US Marine, New Zealand, Canadian service members exchange weapons during foreign weapons training

Photo By Sgt. Sarah Anderson | New Zealand Army Pvt. Cameron Dalley, a rifleman with Company Landing Team 5, shoots a Canadian C7A2 service rifle at Range 7 in Pohakuloa Training Area as part of Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) Exercise 2014. The C7A2 service rifle is the primary weapon used in the Canadian Army. Service members from New Zealand, Canada and U.S. Marine Corps exchanged weapons for foreign weapons training. Twenty-two nations, more than 40 ships and submarines, about 200 aircraft and 25,000 people are participating in RIMPAC from June 26 to Aug. 1 in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California. The world's largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity that helps participants foster and sustain the cooperative relationships that are critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world's oceans. RIMPAC 2014 is the 24th exercise in the series that began in 1971. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Sarah Dietz/Released)  

POHAKULOA TRAINING AREA, HI, UNITED STATES

07.20.2014

Story by Sgt. Sarah Anderson 

U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific

POHAKULOA TRAINING AREA, Hawaii - Company Landing Team 5, made up of New Zealand, Canadian and U.S. Marine Corps service members conducted foreign weapons training at Range 7 in Pohakuloa Training area July 20 on the Big Island during Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) Exercise 2014.

RIMPAC is the largest maritime exercise in the Pacific region, consisting of 22 nations and more than 25,000 people. Many of the coalition forces were broken up into five CLTs to conduct ground operations across the Hawaiian Islands.

The Canadians, with Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry and U.S. Marines with Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, were introduced to the IW Steyr AUG rifle, New Zealand Army’s main service rifle. The multinational group shared gear and range drills to introduce new techniques to the different militaries.

“We are a coalition company, and we have a lot of soldiers who have never used coalition weapons before,” said New Zealand Sgt. Maj. Ian Hauraki, training warrant officer with CLT-5. “We are out here trying different methods and styles of shooting, if they work for us, we will take them back with us and vice versa.”

Canadian Army Cpl. James Brown, infantryman with CLT-5 and native of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, said his soldiers are building technique and experience by learning from other nations' militaries.

“Knowing more than one weapons system makes you a better shooter,” Brown said. “It is a first time a lot of these guys have worked with the Marines and Kiwis. It is a good experience.”

New Zealand service members were also given the opportunity to fire the C7A2 service rifle, a weapon primarily used by the Canadian Army and similar to the Marine Corps’ M16A2 service rifle.

“It’s pretty fun seeing the weapons our friendly forces are using,” said New Zealand Army Pvt. Bradley Tekuiti, infantryman with CLT-5. “(The C7A2) is quite light and is held closer to the body, the shoot was a good time.”

The training introduced the soldiers and Marines to a new way of conducting training and provided a better understanding of each nation’s procedures.

“The way (the New Zealand soldiers) ran the range was like a modified Marine Corps Table 3 and 4. It was good training,” said Lance Cpl. Joshua Rios, squad leader with Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment and CLT-5. “It was a fun shoot.”

A focus of RIMPAC is to provide multilateral training to familiarize forces should they need to conduct operations together in the future and create stronger bonds to enhance security in the Pacific.

“This is bringing the coalition together,” Hauraki said. “We have a good team here and everyone brings something worthwhile to the table.”

The five CLTs will conduct ranges at PTA until July 27 and will conduct a final assault to finish RIMPAC 2014 in various locations across the Hawaiian Islands.

• Date Taken: 07.20.2014
• Date Posted: 07.25.2014 16:30
• Story ID: 137348
• Location: POHAKULOA TRAINING AREA, HI, US
• Hometown: VICTORIA, BC, CA