PHOENIX – Marines and sailors with the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit trained alongside elements of Marine Corps Forces, Special Operations Command during the 13th MEU’s Realistic Urban Training Exercise in Phoenix, March 2-11, 2018.
Realistic Urban Training is a MEU exercise that provides an opportunity to integrate more advanced individual and unit skills and to develop the 13th MEU’s collective proficiency in challenging and unfamiliar environments. Exercises like RUT provide robust, realistic training to prepare Marines and sailors for deployment in potential urban environments.
“As a MEU, slated to deploy this summer, we expect to be deployed all over the world,” said Col. Chandler Nelms, commanding officer, 13th MEU. “There are many different environments we could end up in; urban being one of them. RUT allows us to prepare for that scenario.”
Integration and interoperability between the MEU and special operations forces provide a joint force commander maximum advantage and operational flexibility. Training together with the Marine Raiders allowed the Marines of the 13th MEU to practice integrating with some of the skill sets special operations units can provide.
The Force Recon Detachment of the 13th MEU conducted urban training in the greater Phoenix area alongside the Raiders.
“RUT has allowed my Marines to further extend and polish their skill sets,” said Capt. Richard Chapman, commanding officer, FRD. “We do not get the opportunity to use all of our skills on a regular basis, so when we have training like RUT, we take full advantage of it.”
The 13th MEU concluded training at RUT and will now move on to training from aboard a ship during Amphibious Squadron-MEU Integration Exercise.
“The success we had during RUT was a result of the Marines and sailors of the 13th MEU’s countless hours of work,” said Nelms. “Their flexibility and ability to adapt to anything that was thrown their way was the reason we succeeded.”
The 13th MEU provides the President and combatant commanders a range of options across the spectrum of military operations. The 13th MEU is a forward deployed, sea-based task force comprised of more than 2,400 Marines and sailors. From combat operations to humanitarian aid and disaster response, the Fighting Thirteenth stands ready to respond to any call.
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