Photo By Lance Cpl. Adam Trump | U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Vincent Delpriore fires an M240B machine gun during...... read more read more
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CAMP FUJI, GOTEMBA, JAPAN – U.S. Marines with 2d Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment executed exercise Fuji Viper 24.3 in Japan, May 22 to July 2, 2024, while forward deployed under the Unit Deployment Program (UDP) with 4th Marine Regiment, 3d Marine Division. The Fuji Viper exercise series enables UDP Battalions to conduct combined arms live-fire training that is not possible at many other locations within Japan and provides the opportunity to maintain, generate, and highlight readiness and lethality within the first island chain.
Operating at Camp Fuji, the Marines and sailors of 2/8 rehearsed seizing and holding key maritime terrain and conducted live-fire ranges to improve their accuracy and comfortability with different weapons systems, terrain, and scenarios.
During the exercise, Marines executed a variety of training evolutions including land navigation, Military Operations on Urban Terrain (MOUT), force-on-force, infiltration operations, combat marksmanship ranges, machine gun ranges, a demolitions range, a high explosives range, platoon level defenses, and a mobile defense in a Jungle environment, reinforcing the well-known Marine Corps mantra, “any clime and place.” The Marines overcame numerous challenges presented by the unfamiliar terrain.
“The primary goal of Fuji Viper is to maintain and improve skills,” said Cpl. Antonio Perales, a rifleman with 2/8. “This environment tested us in many ways and makes sure we are ready to deploy to any place regardless of climate. If any potential adversaries decide to engage us in the INDOPACIFIC, we will be ready.”
While overcoming the harsh jungle terrain and weather, the Marines of 2/8 mastered non-verbal communication in order to carry out and complete their mission throughout their platoon level defense, MOUT, and infiltration operations. The Marines are rotationally deployed away from their home station of Camp Lejeune North Carolina for six months to gain experience operating in a jungle environment that is prevalent in much of the Indo-Pacific.
“This environment is a drastic change from where we usually train,” said Cpl. Gabriel Sutton, a squad leader with 2/8. “Where we train in Lejeune, it’s flat and open, but here when you get to the jungle and more hilly (or) mountainous areas. It’s much more in-depth with your route planning. You have to be much more aware of how your Marines perform moving through this terrain.”
The U.S. Marines demonstrated each respective military occupational specialty’s (MOS) approach to MOUT training, in which riflemen and mortarmen shared tactics and experiences to discover the most efficient way to achieve their objectives. Additionally, the Marines conducted live-fire ranges, working together to successfully display small-unit leadership capabilities in various scenarios.
“No matter where we are or what we’re doing, we are always training for the next potential adversary,” said Lance Cpl. Cage Clack, a rifleman with 2/8. “The way to assess the overall lethality of a unit is the ability of that unit to maneuver terrain and complete the mission.”
The Marines’ training at Fuji Viper culminated with a platoon level defense and mobile defense scenarios that included a variety of MOSs including rifleman, mortarman, machine gunners, combat engineers, and scout snipers, combining all the skills the Marines rehearsed throughout their time at Camp Fuji.
“Fuji Viper demonstrated we can integrate our warfighting functions throughout the Marine Air-Ground Task Force,” said Sgt. Anderson Ryan, a mortarman with 2/8. “During our time in the Camp Fuji training area we were able to identify and improve in the Jungle Environment.”
| Date Taken: | 07.23.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 08.20.2024 02:33 |
| Story ID: | 476796 |
| Location: | CAMP FUJI, JP |
| Web Views: | 480 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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