SANTA RITA, Guam (Feb 3, 2017) -- Marines with Maritime Raid Force, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, conducted Realistic Urban Training Exercise (RUTEX), at various locations across the U.S. territory of Guam, Jan. 23 – Feb. 3, 2017. During the exercise, Marines worked with Navy units, Air force units and the Guam Police Department in various simulated raids and seizure scenarios.
RUTEX allows the reconnaissance elements of the 31st MEU to refine their urban operations capabilities as part of pre-deployment training before departing for a scheduled patrol of the Indo-Asia-Pacific region later this year.
“The Force Reconnaissance Platoon frequently trains in various raid tactics, from simple fast roping to clearing and securing buildings,” said Staff Sgt. Dayton McConnell, a team leader with MRF. “When you add an urban terrain and all the moving parts, it provides us with a real world simulation of urban operations, which allows us to increase our ability to operate in these environments with confidence as a team.”
The training, which is monitored and evaluated by Special Operations Training Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force, consists of realistic scenarios, which allow for unpredictable and realistic training, said McConnell.
“We treated everyday as if it were a real world mission,” said McConnell. “We couldn’t put our guard down. During every raid we had to be alert because most the time we had little idea of what could be hiding around the corner or behind that next door.”
Training events during RUTEX incorporated service members from other branches and participation of local police officers. The cooperation between the forces was a key compound of the training said Sgt. Luis Martinez, an assistant team leader with FRP.
“Working with the other services and the police was a great opportunity for us,” said Martinez. “We have different ways of doing things, but we have common missions. Communication between us is very critical part in any joint mission.”
RUTEX, which took planning and coordination between each component of the 31st MEU Marine Air Ground Task Force helped participants prepare for possible future operations in support of the 31st MEU, said Martinez.
“Since we are part of the Marine Corps’ only continuously forward-deployed unit, the 31st MEU, the Force Reconnaissance Platoon focuses on realistic training to be better prepared for any possible missions that may arise during deployments or in the rear,” said Martinez.