II MEF EOTG conducts VBSS training with 26th MEU during PMINT

MOREHEAD CITY , NC, UNITED STATES

02.01.2023

Story by 1st Lt. Andrew Soto 

II MEF Information Group

MOREHEAD CITY, N.C. – Marines and sailors with Expeditionary Operations Training Group stationed on Stone Bay, Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C., evaluated the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit’s (MEU) ability to conduct visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) aboard the TSV-2 Hugo (training support vessel) as part of Amphibious Squadron Integration Training (PMINT), Jan. 26, 2023.

EOTG instructors from the special tactics branch trained the students of the two-week course on how to execute VBSS when dealing with ships that are seen to be compliant, non-compliant and opposed. The students were also taught measures needed to safely and effectively deal with ship crews that demonstrate resistance. Following the course, the Marines and sailors of the 26th MEU and the Amphibious Readiness Group (ARG) conducted a VBSS and were evaluated within a training scenario.

“The training you see taking place off the coast here is the first of many (maritime intercept operations) – full mission profile evolutions that EOTG will facilitate for the 26th MEU along the eastern seaboard as they continue to ramp up their pre-deployment training with their Navy counter-parts,” said Marine Corps Maj. Christopher Love, the Special Tactics Branch officer-in-charge at EOTG.

“In order to make the training as realistic as possible, the EOTG cadre boarded the TSV-2 in port, where they loaded a crew of role-players and cargo. Upon departure from the port, they are “in scenario” and the ARGMEUs plan for the MIO evolution is put to the test.”

Navy and Marine Corps personnel conduct VBSS to combat terrorism, piracy and smuggling. These types of operations can also be used to capture enemy vessels and to conduct inspections, such as customs and safety, in order to enforce international law and ensure that vessels are sea-worthy.

“VBSS is the tactics, techniques, and procedures that the boarding team uses when carrying out maritime interception operations and requires interoperability and naval integration to successfully carry out,” said Marine Corps Master Sgt. David Nisbeth, the Special Tactics Branch senior non-commissioned officer at EOTG.

“PMINT is the first the ARG and MEU get to put the whole blue/green team together to conduct a MIO, which takes synchronization of all elements to include surface and air assets to execute successfully.”

MIO/VBSS operations have an application across all levels of the competition continuum which combatant commanders can use as a flexible response option. During steady-state operations, MIO/VBSS is used to seize narcotics and lethal aid shipments to violent extremist organizations. This prevents bad actors from funding and arming their operations, which in turn prevents armed conflict. During major combat operations, MIO/VBSS can be used to seize key maritime terrain, protect commercial shipping lanes, and protect the fleet.

PMINT is part of the training evaluation that makes up the MEU pre-deployment training program hosted by EOTG to train and evaluate deploying MEUs and is designed to build confidence and capabilities through increasingly more complex situations and environments. By the end of the pre-deployment training program, the Marines and sailors of the 26th MEU, in partnership with their Navy teammates, will be able to serve as a formidable deterrent operating from the sea, capable of conducting missions across the full range of military operations.


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• Date Taken: 02.01.2023
• Date Posted: 02.14.2023 16:41
• Story ID: 438481
• Location: MOREHEAD CITY , NC, US