PENANJONG GARRISON, TUTONG, Brunei -- Royal Brunei Land Force service members and U.S. Marines train for military operations on urban terrain during exercise Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training Nov. 13 at the Penanjong Garrison.
CARAT 2014 is a nine-country, bilateral exercise series between the U.S., Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand and Timor-Leste.
“MOUT training is very important, because most combat takes in today’s world takes place in urban areas,” said RBLF Lt. Syuiab Hjmeraj, a platoon commander with 1st Battalion, RBLF. “This training is a big adjustment for us, because our main focus was jungle warfare before this.”
Throughout the course of the week, U.S. Marines trained with RBLF service members in MOUT tactics, techniques and procedures that have been developed and refined following several years of urban warfare. They participated in classes covering topics such as learning to clear entire buildings, and how to do so through windows and doorways, as well as by moving through individual rooms.
“MOUT was largely introduced to the Marine Corps in Vietnam and became a priority during the war in Iraq which saw Marines going from building to building,” said U.S. Marine Sgt. Jordan M. Nold, a squad leader with 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment currently attached to 4th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force under the unit deployment program. “[This training provides] a three-dimensional look at an urban environment, and gives us the ability to effectively clear an area in all dimensions on the streets, in the buildings, on the rooftops and anywhere else that there may be a threat.”
The bilateral training provided all the service members involved the opportunity to compare tactics and techniques to further improve on current methods and develop new ways of operating, according to U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Luke A. Racavich, a rifleman with 2nd Bn., 9th Marines.
“Looking at the way we normally do MOUT and comparing with the way someone else does it, is probably one of the best ways to learn these kinds of tactics,” said Racavich, a rifleman with 2nd Bn., 9th Marines. “There’s a lot of different ways you can go about clearing a building, and I’ve learned more than a few new ways to do that throughout this training.”
The CARAT maritime exercise series promotes regional security cooperation, mutual understanding, and enhances interoperability among participating forces. This is achieved through partnership and bilateral training that allows those involved to also share their culture with one another and strengthen relationships.
“They were very eager to learn,” said Racavich. “[Everyone] gets excited while training, and we have to slow down a bit, but they did really well. I was actually surprised that there wasn’t much of a language barrier, but they were very kind, liked to hold conversation and just overall good people.”