MRF-D Showcases Quick Reaction and Flexibility during Exercise DARRANDARRA 22

Photo By Sgt. Cameron Hermanet | U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Joseph D. Weinstock, a rifleman with 3d Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, Ground Combat Element, Marine Rotational Force-Darwin (MRF-D) 22, crawls to a support by fire position during exercise Darrandarra 22 at Mount Bundey Training Area, NT, Australia, June 15, 2022. Exercise Darrandarra 22 increases MRF-D 22’s readiness to respond to realistic crises throughout a range of military operations within the region. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Cameron Hermanet)  

AUSTRALIA

06.20.2022

Story by Capt. Joseph DiPietro 

Marine Rotational Force - Darwin

DARWIN, AUSTRALIA. – Marine Rotational Force-Darwin (MRF-D) completed Exercise DARRANDARRA 22, a multi-faceted training event to enhance the immediate response capability of MRF-D across the full realm of military operations from June 5 - 20.

DARRANDARRA 22 took place primarily at two locations, the Tiwi Islands north of Darwin, and the Mount Bundey Training Area to the south. Historically, DARRANDARRA served as an embassy reinforcement exercise for MRF-D which also incorporated a non-combatant evacuation. Those elements of training remained in this year’s iteration, with MRF-D ground combat element (GCE) Marines leading the effort to reinforce a simulated embassy on Bathurst Island, the western most of the Tiwis. However, DARRANDARRA 22 took the training a step further and transitioned into a simulated combat situation following the non-combatant evacuation.

“We looked at previous iterations of DARRANDARRA and wanted to expand the scenario to really challenge our exercise force and the command and control of the MAGTF,” said Major Carson Makoski, the MAGTF air officer and lead planner for DARRANDARRA 22. “This year’s exercise design forced the MAGTF to go from low-level operations to high-intensity conflict very quickly, and stressed MAGTF functions such as communications and logistics.”

Led primarily by the GCE, DARRANDARRA 22 started with a distress call from the simulated embassy on Bathurst Island. With support of the U.S. embassy in Canberra, MRF-D personnel learned and executed the necessary procedures to facilitate the simulated reinforcement. MRF-D Marines responded to a series of events including an improvised explosive device attack, a protest, and an infiltration of the compound. Following the infiltration, MRF-D moved role players from the compound to an alternate location on the island, with support of the MV-22 Ospreys, where logistics combat element Marines staged and manned an evacuee control center. The control center operation concluded part one of the exercise.

Throughout this phase of the exercise, a regional security officer representative from Canberra guided Marines through the embassy reinforcement process. While there are separations in jurisdiction and mission between the reinforcing unit and the embassy guards, Marines continue to guard embassies around the world as part of the Marine Security Guard program.

"Coordination with the Embassy Regional Security Officer is critical to effective and synchronized response to a crisis situation, and MRF-D learned a lot about that relationship during DARRANDARRA," said Chief Warrant Officer Tim Teceno, the MRF-D Mobility Officer and former detachment commander at U.S. Embassy Conakry, Guinea and Prague, Czechia. "MSG duty was one of the most rewarding experiences of my career, an experience I encourage all Marines to partake in.”

Following the embassy reinforcement and non-combatant evacuation, MRF-D transitioned to a combat-focused combined arms exercise in the Mount Bundey Training Area, just south of Darwin. In this phase, MRF-D completed a variety of combat and combat support training events, including tactical recovery of aircraft and personnel, rifle platoon live-fire attacks, engineer demolitions, bi-lateral sniper integration, bi-lateral artillery integration, and multiple aviation combat element events.

DARRANDARRA 22 also provided MRF-D an opportunity to practice long range and over-water logistics concepts the unit continues to experiment with. The Tiwi Islands represented the over-water challenge any location in the Indo-Pacific provides MRF-D, and forced the Marines to get creative with resupply techniques.

"MRF-D 22 is working hard to find new, efficient, and flexible ways to enhance every warfighting function,” MRF-D comptroller Lieutenant George Kiernan said. “This is especially the case for our logistics team, who I get to work closely with while exploring and procuring non-standard shipping and transportation assets."

MRF-D utilized a series of non-standard connectors and platforms to accomplish resupply requirements. These connectors included civilian barges, Australian landing craft, MV-22 air delivery, and a seaplane contracted by MRF-D to provide food to an isolated unit.

For questions regarding this story, please contact the Marine Rotational Force-Darwin media inquiry email address at [e-mail]. Imagery from this rotation and previous can be found at dvidshub.net/unit/MRF-D.

• Date Taken: 06.20.2022
• Date Posted: 06.22.2022 19:30
• Story ID: 423478
• Location: AU