Photo By Sgt. Ed Galo | Marines with Company C, 1st Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, build...... read more read more
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FORT PICKETT, Va. — A whirlwind of dust and debris filled the air as two CH-53 Super Stallion helicopters landed outside of Beasley Village aboard Fort Pickett, Va., Feb. 16. Without pause, Marines and sailors with Company C, 1st Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marines Division, exited the helos and flooded the nearby field, posting security and keeping eyes on the adjacent town. The helicopters lifted, leaving the men one option: investigate the nearby village and win the hearts and minds of those within it.
As part of a unique, groundbreaking counterinsurgency operations training program, the Marines and sailors of 1/9 were immersed in a continually-evolving simulation. For the first time ever, these Marines were a part of an innovative COIN training operation that combined a wide range of organizations currently developing counter-IED doctrine. Several different organizations played a fundamental role in developing the COIN training evolution with the hope of modifying contemporary warfare.
“We are here to help lessen the threat (of IEDs)," said Sophie B. Kohler, a Counter-IED operational Integration Center employee attached to the battalion. “The IED is hidden – that’s how they get Marines and we’re here to lessen that threat.”
With 1/9 spearheading the experimental project, eight counter-IED organizations were brought together, for the first time in one place, to tackle a modern approach to counter-IED training.
“This is the first time we’ve had this many unique assets at our disposal,” said Sgt. Maj. Patrick M. Tracy, the battalion’s sergeant major. “This exercise utilizes every aspect of the battalion from the private first class to the battalion commander.”
After being dropped off by the helicopters, the initial meeting with locals passed quickly, but not before the Marines asked key questions to learn about the concerns of the people and what could be done to improve the quality of their lives. Considering these worries, the Marines drew back into the surrounding area to set up security and patrols.
Never before had a training operation reproduced a village-sized population for a company-level exercise. The residents included more than 125 authentic Afghan role-players who replicated the behavior of foreign nationals, Afghan Army soldiers and insurgents.
With nearly a one-to-one ratio of Marines to role-players, the battalion took the simulation to the next level. The training introduced the Marines to a state of sensory overload so that when their boots hit the ground in Afghanistan, cultural relations would become second nature.
“The training gives Marines the chance to familiarize themselves with and become comfortable talking to foreign nationals,” said Sgt. Michael Saladyga, a squad leader with Company C. “It’s a very beneficial experience for a lot of the junior Marines. Some of them have never been in a combat environment and this will be a good stepping-stone for future deployments.”
The idea of evolving the simulation to replicate real-world events also took an original approach to military COIN training. Much like how Marines are changing the battlefield and individual Afghan communities overseas, the Marines of Charlie Company molded the simulation with their actions. The scenario evolved depending on whom the Marines met and how they interacted with the populace. After capturing a role-playing, mid-level Taliban fighter, the Marines had a new outlet for information, which altered the playing field.
Not only were the role-players acting the part of named insurgents and replicating their behavior, but the concept design of the village itself and the makeup of its inhabitants was another innovative application that 1/9 used to train their Marines. By exploiting genuine threat levels and social data, the COIN exercise was able to recreate the virtual Afghan experience.
“The training environment takes our projected area of operations and bends that data, both enemy and friendly social networks as well as predominant enemy tactics, and replicates that on to Fort Pickett,” said Capt. Gabe L. Diana, the operations officer for 1/9.
Over the course of five days, the company consistently kept Beasley Village in check by helping the local populace, patrolling with Afghan soldiers and keeping an eye out for enemy insurgents and improvised explosive devices.
“There are things that occur within the population that create conditions which lead to a person placing an IED,” said Diana. “These are normally feelings of instability or certain grievances. It’s not all about killing bad guys but about addressing these grievances and nurturing a sustainable economic growth, both in the short and long term.”
The training emphasized cultivating strong relationships with Afghan communities to discourage them from implanting IEDs. By understanding how an IED goes from its funding and creation to its transportation and eventual placement, Marines can successfully defeat the device before it is even crafted.
“There is a process in the IED world and we want to show Marines that if you cut it off at a certain point, you can eliminate the threat,” said Kohler. “The Marines who are going out on these route-clearance patrols need to understand the big picture. What they are doing is important and every patrol has an affect in Afghanistan. Every private first class and lance corporal is an ambassador for the United States.”
As the Marines worked to strengthen relations with the native populace, the actors challenged them by constantly changing the scenario at hand. The role-players would ask the Marines for medical attention or voice concerns about their livelihood and damage caused to the surrounding agriculture. Every step of the way, the Marines were able to adapt and overcome, solving issues and developing an amiable relationship with those they had come to help.
“It keeps you on your toes,” said Lance Cpl. Will H. Liptak, a fire-team leader with Company C. “Tonight we heard that there were insurgents in a village to the west, so instead of waiting for them to come to us, we are setting an ambush. It’s situations like these that show Marines why we need to be proactive.”
When the sun went down, the town became quiet, but still, the ever-vigilant men of Company C patrolled the area and met insurgents head-on, battling simulated small-arms fire during the early morning hours. Simultaneously, intelligence cells at the platoon, company and battalion levels gathered and analyzed information to formulate a plan of attack for the following day. By consistently evaluating every piece of intelligence, the Marines were able to identify high-value targets.
Within a few short days, relations between the two parties had improved. The Marines spent time training with the local Afghan soldiers and offered the inhabitants medical attention and security. As the week-long training came to a close, Beasley Village had become a more stable area. The Marines and sailors of Company C prepared to hand over the ever-changing and continuously evolving scenario to the following company and after assessing their successes and failures, move on to the next portion of the Fort Pickett training evolution.
| Date Taken: | 02.16.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 03.08.2011 09:56 |
| Story ID: | 66672 |
| Location: | FORT PICKETT, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 158 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Counterinsurgency: Fighting the network of terror, by Sgt Jeff Drew, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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