Capt Patrick Riley
Expeditionary Warfare School StudentEWS - MCUCaptain Patrick Q. Riley graduated from Officer Candidate School in 2018 and completed The Basic School in 2020. In February 2021, he reported to Marine Air Control Squadron 4 (MACS-4) in Okinawa, Japan for on-the-job training as a future Air Defense Control Officer. In May 2021, he attended military occupational specialty (MOS) school at the Aviation Command and Control Commons Course followed by the Air Defense Control Officer Course (ADCOC) aboard Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms. Second Lieutenant Riley received distinction as the ADCOC honor graduate and earned the MOS of Air Defense Control Officer.
After completing MOS school, Second Lieutenant Riley returned to MACS-4, Headquarters and Service Company. From August 2021 to September 2022, he served in multiple billets, including Squadron Legal Officer and Assistant Security Manager. In January 2022, he promoted to First Lieutenant.
In September 2022, First Lieutenant Riley reported to Air Defense Company A (ADC-A), where he held the billet of Company Weapons Tactics and Training Program Officer. He also served as a Surveillance Director for exercises Ryukyu Vice 23 and Keen Sword 23, and as the Company Action Officer/Lead Planner for the combined exercise Cope North 23.
In January 2023, First Lieutenant Riley reported to the U.S. Air Force’s 623d Air Control Squadron (ACS) as the Marine Liaison Officer. While assigned, he qualified as a USAF Weapons Director (WD), was named Squadron Officer Operator of the Quarter (April–June 2023), and provided over 47 hours of control for local training missions.
Following his assignment at the 623d ACS, First Lieutenant Riley returned to ADC-A in August 2023 as the Company Operations Officer. Leveraging his experience, he prepared the company to support and deploy to multiple joint and combined exercises, including Resolute Dragon 23.2, Vigilant Defense 24, Ryukyu Shield 24, and Valiant Shield 24. He promoted to Captain in March 2024 and, the following month, graduated from the USMC Weapons and Tactics Instructor Course at Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron 1, Marine Corps Air Station Yuma.
While serving as Company Operations Officer, Captain Riley earned qualifications as Surveillance Director, Weapons Director, Senior Air Director, and Air Intercept Controller Level One. He also represented MACS-4 as an Aviation Command and Control Planner for the Bilateral Defense of Okinawa Working Group in 2023 and 2024.
In July 2024, Captain Riley reported to III Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) where he served as an Aviation Command and Control Individual Augment until January 2025. In February 2025, Captain Riley returned to MACS-4 as the Assistant Squadron Operations Officer. In June 2025, Captain Riley reported as a student to the USMC Expeditionary Warfare School aboard Marine Corps Base Quantico.
A Hitchhiker’s Guide to RxR in the WEZ
In future conflict, the first casualty will not be maneuver forces, logistics nodes, or command posts; it will be certainty. As the character of warfa…In future conflict, the first casualty will not be maneuver forces, logistics nodes, or command posts; it will be certainty. As the character of warfare shifts from counterinsurgency to competition with near-peer adversaries, the United States Marine…In future conflict, the first casualty will not be maneuver forces, logistics nodes, or command posts; it will be certainty. As the character of warfare shifts from counterinsurgency to competition with near-peer adversaries, the United States Marine Corps faces an operational environment defined by degraded sensing, contested communications, and persistent adversary reconnaissance. Nowhere is this challenge more severe than for reconnaissance fo…In future conflict, the first casualty will not be maneuver forces, logistics nodes, or command posts; it will be certainty. As the character of warfare shifts from counterinsurgency to competition with near-peer adversaries, the United States Marine Corps faces an operational environment defined by degraded sensing, contested communications, and persistent adversary reconnaissance. Nowhere is this challenge more severe than for reconnaissance forces operating as Stand-in Forces (SIF) inside a sophisticated anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) bubble. The Marine Corps Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Enterprise (MCISRE), long optimized for permissive environments and centralized intelligence architectures, must adapt to a battlespace where detection is constant and survivability fleeting. By examining the limitations of current ISR constructs, assessing adversary counter-reconnaissance capabilities, and drawing lessons from historical case studies such as the Yom Kippur War, we analyze how artificial intelligence (AI) and disruptive technologies are not merely force multipliers, but prerequisites for effective reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance in competition-to-conflict scenarios. We argues that the MCISRE should leverage low-cost, unmanned, commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) systems paired with AI-enabled autonomy to support distributed collections and tactical deception, regain the information advantage, persist within the weapons engagement zone (WEZ), and shape the battlespace in support of joint and naval operations. Show MoreClick the title to see all detailsShow More
