Joint Task Force Southern Guard (JTF‑SG) is a U.S. joint military task force based at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, created under U.S. Southern Command to respond quickly to a new mission there. It brings together personnel from multiple services to support Department of Homeland Security‑led “illegal alien”/migrant holding and removal operations at the base. The task force builds and runs facilities, provides security, logistics, and medical care, and manages day‑to‑day operations for housing and moving thousands of people as part of Operation Southern Guard.
Marine Corps Corporals Course is a short professional‑military‑education school for newly promoted corporals that prepares them to lead small teams. Typical courses combine classroom lessons on leadership fundamentals, tactical communication, land navigation, career progression, counseling and mentoring, drill and ceremonies, and Marine Corps traditions with daily physical training and hands‑on events such as obstacle courses and practical leadership exercises.
Joint Task Force Southern Guard includes personnel from all the major U.S. military branches: the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard, along with interagency civilians and contractors. Official reporting notes more than 2,500 Soldiers, Airmen, Marines, Sailors, and Coast Guardsmen deploying to Guantanamo Bay as part of JTF‑SG.
Naval Station Guantanamo Bay is where Joint Task Force Southern Guard is deployed, so running a Corporals Course there lets Marines and other service members get essential leadership training without leaving their ongoing mission. The base is a large, self‑contained U.S. installation and key operational and logistics hub that supports joint and inter‑agency operations and training, with the classrooms, obstacle courses, and secure environment needed to hold this kind of professional‑development course in a forward‑deployed setting.
In‑person Marine Corps Corporals Courses are relatively short, typically lasting about two to three weeks depending on the unit and location. At Guantanamo Bay, the JTF‑SG corporals courses have run for roughly two weeks (for example, Dec. 9–22 or Sept. 8–24) before students graduated, while some stateside courses have been structured as three‑week programs.
For Marines, completing Corporals Course (resident or distance‑education) is required professional military education for promotion from corporal (E‑4) to sergeant (E‑5), so being able to attend while deployed lets them stay PME‑complete and competitive for advancement while also practicing leadership in a real operational setting. For soldiers, airmen, and sailors who attend the Marine‑run course, it provides additional leadership and joint‑operations training designed to make them more capable small‑unit leaders and gives them extra experience that can support their future responsibilities and career development in their own services.