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Marines to undergo urban training in Guam
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- The gear of a Marine with Maritime Raid Force, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, sits out ready to be used during Realistic Urban Training Exercise in Guam on Jan. 13, 2016. RUTEX is a high-intensity close-quarter battle training exercise conducted in an actual urban environment to provide a high degree of realism to the training. (U.S. Marine Corps/CPL. Thor J. Larson)
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- A Marine with Maritime Raid Force, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, holds security while his team moves toward the objective during a raid Jan. 13, 2015, in Guam. (U.S. Marine Corps/CPL. Thor J. Larson)
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- Sgt. Eric Ortega holds security while waiting for a helicopter to land during a raid Jan. 13, 2015, on Guam. The raid is part of Realistic Urban Training Exercise; a high-intensity, close-quarter battle training exercise conducted by Marines with Maritime Raid Force, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit. The exercise was conducted in an urban environment to provide a high degree of realism to the training. (U.S. Marine Corps/CPL. Thor J. Larson)
DEDEDO, Guam—The 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit is scheduled to participate in a Realistic Urban Training Exercise in Guam from Jan. 23 to Feb. 4 in preparation of the unit’s deployment in the Asia-Pacific late this year.
The purpose of exercise is to train the Marines of the 31st Expeditionary Unit to coordinate with law enforcement agencies and civic leaders to operate in an urban environment and hone their proficiency to respond to threats to the community or its infrastructure.
For a brief period, raid exercises will be held at the Tanguisson power plant in Dededo, at the Gov. Richard J. Bordallo Complex at Adelup and at northwest field on Andersen Air Force Base. Residents of the island could see Marines periodically throughout the exercise and may notice increased military activities during the exercise period.
Since August of last year, planners for the exercise have coordinated through the appropriate territorial and village agencies and officials to ensure safety and minimize the impact on the community. Some of these agencies include the Office of the Governor and Lt. Governor, Guam Fire Department, Guam Police Department, the Offices of Guam Homeland Security and Civil Defense as well as the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the Federal Aviation Administration.
“Working in an unfamiliar environment is critical to the success of our Marines,” said Col. Colonel Tye R. Wallace, commander of the 31st MEU. “As the nation’s only permanently deployed Marine Expeditionary Unit, we must be able to react with little or no notice to threats in urban communities.”
“We are happy to support Marine Corps Activity Guam and the Expeditionary Operations Training Group,” said Charles Esteves, Office of Civil Defense administrator. “Public safety during the conduct of the exercise is our number one priority. Risk management was conducted at every stage of the planning process and will be mitigated by exercise stakeholders and partnering agencies within the government of Guam. There is no doubt that this year’s exercise will be a success.” (PR)
