14                                U.S. MARINES IN THE PERSIAN GULF, 1990-1991


                                Photograph from 1st Marine Dviaon Combat Camera Uni
A M6OAl tai'kfivrn 1st Tank Ballalion training in Saudi Arabia during Operation Desert
Shield.

heavy task force that General Myatt intended to hold as division reserve for use
against the enemy's principal attack.~
    To achieve the necessary tactical structure envisioned in Frag Order 16-90,
Colonel Fulks took advantage of the division's armored force of two tank
battalions and a battalion of assault amphibian vehicles to reconfigure the
division's combat power into two regimental mechanized task forces of equal
size.~ The "speed bump" 3d Battalion, 9th Marines, returned to RCT 7 and the
recently arrived 1st Battalion, 6th Marines, went to RCT 3. However, by this
point in operations, the designation of "regimental combat team" gradually went
out of use and was replaced by task force name. Thus, RCT 7 became Task
Force Ripper and RCT 3 became Task Force Taro. On 30 November 1990,
the organization of the division was as ft~llows:

Headquarters Battalion, 1st Marine Division

Task Force Taro (formally RCT 3)
    Headquarters, 3d Marines
    1st Battalion, 3d Marines
    3d Battalion, 3d Marines
    1st Battalion, 6th Marines
    3d Tank Battalion
    Detachment, 3d Assault Amphibian Battalion (2 companies)
    Platoon, Company C, 1st Reconnaissance Battalion
    Company A (reinforced), 1st Combat Engineer Battalion
    Detachment, 3d Low Altitude Air Defense Battalion

Task Force Ripper (formally RCT 7)
    Headquarters, 7th Marines
    1st Battalion, 7th Marines