MARINE CORPS AIR STATION YUMA, Ariz. -- Maj. Gen. Rex C. McMillian, 4th Marine Aircraft Wing commanding general, arrived here Tuesday, to survey the progress of Exercise Javelin Thrust 2011, the largest Marine Corps reserve training exercise in the United States.
The exercise, which consists of approximately 5,000 Marines and other service members in Arizona, California and Nevada is designed to prepare reserve Marines for the rigors of operating in an austere environment.
“The purpose is to be able to come together as one unit and prepare to go down range, as well as augment and reinforce the active duty component,” said McMillian.
The exercise is designed to bring together all aspects of the Marine Air Ground Task Force into one cohesive operating force. The MAGTF concept is the basic building block of Marine operations. It is made up of the basic components that comprise the Marine Corps’ operational structure; the command, ground, logistics and aviation elements.
McMillian began his trip with a visit to Javelin Thrust troops at the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center in Bridgeport, Calif., where he met with members of Marine Wing Communication Squadron 48 from Great Lakes, Ill., witnessed a refueling operation by a detachment of Marine Wing Support Squadron 471 from Minneapolis, Minn., and participated in a promotion ceremony.
At MCAS Yuma, McMillian met with Col. Kevin M. Iiams, Marine Aircraft Group 41 commanding officer, 4th Marine Aircraft Wing, and other unit commanders, to discuss the exercise and its unique intentions. He also took time to visit the various training sites such as the command, communications, aviation and aviation components to observe and assess the operations.
The Marines of Marine Air Support Squadron 6 from Chicopee, Mass., although not flying aircraft, are part of the air support component and play an important role in JT-11. At one stage of the exercise aircraft will be conducting flights to support reconnaissance Marines and reserve infantry units participating at Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center Bridgeport, Calif., and Hawthorne Army Weapons Depot in Nevada.
The aviation support operators are tasked with coordinating all flight operations scheduled by the ground troops, whether that is medical evacuation, troop transportation, close combat air support, or in response to a call for emergency evacuation. The MASS Marines pass on the requests from the troops to the pilots and crew chiefs.
“You’re nothing without communication,” said Lance Cpl. Enrique G. Rodriguez, an air support center operator with MASS-6. “If someone’s bleeding out, how quickly we process a request could decide a life and death situation.”
The air support Marines will be coordinating and working with other components of the MAGTF throughout the exercise in support of the training operations taking place.
The strength of JT-11 is that it brings the various reserve MAGTF components from across the United States together, utilizing each unique section to accomplish a single mission.
Although JT-11 is only an exercise, the Marines will be performing their duties with the knowledge that it is preparation for possible future deployments.
“We are an operational air wing. We have active Marines and active reserve Marines here and we’re going to be ready whenever the commandant calls and assigns us a mission,” said McMillian.