PORT HUENEME, Calif. - U.S. Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 4 trained 35 Seabees on practical and leadership skills at the Tactical Unit Leader Course (TULC) at Naval Base Ventura County (NBVC) and Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, July 7-17.
The Seabees, ranging from first class petty officers to lieutenants, attended the course taught by Marines assigned to Naval Construction Group (NCG) 1, to practice tactics for contingency operations and to develop and improve leadership skills. Known for their construction capabilities, construction battalions are also required to be self-sufficient and mobile during contingency operations. Training was conducted on defensive operations, including securing a perimeter, protecting supply routes and performing patrols.
Lt. j.g. Benjamin Rowe thought the hands-on training taught many valuable lessons.
“It showed me how important making a good plan is to enable the unit to prepare and execute the mission,” said Rowe.
The training included a week of classroom instruction at NBVC Port Hueneme, focusing on the fundamentals of defensive operations and writing orders. The field exercises commenced at Camp Pendleton with land navigation and defensive planning. Teams traversed the hills of the Santa Ana Mountains armed with satellite imagery maps and compasses to locate specific grid points, testing navigation skills that patrols must master to be effective. They also planned defensive operations using key terrain features to practice the application of standard operating procedures, tactics, and capabilities.
At NBVC Point Mugu, instructors led convoy-based scenarios using a combination of real equipment and virtual reality technology to synthesize a combat environment. In the simulator, real High Mobility Multiple Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWV) are surrounded by screens depicting the battlespace. The scenario responds to notional movement by the HMMWV as the driver steers or accelerates. Modified M16 rifles and a .50-caliber machine gun use infrared sensors to track shots fired by the participants. Instructors control the scenario in response to actions of the Seabees, creating a realistic environment for safe training.
“It was great to practice the basics and understand what [a Convoy Security Element] does each and every day,” said Rowe. “Plus, we got to shoot the crew-served weapons.”
For more news from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 4, visit www.public.navy.mil/necc/1ncd/Pages/NMCB4 or follow NMCB 4 on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NMCB4
| Date Taken: | 07.17.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 07.30.2015 16:37 |
| Story ID: | 171646 |
| Location: | PORT HUENEME, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 164 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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