Marine Scout Snipers from Weapons Company 2nd Battalion 6th Marines, conduct a week long class to sharpen Afghan soldiers’ marksmanship with the M24 Sniper Weapon System. The ANA soldiers belong to the 1st Kandak 1st Brigade 215th Corps. The M24 is a bolt-action sniper rifled that is in used by US Army Snipers and is chambered in 7.62x51mm with an effective range of 800 meters. Video by Cpl. Timothy Lenzo.
May 3rd, 2012 – Marines with Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, conduct a boat raid during Exercise Balikatan in the Philippine Islands. The exercise was comprised of bilateral training in infantry tactics, patrolling, amphibious assaults and jungle survival. The aim was to improve the interoperability of U.S. Marines and the Philippine Armed Forces. The completion of this exercise marks the end of 1/4’s time as the BLT of the 31st MEU.
Marines and Sailors with Combat Logistics Regiment 37, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force and Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 40, 31st Seabee Readiness Group, conducted an eight-day jungle training evolution where they were taught basic infantry tactics such as patrolling techniques and setting up ambushes while in the jungle April 1-8 at the only Jungle Warfare Training Center in the Department of Defense. Produced by Lance Cpl. Matthew Manning.
11 March 2012 Amphibious Reconnaissance Marines, Force Reconnaissance Marines and infantry Marines of Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, all from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, conduct a long distance raid from the deck of the USS Essex to Camp Fuji. The raid covered 1,100 miles one way, and involved the mock capture of a high value target. (And no, its not Mos Eisely)
Now 1100-miles is one heck of a littoral….
Afghan National Army soldiers with 2nd Kandak, 1st Brigade, 215th Corps, prepare a range and fire medium machine guns under the watch of U.S. Marines with the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment Embedded Training Team during the final event of a machine gun team leaders course at the Shamshad Range, Feb. 21, 2012. Produced by Cpl. Reece Lodder.
2.13.2012 – U.S. Marines with Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 4th Marines and Amphibious Reconnaissance Platoon of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit learn jungle survival techniques from Royal Thai Reconnaissance Marines as part of exercise Cobra Gold 2012. The instruction covered what is edible in the jungle, how to set traps, jungle cooking methods and how to catch a cobra. Video by Sgt. Paul Robbins
1st Squad Leader: “I don’t think anyone will be fighting tonight, especially me. Looks like a birthday party at the chief’s house to me. Let’s get back home and get some chow of our own.”
This seems to me to be great opportunity to exploit. The last thing I want to do is let our police friends have any clue about my real intentions at this point. One slip of information can destroy our advantage. Moving away from the police and grabbing the radio, I contact my 1st Fire Team leader: “1st Team, take a few quick photos of the place, but do not be seen or act in a threatening way. Return to my position ASAP.”
Here is how I see it. Tonight the surly gang will likely return from town for lamb stew at the chief’s house, and then depart on a mission unknown. We have until after dinner to nail them. I do not want to arouse even the slightest suspicion of my true intent. There are few roads, and I want anyone who sees us to think we are returning to base. I will make a particularly blatant effort to pass through town and wave goodbye to everyone, as we obviously head to base for the night. There is no way we can successfully interdict them before they get back to the mountain house from town. They are unarmed now. Any of our assets left near or on the way to the house will be spotted. To fight now at the chief’s house could find us outnumbered and unable to seal all egress routes.
On the way back, I grab the encrypted radio: “Platoon base, let me speak with 6 Actual.
“Lieutenant, I believe that a team of bad guys is in town resupplying and will be returning to the chief’s home for dinner. We saw more than a dozen suspects in town and dinner preparations for a large group at the house. There was an unfamiliar pickup and van at the house. I am returning to base immediately and have not informed the police or my men of my intentions. We have taken no actions that would arouse bad guy suspicions.
“I recommend that we keep the element of surprise we now have and prepare to raid the chief’s house during dinner. I fear that any later may allow them to depart. As I observed the objective, I recommend that we assemble all possible assets for this operation. There may well have been another dozen men in the van and pickup now at the house that we did not observe. My men will be ready to turn around at your command.”
I am hoping that the lieutenant can rally the platoon, the combined antiarmor team, and heavier high-level assets to implement a strong raid on the chief’s place. We will have the advantage of dark and, if we do it right, surprise. It will be a surprise dessert for the bad guys tonight.
This my friends, is a submitted solution to TDG-11-2….At The Marine Corps Gazette’s Tactical Decision Game
To play click here, and battle wits with the best small platoon and company level field officers in the world……