Marines and sailors from the 1st Marine Division launched from two Navy ships aboard abuse amphibious vehicles and stormed White Beach on Camp Pendleton. Overhead, MV-2 2 Ospreys equipped aerial support.
On land, the Marines jumped from the 24 armored vehicles and pushed their space up the sea, over gullies and past roadblocks like those they would typically encounter in a real-life invasion created by the enemy to slow their progress.
From there they moved north along the secluded cove to a wide-open Red Beach and secured a simulated metropolitan hamlet on the ridgeline. With the hamlet and beachhead cleared of antagonists, curves of marines on hovercrafts arrived in support.
” The 1st Marine Regiment is tasked with seizing the beach so fall-in forces can come in behind us ,” said Lt. Col. Robert May, procedures officer for the 1st Marine Regiment.” This is an opportunity to continue to expand and tap into our relations with the Navy. We’re able to do things we haven’t done in a long time .”
The scenario on Friday, Dec. 6, was the opening of Exercise Steel Knight 2020, a 15 -day amphibious, live-fire and aviation 1st Marine Division training employ that provides an opportunity for Marines to train with the Navy on a large scale.
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“Comprising approximately 13,000 personnel,( this) will be the largest and most complex 1st Marine Division-led use in Steel Knight’s history ,” said Maj. Gen. Robert Castellvi, commanding general of 1st Marine Division. Steel Knight heightens the division’s ability to fight and earn against peer or near-peer antagonists .”
Steel Knight 2020 are consistent with those with a Marine Corps trend toward large workouts and moving huge formations in tactical situations, as it shiftings from deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan to growing threat in China and Russia.
In July, Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. David Berger published a brand-new planning navigate that outlines a vision for the future. In it, he said the Marine Corps was not ready for a confrontation with China and Russia and requested commandants to re-imagine how they instruct, operate and engage. He also pushed for more integration with the Navy.
” The Marine Corps will be trained and gave as a naval expeditionary force-in-readiness and prepared to operate inside actively raced maritime seats in support of fleet enterprises ,” Berger wrote in the 26 -page guide.” In crisis prevention and crisis response, the Fleet Marine Force- acting as an extension of the( Navy) Fleet- will be first on the scene, first to help, first to contain a brewing crisis, and first to fight if required to do so .”
During the remainder of Exercise Steel Knight, Marines and marines will develop at Camp Pendleton, Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms and Marine Corps Air Station Yuma in Arizona.
Beyond the simulated amphibious aggression, there will be a live-fire invasion and seizure operation; a battalion-sized crossing over the Colorado River; fatality removal activities from extent of hurt to medical treatment facility; and a massive live-fire air assault using all of the Marine Corps’ flaming power, from small-scale ammunition to tanks.
The exercise follows a large-scale training in November, in which the 2nd Marine Division — located at Camp Lejeune, N.C. — trained at Twentynine Palms. That rehearsal is comprised of 10,000 Marines, marines, and British Royal Marines and included unmanned aerial surveillance and electronic and cyber warfare designed to meet new threats.
Read more: ocregister.com.