TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. -- Reserve Marines from Company F, 2nd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, braved the heat of the Mojave Desert while conducting the Deliberate Assault Course (DAC) Aug. 13-14, in a remote section of the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center here.
Each of the battalion’s companies went through the DAC as an integral element of Mojave Viper, an intensive 30-day comprehensive assessment of combat readiness prior to overseas deployment.
The notional enemy had taken control of the region surrounding “Ridwaniyah” a model Iraqi village at Range 210 here. Co. F’s mission was to clear the anti-coalition insurgent forces in the region in order to restore order and transition authority to the local Iraqi leadership.
Speaking of both the training exercise and the unit’s potential future mission, Maj. Thomas Armas, the Co. F commander, instructed his leaders during an Aug. 13 mission order, “In the town of Ridwaniyah, there are a lot of booby traps and dangerous people ... Gents, we have the ability to kill all the enemy on each objective, but in this kind of war, we have to break the criminal network. To do that, we need to disrupt the insurgency by capturing the fighters and collecting information. That way, we can paint a better picture for our battalion in our [area of operations. That’s the only way we’re going to win.”
To support the company in the three-dimensional battlefield, the company’s fire support team (FIST) coordinated an intricate network of supporting fire with artillery, mortars, armor and aviation assets for a full complement of Marine Corps combined arms.
“Our FIST battle drills went off smoothly,” said Maj. Geoffrey Brooks, the Co. F executive officer who assisted in directing the assault from his vantage point overlooking the battlefield. “Our forward observers called fire effectively and were on target. Everyone’s situational awareness was at a peak, which allowed us to remain flexible when the Coyotes [range controllers] informed us of changes in the enemy situation. All in all, I think we did a really good job.”
The battalion will enter the military operations in urban terrain portion of Mojave Viper next and is scheduled to complete all pre-deployment requirements by the end of August.