PORT HUENEME, Calif. – Seabees from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 4 participated in the Naval Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC) Integrated Exercise, or NIEX, from May 12 to 23 on board Naval Base Ventura County, Port Hueneme, Calif.
“The purpose of the NIEX,” said Lt. Cmdr. Michael Guzzi, operations officer for NMCB 4. “Is to get the NECC units to work together as one adaptive force package, under the umbrella of a naval expeditionary force.”
NMCB 4 participated in the “table top” exercise as a construction force providing humanitarian aid to a nation devastated by natural disasters. No construction operations were preformed but the planning was completed as would have been done in an actual disaster.
“The most challenging part of the exercise was the coordinate piece,” said Chief Engineering Aid Alwin Lau, one of the watchstanders during the exercise. “It can be a challenge contacting the contacting the correct people when they are spread over multiple time zones.”
“Overall the team performed outstanding,” said Guzzi. “The challenge was working in a simulated crisis environment with twelve other units from across NECC.”
“We gained valuable experience,” said Guzzi. “Working with the other ‘tribes’ of the Navy and honed our command and control skills which will serve us well on the upcoming deployment.”
“It helped that we just came back from our field training exercise,” said Lau. “So we already had the mindset of being in the [Command Operations Center (COC)], then if we had to do this exercise right after deployment having not gone through any of our previous training. We actually had all of the training first, and then had the exercise after.”
As NMCB 4 makes its final preparations prior to their August deployment, the successful completion of the NIEX brings the command one step closer.
| Date Taken: | 05.30.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 06.10.2014 10:31 |
| Story ID: | 132660 |
| Location: | PORT HUENEME, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 48 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, NMCB 4 Participates in the NIEX, by PO1 Charles Panter, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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