Tinian training aims to work on aviation combat readiness

The training of around 200 U.S. Marines on Tinian as part of Exercise Geiger Fury 2012 is intended to allow Marine Aircraft Group-12 out of Japan “to improve aviation combat readiness and simulate operations in a deployed austere environment,” decades after Tinian played a decisive role to end World War II.

Half or some 100 of these Marines are expected to arrive on Tinian tomorrow, but the specific time is yet unknown.

The Marine Forces Pacific Guam and CNMI released late yesterday afternoon details of the May 14 to June 8 simultaneous exercises that elements of the Marine Aircraft Group-12 or MAG-12 will be participating in.

Geiger Fury 2012 will be conducted on both West and North Fields on Tinian in the CNMI, while Aviation Training Relocation will be conducted at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam.

Approximately 700 personnel will participate in the ATR training in Guam and around 200 personnel will participate in Geiger Fury on Tinian.

Service members from MAG- 12 will also participate in various events in the local community during their stay on Tinian and Guam.

“Geiger Fury 2012 is a continuation of unit-level training exercises intended to allow MAG-12 to improve aviation combat readiness and simulate operations in a deployed austere environment,” the Marine Corps said.

Training on Tinian’s North Field includes clearing, stripping, and repairing the landing surface on Able and Baker runways and the installation of matting for vertical take-off and landing of rotary and fixed-wing operations.

Training on Tinian’s West Field includes emplacement of arresting gear and fuel storage/distribution for purposes of extending aviation training throughout the Mariana Island Range Complex.

‘Long overdue’

Rep. Trenton Conner (R-Tinian) said yesterday that the use of Tinian for military training is “long overdue.”

“It’s something that should have been done a long time ago. Let’s hope that Tinian and the whole CNMI will benefit from this activity,” Conner told Saipan Tribune.

Two-thirds of Tinian lands are leased by the U.S. Department of Defense from the CNMI government.

Geiger Fury could be the largest military exercise to take place in the CNMI and perhaps the start of a permanent presence on Tinian, the launching pad for the U.S. atomic bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan that hastened the end of the war.

Don Farrell, a CNMI historian and Tinian Mayor Ramon Dela Cruz’s point man on military matters, said yesterday that the advance team for Marine Aircraft Group 12 was to arrive yesterday.

“The high-speed vessel from Iwakuni with all the equipment for the Air Group Support team will arrive Wednesday with the heavy equipment and about 100 Marines. After the vessel is cleared and the equipment arranged at the dock, some will be moved to West Field International Airport and the rest to North Field Runway Bravo where they will bivouac,” Farrell said.

He said the vessel will return to Japan, pick up the rest of the Marines, and arrive on Tinian next week.

“The ‘surge’ of activity will commence on Monday, May 21, with F-18 Hornet night landings at West Field and C-130 operations on North Field,” he said.

Farrell said it is not anticipated that there will be any closure of North Field.

“Tour buses will continue their daily trips to Runway Able and the Atomic Bomb Loading Area,” he added.

Tom Linden, Military Integration Management Committee coordinator, said the Fitial administration is aware of the U.S. Marines training but is not taking an active role in it.

Guam training

As part of the Aviation Training Relocation operations, F/A-18s from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni will conduct air-to-air and air-to-ground training from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam to help ensure combat readiness.

The ATR event will also extend to Tinian’s West Field, which will be used as a forward area refueling point in order to extend aviation training operations with the Mariana Island Range Complex.

There will be a total of 36 F/A-18 Hornets assigned to three U.S. Marine Corps squadrons operating out of Andersen Air Force Base.