The sun sets and rain begins to fall as Marines with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit Maritime Raid Force prepare for a long and rigorous night of Close Quarters Tactics training at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, June 7, 2017.
Marines used M4A1 carbine rifles modified for close quarter combat along with the M45A1 pistol to conduct the raids against a simulated oppositional force, using the shadows as concealment.
“We are working on our close quarter tactics and we are working into the night, so we can get better at conducting raids at night and getting familiar with our night vision goggles,” said Staff Sgt. Eric Masters, a team leader with the unit. “The instructors at EOTG did a great job at making this a very dynamic course by implementing martial arts, shooting and tactics in the house as well as providing us with the tools we need to do our job.”
The course consisted of Marines using breaching techniques to make an entry into a house, followed by a raid using live-ammunition on simulated targets all under the cover of night, said Sgt. Beau Smith, an Expeditionary Operations Training Group instructor. This type of training makes the Marines more lethal at night as well as preparing them for upcoming training such as visit board, search and seizure and for deployments and contingencies they may face.
The MRF is a recon asset that provides the MEU with a variety of capabilities such as surveillance, reconnaissance, visit, board, search and seizure, maritime security and ship board raid. These capabilities make the MEU more combat effective in a spectrum of operations.
The 26th MEU has supported a variety of military operations for decades and continues to adapt to the demands of warfare by providing Marines with versatile training based on current events in order to meet the demands of a Marine Air-Ground Task Force for the purpose of mission accomplishment.