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Training for War
Rapid-Response Marine Unit Prepares to Fight Terrorism
 Listen to David Molpus' July 5, 2002, report.
 View a photo gallery of the training mission.
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An amphibious landing craft used in training.
Photo: Rob Benson |
July 5, 2002:
Getting 'Special Ops Ready'
It's final exam time for the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit of Camp LeJeune, N.C. The unit's 2,200 men and women specialize in such missions as rescuing pilots from hostile territory and anti-terrorist assaults. NPR's David Molpus went along with the unit as it was running several different types of exercises all at once, including a nighttime "helo raid." As in a real operation, air strikes were called in and simulated rocket launches against targets on the ground were conducted.
This round of tests stretches the ability of the Navy and Marines to work together as an integrated team. It determines whether the unit will be certified as "special operations capable" during its upcoming six-month deployment to the Mediterranean Sea.
Most of the exercises originated or ended at sea aboard the three Navy ships that will partner with the Marines during deployment. The Navy provides a mobile launch platform, tactical air control, SEAL commando teams, communications and intelligence links. Navy Captain Terry O'Brien emphasizes how important accurate and up-to-the-minute intelligence is for the unit. "We are a small force," he says. "We can't afford to go in some place and line up for attrition warfare. We have to know what we're up against."
Listen to David Molpus' June 6, 2002, report on the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit's urban assault warfare training.
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Marines "fast rope" from a CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter during a mock raid on a building in downtown Macon, Ga.
Photo: Sgt. Zachary A. Bathon |
June 6, 2002:
Urban Warfare Assault Training
For ground military units, few combat environments are more difficult than cities. The uncertainties of maneuvering through urban traffic, locating unfamiliar buildings and trying to prevent injury to innocent civilians present challenges that require lots of special training.
In the second of his reports on Marine Expeditionary Units, NPR's David Molpus followed one group of Marines through their paces in a mock urban warfare assault on Macon, Ga. As Molpus reports, the exercises are designed to provide the Marines with a heavy dose of reality, with a strong emphasis on anti-terrorism.
Listen to Molpus' April 2, 2002, report on training at Camp Lejeune, N.C..
View a photo gallery of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit.
April 2, 2002: 'Leaning Forward' -- The prospects of terror attacks around the world grow daily, bringing a new sense of urgency to the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, which is training at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
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Sgt. Timothy R. Solum, right, directs members of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit to their firing positions during a practice helicopter raid at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Photo: Sgt. Bryan P. Reed
View a photo gallery.
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Members of the unit usually spend their days loading gear onto helicopters and ships or directing traffic. But these days, as NPR's David Molpus reports for Morning Edition, unit members are taking extra time to practice hand-to-hand combat.
"We've started training a lot harder," Sgt. Glenn Taylor says. "We know something's probably going to happen, so we're preparing for that... The operation tempo has skyrocketed."
In one exercise, the Marines run toward a rubber dummy attached to a pole. The young soldiers jab their bayonets into the dummy's neck, face or groin before twisting the blade and pulling it out quickly. In another drill, Marines take turns flipping a running attacker flat on his back on the hard clay turf of an athletic field.
Over the next few months, Molpus will be following the 24th Expeditionary Unit through its paces as it prepares to ship out this summer.
As Molpus reports, Marine Expeditionary Units -- or MEUs, as they are called -- represent the Pentagon's efforts to deploy missions on short notice, an approach military officials call "leaning forward."
The units are trained to execute more than two dozen types of missions, from conventional landings on a beachhead to special operations deep inside land-locked countries like Afghanistan. Each unit is a self-contained fighting force of 2,200 men and women, including infantry equipped with artillery, tanks, Cobra attack helicopters and transport helicopters to get them ashore.
The big advantage of MEUs is that they are stationed on ships across the globe. They don't need land bases.
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"From the time I'm handed the warning order till I have forces actually executing, I have six hours. And that's quick..."
Col. Richard Mills, commander of the 24th Expeditionary Unit
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Col. Richard Mills, commander of the 24th Expeditionary Unit, says the unit's "forward presence" and rapid response capabilities -- it can be ready to execute an order in hours -- are its "big selling ticket." "From the time I'm handed the warning order till I have forces actually executing, I have six hours. And that's quick..."
The 24th MEU is preparing to deploy in waters near the Middle East this summer.
Other Resources
• 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit
• History of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit
• United States Marine Corps
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