MORON AIR BASE, Spain -- U.S. Marines with Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Crisis Response and soldiers from the Spanish Army combined together for bilateral training April 28 to May 1 at Cabo Noval Barracks, Asturias, Spain.
A platoon of Marines from Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 8th Marines – which is the ground combat element for SP-MAGTF Crisis Response – spent four days training with a platoon from their Spanish counterparts with the Light Infantry Battalion. This training was planned to sustain both units’ infantry skills while also developing the relationships necessary for future engagements.
The event began when the GCE Marines inserted into a helicopter landing zone via MV-22B Osprey. Once on the ground, they consolidated with the Spanish forces and proceeded to conduct a bilateral reinforcement of a simulated embassy compound.
The training was designed to mirror one type of operation which SP-MAGTF Crisis Response may be tasked with. They conduct regular training such as this to hone their capabilities in the event rapid response support is needed to non-combatant evacuation operations, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations, tactical recovery of aircraft and personnel, theater security cooperation or other missions as directed.
“This mission gave us the opportunity to practice many of the skills that we may need if we have to respond to a crisis in Africa,” said 2nd Lt. David Gaffney, the platoon commander for 6th Platoon, Kilo Co. “From inserting by Osprey to quickly reinforcing an embassy while working with host nation partners, this gave us a lot of good practice.”
Other training conducted by the Marines and soldiers included patrolling, room-clearing, foreign weapons familiarization and martial arts instruction. Also, since SP-MAGTF Crisis Response operates out of Moron Air Base, Spain, this training provided the Marines with a chance to integrate themselves with their Spanish hosts.
“It was a great experience for the Marines and the soldiers,” said Gaffney. “It gave them a new outlook on how other nations do things – style of patrolling, fire movement, everything – to see where their proficiencies are and where our proficiencies are.”
The partnered training culminated in a live-fire platoon assault. The Marines provided blocking forces for the Spanish platoon which then assaulted the designated objective. Building familiarity between international partners was critical to the success between the two platoons.
“For the junior Marines, it was good for them to be able to train with the soldiers from another country,” said Gaffney. “The Spanish have been the greatest hosts I’ve ever seen. The Spanish soldiers were professional and a lot of fun to work with and we look forward to working with them in the future.”