Intrepid Maven 23.3 begins in the United Arab Emirates

Photo By Lance Cpl. Angel Ponce | U.S. Marines with Marine Forces Command (MARFORCOM) disembark off an airplane in preparation for a training evolution overseas in the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility (AOR), May 8, 2023. The MARFORCOM detachment is under tactical control of Task Force 51/5 and in support of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Central Command’s exercise Intrepid Maven 23.3. The Intrepid Maven series is designed to improve unit readiness and strengthen partner nation relationships in the CENTCOM AOR. (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Lance Cpl. Angel G. Ponce)  

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

05.15.2023

Story by Capt. Joseph Leitner 

Task Force 51/5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade

United Arab Emirates – More than 100 Marines and Sailors, alongside partnering elements of the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces, are participating in Exercise Intrepid Maven 23.3, set to occur at various locations within the United Arab Emirates this month.

“We are very excited for the opportunity to lead Intrepid Maven 23.3 on behalf of U.S. Marine Forces Central Command and to train with our Emirati military partners in their country,” said Brigadier General Matthew S. Reid, commander, Task Force 51/5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade (Task Force 51/5). “We’re stronger and more capable when we work together to improve conditions for security in this region, and I think this exercise will achieve exactly that” he said. “This iteration of Intrepid Maven affords us an excellent chance to strengthen our military relationship with the United Arab Emirates as well as to improve training and readiness within our own forces.”

Intrepid Maven 23.3 marks the second time CENTCOM has conducted an Intrepid Maven exercise with our partners in the UAE.

As a subordinate element of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Central Command, Task Force 51/5 will provide overall exercise control for Intrepid Maven 23.3. Task Force 51/5 is a Joint Task Force-capable headquarters forward stationed in Bahrain that is led by a Marine Corps Brigadier General and staffed by Marine Corps and Navy professionals. Task Force 51/5 regularly conducts Theater Security Cooperation exercises with partner nations on behalf of United States Central Command (CENTCOM), in line with the 2022 National Defense Strategy.

Exercise Intrepid Maven is a U.S. Marine Corps Forces Central Command-conceptualized and implemented exercise series designed in late 2021, with the first iteration having occurred in Jordan in March 2022. The series, to include IM 23.3, is designed to strengthen partnerships, produce training opportunities, contribute to interoperability, and improve conditions for regional security. Episodic in nature, Intrepid Maven, which occurs with anywhere from one to any of a number of partner nations during each iteration, is a force deployment-tailored training series designed to demonstrate persistence in partnering; to prepare for the demands of a volatile and fluid AOR; to conduct unit-level training in new and challenging areas, spaces and facilities; and to demonstrate service ability to project forces to meet emergent requirements, all with the objective of gaining and maintaining unit readiness, deterring malicious adversary intent and demonstrating global responsiveness for crisis-response and contingencies.

Intrepid Maven 23.3 is the seventh iteration of Exercise Intrepid Maven and will include training in expeditionary airfield operations, close-air support, and infantry-based small-arms employment and maneuver.

• Date Taken: 05.15.2023
• Date Posted: 05.17.2023 03:17
• Story ID: 444909
• Location: AE