31st MEU to participate in Talisman Saber 2015

DARWIN, NT, AUSTRALIA

07.05.2015

Courtesy Story

31st Marine Expeditionary Unit       

DARWIN, Australia - More than 2,000 Marines and Sailors with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit will participate in exercise Talisman Saber 2015, a bilateral exercise taking place in a number of locations in Australia from July 7-18.

Talisman Saber 15 officially kicked off with an opening ceremony at the Darwin Showground July 5, with thousands of local visitors passing through a variety of U.S. and Australian static displays featuring military personnel and equipment, enjoying live music and food from local vendors.

The Marines and sailors of the 31st MEU will train alongside a combined U.S. and Australian force that totals approximately 33,000 personnel in the sixth iteration of Talisman Saber, a biennial exercise designed to enhance bilateral collaboration in support of future combined operations, natural disasters and humanitarian emergency response.

“Talisman Saber offers us the opportunity to enhance our amphibious operations skills while working alongside the Australian Defense Force,” said Col. Romin Dasmalchi, the 31st MEU commanding officer. “Over the next few days, the 31st MEU will demonstrate the full range of our operational amphibious capabilities alongside our Australian allies as we work with them to refine their own amphibious capabilities.”

The 31st MEU forces will train primarily in the maritime areas of the Fog Bay, and the Australian ranges that include Bradshaw Field Training Area.

This year’s iteration will include operational and tactical-level training with a Force Integration Training period as well as simultaneous command post and field training exercises. The culminating event is the amphibious landing on July 11.

The 31st MEU includes more than 2,000 Marines and Sailors, and is comprised of four elements: the command element; Battalion Landing Team 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines as the ground combat element; Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 265 (Reinforced) and Marine Attack Squadron 311 as the aviation combat element; and Combat Logistics Battalion 31 as the logistics combat element.

The 31st MEU provides a forward-deployed, flexible sea-based force capable of conducting amphibious operations, crisis response and limited contingency operations in the Asia-Pacific area. Always ready to respond, the 31st MEU is also prepared to provide humanitarian aid and disaster relief when directed. The 31st MEU is the only continually forward-deployed MEU and remains the Marine Corps’ force-in-readiness in the Asia-Pacific region.

For more information about the deployment of the 31st MEU, follow the MEU on Facebook at www.facebook.com/31stMEU or visit the webpage at: www.31stmeu.marines.usmc.mil.

Media queries may be directed to the Talisman Saber 2015 Combined Joint Information Bureau Director CAPT Bill Salvin at charles.m.bell@navy(.smil).mil; or to Capt. Jennifer Giles, 31st MEU Public Affairs Officer at [e-mail].

• Date Taken: 07.05.2015
• Date Posted: 07.05.2015 23:57
• Story ID: 169108
• Location: DARWIN, NT, AU