15th MEU coordinates command and control

Photo By Master Sgt. Theresa Seng | Bridgeport, Calif. – Cpl. Christopher C. Russell, an intelligence analyst with the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit command element, gets some driving hours in a highly mobile multipurpose wheeled vehicle at the Mountain Warfare Training Center Oct. 12-26, 2016. The 15th MEU CE took the opportunity to validate roles, responsibilities and functions in commanding and controlling subordinate units prior to their deployment next year. The Marines and sailors also took the opportunity to work outside of the comfort zones to improve the flexibility of the force.  

BRIDGEPORT, CA, UNITED STATES

10.27.2016

Story by 1st Lt. Maida Zheng 

15th Marine Expeditionary Unit

BRIDGEPORT, Calif. – The 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit participated in Mountain Exercise 6-16 at the Mountain Warfare Training Center in Bridgeport from Oct. 14-28, 2016.
Known for its austere location and approximately 46,000 acres of terrain with elevations ranging from 6,000 feet to 12,000 feet, the MWTC is the prime location for elements of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force to train across all warfighting functions and enhance overall combat capability.
During this training the 15th MEU focused its efforts on enhancing the combat operations center, also known as COC, and led the command element staff through several scenarios utilizing the Rapid Response Planning Process.
“We tested our ability to set up a COC far from the comfort of our own backyard,” said Maj. Troy Van Zummeren, the 15th MEU deputy operations officer. “This proved to be a great learning experience as it showed us how we can work through some rough patches, identify issues and further enhance the things we do well.”
To best employ R2P2, a unit must develop capabilities in four areas—integrated planning cells, planning and operations standard operating procedures, intelligence, and information management. If one of these areas is lacking, effective rapid planning may not be achieved.
Medical planning is just one of the essential elements of the planning process where the Marines and sailors were tested in their ability to respond with alacrity and precision.
“We practiced providing care in an arduous environment and even worked with civilian personnel in order to complete casualty evacuations,” said Navy Lt. Megan Hinton, 15th MEU medical planner. “This was an amazing training opportunity and awesome for the sailors in the Shock Trauma Platoon and Battalion Aid Station.”
The 15th MEU is currently in its pre-deployment work up stage. Mountain Exercise 6-16 enabled the command element the ability to work together as a team prior to the official composite of the MEU, which will consist of a combination of air, ground and logistics forces.
The MEU is the nation’s crisis response force of choice operating continuously across the globe and providing the president and the unified combatant commanders with a forward-deployed, flexible sea-based MAGTF with the distinct ability of amphibious forces to gain access to critical areas anywhere in the world enabling the Navy-Marine Corps team to shape actions across the range of military operations to resolve conflict, conduct humanitarian assistance or combat the enemy in remote, austere environments that would otherwise be inaccessible.

• Date Taken: 10.27.2016
• Date Posted: 11.09.2016 19:29
• Story ID: 214321
• Location: BRIDGEPORT, CA, US