Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Chris Fahey | From right, Utilitiesman 3rd Class Samantha Buehler from Naval Mobile Construction...... read more read more
FORT HUNTER LIGGETT, Calif. - More than 550 Seabees from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 3 successfully completed a field training exercise (FTX), putting their collective motto of Construimus, Batuimus, or “We Build, We Fight,” to the test at Fort Hunter Liggett, Calif., May 9-28.
Operating nearly three weeks across 165,000-acres of Liggett’s rugged terrain, FTX tested the Port Hueneme, Calif.,-based battalion’s ability to enter hostile locations, build assigned construction projects and defend against enemy attacks.
“The FTX is what we use to evaluate our skills and perfect our tactical proficiencies,” said NMCB 3 Command Master Chief Percy Trent. “This is our step-off point. We need to be ready for deployment and this exercise made that happen.”
Seabee deployments are task-tailored and often take service members to land-locked areas not visited by the traditional seagoing Navy. Seabee missions range from digging water wells in Cambodia to building operating bases in Afghanistan.
FTX prepares the battalion using realistic scenarios and is on par with some of the most arduous training conducted in the military.
Seabees manage tactical weapons systems, operate armored vehicles and employ large-load construction equipment in hostile environments. As a battalion, these things are performed simultaneously, turning the entire process of completing either FTX or a deployment into a meticulous ballet of purposeful action, intelligent decision making and poise under fire.
“At the end of each FTX, you take a look around and ask, ‘What did we learn?’” said NMCB 3 Commanding Officer Cmdr. Scott Raymond. “During this FTX, we learned a lot. We learned what we do well, that we can work effectively in 105-degree black-flag weather, what our sailors need with regard to fine-tuned training, and that we’re ready to deploy. At the end of the day, that’s why we are here. It was a great training event, and we are all happy to get home to our families after three weeks in the field.”
Among the core components evaluated during FTX, command and control, communication and logistics are among the most important. The commanding officer must be able to communicate with troops as they pass intelligence, maneuver throughout the operating area and reinforce the battalion with supplies.
In addition, scenarios mimicking key leader engagements currently performed in areas such as Afghanistan and Africa take the battalion’s leadership into a mock community filled with paid actors for face-to-face interaction with the town’s elders. They must correctly demonstrate how to build vital partnerships and provide humanitarian assistance.
“It’s a total evaluation of everything we do, and that’s good. We need that,” said NMCB 3 Executive Officer Lt. Cmdr. Susanne Wienrich. “We are trusted to do a very specific and difficult job. It’s important we do it right.”
Contingency-based missions place high stakes on the battalion’s junior troops whose average age ranges from 19-21 years old. These men and women are trained in their basic area of construction and engineering then receive defensive Marine Corps combat training.
During FTX, the troops demonstrated to more than 100 evaluators from Naval Construction Group (NCG) 1 and Naval Construction Training Center (NCTC) – both based at Port Hueneme – how to engage mock attackers using the M4 and M16 rifles, the M240B and Mk2 .50-caliber machine guns and the Mk19 grenade launcher.
To ensure NMCB 3’s training and evaluation was as complete as possible, NCG 1 employed “aggressors,” consisting of either government contractors or active-duty service members. Using projectile-free ammunition, or blanks, they attacked NMCB 3’s defensive patrols, convoys and guards standing sentry watches.
“If they fail, we fail,” said NCG 1 Safety Evaluator Builder 1st Class Joseph McFadden. “That’s our motto.”
Aggressors also performed simulated sniper attacks and posed as civilians trying to gain access to the base.
“When a battalion passes FTX, I’m proud they can go out, do their job and return home safe,” said McFadden. “It’s tough out here, but it’s tougher on deployment. This is where we get it right. We are all Seabees. We are expected to succeed and will always get the job done.”
The last NMCB 3 convoy returning to Port Hueneme is slated for Tuesday, May 28. Their arrival will mark the official return of all NMCB 3 equipment and personnel.
Seabee battalions provide commanders and Navy component commanders with combat ready warfighters capable of general engineering, construction and limited combat engineering across the full range of military operations.
Fort Hunter Liggett is the largest installation in the Army Reserve, with more than 160,000 acres of mountains, valleys, rivers, plains and forests. It provides maneuver areas and state of the art training facilities for active and reserve Army units, and for all components of the Department Defense and several allied nations.
| Date Taken: | 05.24.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 05.24.2013 19:14 |
| Story ID: | 107563 |
| Location: | FORT HUNTER LIGGETT, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 271 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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