“Engineers Up!” U.S. Marines Employ Modular Trackway Bridge

Photo By Sgt. Christian Garcia | U.S. Marines with 2d Combat Engineer Battalion, 2d Marine Division, drive over a viper bridge over a gap during viper bridge training near Ostersund, Sweden, April 17, 2023. Marines are deployed to Norway as part of Marine Rotational Forces Europe 23.1 which focuses on regional engagements throughout Europe by conducting various exercises, arctic cold-weather and mountain warfare training, and military-to-military engagements, which enhance overall interoperability of the U.S. Marine Corps with allies and partners. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Christian M. Garcia)  

SWEDEN

04.20.2023

Story by 2nd Lt. Kevaughn Burney 

U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Europe and Africa     

To respond to 21st century security challenges, our forces will be fast, mobile, able to surge quickly, and not tied to one place or time. The VIPER is a modular bridge system that provides the capability to build bridges for crossing gaps of up to eight meters. The robust and lightweight aluminum design of the bridge allows crossing operations of tracked/wheeled vehicles up to military load class of 40. “With a well-trained unit the bridge can be set-up in under 20-minutes” said Lt Col. Nathan Knowles, the battalion commander for 2d CEB.

The divestment of bridge companies and the Assault Vehicle Launched Bridge impacted gap crossing abilities across the Marine Corps. Divesting tanks decreased the Marine Corps weight requirements for bridge solutions, but it also introduced a requirement for other elements across the department of defense to provide additional support. “We cannot continue to rely on the processes and procedures of yesterday and expect them to meet the challenges and threats of tomorrow” said Gen. David Berger, Commandant of the Marine.

Employment of the VIPER improves the mobility of mechanized units and provides a relatively simple in-stride solution to gap crossing. “We did rehearsals for two days. This was our first time employing the VIPER while traversing a gap in a foreign country” said 1st Lt. Liam Burke, executive officer Engineer Support Company. Employment of the will VIPER increases the readiness and posture of elements across the organization.

• Date Taken: 04.20.2023
• Date Posted: 04.20.2023 16:28
• Story ID: 442957
• Location: SE