EDINBURGH, SCT, UNITED KINGDOM -- Reserve Marines with 3rd Brigade platoon, 4th Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Team, Force Headquarters Group, are participating in exercise Joint Warrior 18-1, in Durness, Scotland, from April 18-May 2, 2018.
Joint Warrior is a semi-annual, U.K.-led multinational exercise designed and led by the Joint Tactical Exercise Planning Staff in the U.K.. It's intent is to improve interoperability between allied and partner militaries and to prepare participants for a role in a joint maritime environment during deployments.
Like previous iterations, Joint Warrior 18 will bring together 4th ANGLICO and multiple partner nation's naval, air and ground based units together to participate in operations such as airborne assaults, amphibious landings and training in counter-insurgency, counter-piracy and interstate war. Live-fire exercises are also scheduled to take place on various weapons ranges.
“This exercise is important to maintain the same capabilities as our foreign counterparts in the realm of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization,” said U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Graham Perry, the 3rd Brigade platoon commander with 4th ANGLICO. “When I say capabilities, I'm specifically talking about combined arms fires. The area we will be conducting the exercise is unique in that it is the only location in the United Kingdom where you can practice live combined arms and naval gunfire integrated with ground indirect fire as well as close air support.”
In order to maintain their readiness, the Marines with 4th ANGLICO will be working with Marines from Sweden and Spain, as well as other partner nations. At Joint Warrior, a big take away will be how these nations partner together to learn each others tactics and capabilities.
“The biggest thing I hope they take away from this is learning how to integrate with a partner force and how to take what they know as U.S. Marines and teach another service how they do what they do, and vice versa,” Perry said. “It's a very intangible trait that you can't just sit down in a classroom and teach a Marine how to learn someone else's culture. We're going to be there to help share our culture and what we know and to also take in as much information as we can.”
Over the next two weeks, the Marines will be training with a wide variety of mission essential tasks. At its conclusion, 4th ANGLICO will be able to look back at Joint Warrior 18 and know that it improved their capabilities and combat effectiveness, ensuring that they will be ready to fight tonight.