brigade Platoon works supports brigade-level formations.

Finally, we get to the Company Headquarters, otherwise known as Division Cell, which is the big boss of ANGLICO. This level of ANGLICO is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and consists of 15 Marines and Sailors. They are typically a command post operation coordinating efforts from the field.

Regardless of your position inside ANGLICO, you might find yourself inside a FCT as the need calls for it.

Joining ANGLICO

U.S. Marines with 5th Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company, III Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group, hike 5-kilometers at Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, Nov. 20, 2025. Marines with 5th ANGLICO participated in the hike to prepare for their combat readiness evaluation, a formal test that assesses the readiness of Marine units based on mission-essential tasks. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Michael Taggart)

ANGLICO is not an MOS, and there isn’t a contract entrance system to join it.

Instead, it is made up of a variety of MOSes which include Naval Aviators, Radio Operators, Artillery Forward Observers, and support personnel.

According to ANGLICO personnel, you have to be a high performer in your MOS school to join the unit; this means having high test scores, high PFTs, a good swim qualification, and being a mature, dedicated Marine or Sailor.

Even then, a spot needs to open for you to even have a chance of joining and because it is an extremely small community, there isn’t a lot of boat space.

Overall, coming out of the school house and into ANGLICO seems to be a rare event. Rather, you go to a permanent unit and become a top performer. Do some time with your unit and then start inquiring about a transfer to ANGLICO. If they need personnel and you are selected, then you need to pass the ANGLICO Basic Course, also known as “ABC.”

In ANGLICO, you’ll receive a wide variety of training, and regardless of your job, you’ll be expected to be an expert in all ANGLICO operations. The potential to cross-train with foreign forces is high, and since you work with foreign and U.S. forces across the branches, your chance of deployment is likewise high.

Related: Becoming a Marine Raider officer

The origins of ANGLICO

The origins of the company can be traced to World War II.

In the Pacific Campaign there was a plethora of Allied forces, and it quickly became apparent that there wasn’t an easy way to coordinate air, naval, and artillery gunfire. Thus, the Joint Assault Signal Company, or JASCO, was created. The company was so successful that five others were subsequently set up.

After the war, the JASCO was disbanded, but in 1949, the Marine Corps began recreating the force and thus ANGLICO was born. Since then it has evolved and become a mainstay of Marine Corps forces.

ANGLICO elements seen action in every major and most minor conflicts. They’ve worked successfully with numerous foreign forces and have a fantastic reputation amongst in the military. Not too bad for a Marine Corps unit that doesn’t exclusively work for Marines.

Feature Image: U.S. Marines with 1st Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company, I Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group, move into position to conduct close air support training activity during Steel Knight 25 at Saylor Creek Range, Idaho, Dec. 10, 2025. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Kristin Louise Long)

Read more from Sandboxx News

SDV: The secret weapon of the Navy SEAL Teams

DARPA seeks to create synthetic blood to save troops on the battlefield

How Navy SEAL candidates recover after Hell Week

A nod to NODs and the history of US military night vision

What is OPFOR and why is it among the most fun and valuable things to do in the military?