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| USS IWO JIMA (LHD 7) OFF THE COAST OF FLORIDA-Marines with Bravo Company, Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit conduct rifle movement drills during sustainment training aboard the USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) Dec. 6, 2011. Lance Cpl. Michael Petersheim, 12/6/2011 4:33 AM |
The 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit and Amphibious Squadron 8 have sailed down the Eastern seaboard from their home stations of Camp Lejeune, N.C., and Norfolk, Va., to conduct a training exercise off the coast of Florida in preparation for their deployment scheduled for early next year.
The Marines are planned to be operating around the Mayport, Fla. area in the coming days as part of Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) – a test of the Navy-Marine Corps team’s ability to rapidly plan and execute a number of missions based off scenarios they could possibly face once deployed.
The current scenario has the 24th MEU and PHIBRON 8 preparing for a wide variety of missions in a fictional country in the vicinity of Naval Station Mayport near Jacksonville, Fla. This training mission is similar to the type of real-world operations the 24th MEU and PHIBRON 8 participated in during their last deployment in 2010.
Approximately 2,100 Marines are participating in COMPTUEX and are currently embarked aboard the amphibious assault ships that comprise PHIBRON 8 – USS Iwo Jima, USS New York and USS Gunston Hall. The training is scheduled through Dec. 21 and will include a number of exercises including a non-combatant evacuation of personnel; visit, board, search and seizure of maritime vessels at sea; and aviation training for the various aircraft of the 24th MEU. The Marines will conclude the exercise with an amphibious assault and offload back at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
“This training provides the 24th MEU the opportunity to exercise their abilities as a Marine Air Ground Task Force synchronizing the ground, air and logistics elements of its Battalion Landing Team, Aviation Squadron, and Combat Logistics Battalion,” said Col. Frank Donovan, commanding officer, 24th MEU.
“The missions we’re conducting with our Navy counterparts off the Florida coast are complex and the unique opportunity we have to train in Florida, in unfamiliar territory, will better prepare us for what we may face once deployed,” said Donovan.
While the 24th MEU and PHIBRON 8 are operating in the Jacksonville and Mayport areas, locals may notice increased aviation operations with MV-22 tilt-rotor aircraft and CH-53 Super Stallion helicopters. Marines will be on the ground conducting their humanitarian assistance scenario in the vicinity of Naval Station Mayport later this week.
The training is meant to develop cohesion between the 24th MEU and PHIBRON 8 in conducting amphibious operations, crisis response, and limited contingency operations while operating from the sea.
“We appreciate this opportunity to train somewhere new and appreciate the support from the Jacksonville area,” added Donovan.
The training off of Florida is planned to conclude early next week when the 24th MEU and PHIBRON 8 sail north back to the coast of North Carolina.
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| Private First Class Robert Roessler, a rifleman with Bravo Company, Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, sights in on his M-16 A4 service rifle during training drills aboard the USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) Dec. 6, 2011.Lance Cpl. Michael Petersheim, 12/6/2011 4:29 AM |
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| Marines with Bravo Company, Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, conduct a practice combat reload of their service rifles with their eyes closed, aboard the USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) Dec. 6, 2011. Lance Cpl. Michael Petersheim, 12/6/2011 4:40 AM |
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