Photo By Staff Sgt. Brittney Vella | Cpl. Clayton Abbott, a Marine with Scout Sniper Platoon, Weapons Company, 2nd...... read more read more
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MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII - Marines with 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment and soldiers with 643rd Engineer Company, 84th Engineer Battalion, Schofield Barracks, tested out Battery Bluff, a new urban terrain, unknown-distance range aboard Kaneohe Bay Range Training Facility, March 5, 2015.
Also known as Range 1, the unknown-distance range trains service members not only in marksmanship but puts them in a realistic setting, forcing them to make quick decisions in an uncontrolled environment. Battery Bluff is equipped with 20 stationary infantry targets and 13 mobile infantry targets. The range will assist in the base’s combat readiness as a whole and is a direct representation of the commander’s focus.
“I want to provide the best training support possible,” said Col. Eric W. Schaefer, the commanding officer of Marine Corps Base Hawaii. “(Battery Bluff) will enhance effectiveness and efficiency to ensure the base and the Marines and sailors stationed here are constantly improving.”
Ralph Scott, the MCB Hawaii range safety officer and range project manager, said while Marines have a legacy of great marksmanship, this range provides Marines a chance to hone the critical skill of engaging the moving targets.
“(Battery Bluff) gives the commander an opportunity to challenge his Marines,” Scott said. “(As far as I know), the Marine Corps as a whole is truly suffering when it comes to hitting moving targets. The range will (give units) training in that area and help them (improve).”
Cpl. Matthew Linskey, a Marine with Scout Sniper Platoon, 2nd Bn., 3rd Marines and one of the first service members to use Battery Bluff, said the range was spot on. He said he was very impressed.
The range gave the Marines and soldiers a chance to engage targets from different angles and unknown distances, forcing them to make quick decisions.
The engineers began working on the range Aug. 5. According to Scott, they built 10 dirt berms and concrete walls to protect the target system, and 18 plywood building-fronts to simulate houses and offices. The mobile targets change position behind each of the buildings, which simulates a target running between structures such as housing or storefronts.
The project cost approximately $1.4 million, but approximately $1.5 million was saved using Army engineers to design and build the range.
The soldiers who constructed the range had never built towers before and it was a huge learning experience for them, said Sgt. 1st Class Derek Burleson, with the 643rd Engineer Co., 84th Engineer Bn. He said not only did they improve their skills from a construction standpoint; but they were also able to improve their marksmanship shooting alongside the Marines.
“Being an engineer we don’t get to do the advanced shooting,” Burleson said. “Shooting at different targets from all different angles is much different from (shooting in the prone position) in a foxhole.”
The new range is expected to improve Hawaii and all that come to train aboard it.
“Today (went) awesome,” said Chief Warrant Officer 2 James Robertson, the range control officer in charge and Marine gunner. “We are only scratching the surface of what the range is capable of. When I talk about no shoot, shoot scenarios — (for service members) being on towers in a simulated combat environment, surging forward and having to make quick decisions by identifying if a target is a friend or foe, then engaging that target within five to 10 seconds.”
The range is also available to government organizations. Those who are interested in using Battery Bluff can contact the base range control at 257-3180.
| Date Taken: | 03.13.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 03.13.2015 16:36 |
| Story ID: | 156993 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, HI, US |
| Web Views: | 317 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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