Talisman Saber 2007; Americans and Australians join forces in the Australian winter

		23rd Marine Regiment brings more to chow than MRE’s 24th Marines cover Chilean coast by convoy 24th Marines train in heart of Chilean Marine history 3/25’s Marines play MOUT insurgents at Raspberry City Belle Chasse helicopter squadron readies for deployment Combat simulators grow more sophisticated Conway adds book to reading list for Marines Field Food Service Support Marines brighten days with hot chow Lance corporals get a new MCI Marines hit the mark alongside Chilean brothers-in-arms Marines offload, train in Chilean desert Martial Arts Program makes its mark in Chile MFR honors mayor with ceremonial shell casing MFR names civilian of the year MNF-W Marine lives double life of heroism Ohio town dedicates memorial plaza in honor of hometown hero Peru’s Marine Headquarters welcomes 24th Marines Reserve Marines reinforce 2nd Supply Reserve unit conducts training Responsive corpsman honored by 24th Marines Service members bring training, humanitarian aid to Senegal Smooth logistics usher Marines into Peru Study: Overhaul VA disability ratings system Talisman Saber 2007; Americans and Australians join forces in the Australian winter Task Force 24 reaches out to Chilean needy They take a licking, but keep on ticking – 25th Marine Regiment holds their own despite being outnumbered Training enhanced through exchanges in Chile Two Marines, part of Boston’s finest, are sent to Australia in support of Talisman Saber `07 U.S., Peruvian Marines seize the objective in expeditionary ops
News - 2007.06

Talisman Saber 2007; Americans and Australians join forces in the Australian winter Story by Capt. Paul L. Greenberg	Brig. Gen. John M. Croley, Commander of Marine Corps Forces South, stands outside Camp Growl at Shoalwater Bay Training Area in Queensland, Australia. Crowley was the overall commander of the opposition forces during exercise Talisman Saber 2007. (Official USMC photo by Sgt. Johnathan D. Herring) Croley stated that, although the uncommonly cold and wet weather provided many difficulties in terms of communications and logistics, the venue was ideal for the exercise. “Shoalwater Bay is as large as the European state of Belgium and provides varying terrain and an amphibious operating area and also several airfields that we can work out of in an expeditionary sense. So for us and the coalition forces, this offers many training opportunities … This has been one of the finest training complexes that I’ve ever worked in.” The troops faced almost constant rain and average low temperatures of about 52 degrees Fahrenheit during the entire force-on-force phase. The mud was ankle-deep in parts of the Military Operation in Urban Terrain site in Raspberry City, where RCT-25 was headquartered for one week. Col. Michael Belcher commanded RCT-25, comprised primarily of Marine Reservists. Their mission was to progressively drain combat power from their enemy and force them to assume a defensive posture or withdraw from the battle area. Information operations were also utilized to simulate the creation of a political environment hostile to the enemy. Belcher praised the hard work and skill of his troops who “have shown unique capabilities and characteristics that are essential on a modern battlefield. They artfully combined both their military occupational specialty expertise and civilian occupations experience to form a dynamic force.” Marine Reservists typically work full-time civilian jobs and attend drills at a Marine reserve center one weekend a month and deploy for annual training which routinely lasts about two weeks. They can also be mobilized and sent to fight alongside active duty forces overseas. Most of the Marine Reservists who took part in Talisman Saber 2007 extended their annual training from three to as long as five weeks. Belcher explained that the reservists bring skill sets from civilian professions in administration, law enforcement, education, health care, agriculture, transportation and other key fields. These skills can be directly applied to their military occupations. As TS-07 draws to a close, Marine Reservists return to their communities throughout the United States, and active-duty troops redeploy to their home bases around the world. This exercise brought together an array of warriors from two countries and forged them into a formidable fighting force that is ready to respond to any crisis anywhere in the world. “This marks a milestone for the 4th Marine Division,” said Belcher. “We accomplished our mission of preparing our Marines to fight battles and win wars.”
SHOALWATER BAY, Australia (June 30, 2007) -- U.S. Marines from Marine Forces Reserve units throughout the United States are taking part in Talisman Saber 2007 (TS-07), a combined joint exercise between U.S. and Australian armed forces held here from June 18 to July 3. This exercise showcases some of the world’s best-trained troops, modern-day equipment and cutting-edge military technology in the unique Australian landscape. TS-07 brings all branches of the U.S. military together with the Australian Defence Force to conduct simulated combat missions designed to enhance interoperability and improve regional security in the Global War on Terror. Approximately 20,000 U.S. and 7,500 Australian military personnel are participating in TS-07. More than 1,700 troops are in Marine Forces Reserve units from 11 states. The exercise’s battle scenario revolves around two opposing armies: the blue force, a coalition of Australian and American units, and the red force, the fictional “Kamarian” military. The 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, with augments from various active duty and reserve Marine units and all branches of the Australian Defence Force, formed Combined Task Force Legais (CTF Legais), the blue force. The red force contained elements of the III Marine Expeditionary Force (III MEF) Command Element, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, and Marine Aircraft Group 12 augmented by 4th Marine Aircraft Wing. The 25th Marine Regiment constituted the core of Regimental Combat Team-25 (RCT-25), the ground combat element. The red force was also augmented by several III MEF support units from Okinawa, Japan, as well as U.S. Army and Navy personnel. In this scenario, the Kamarian red force moved a large military contingent into the neighboring country of Legais (Shoalwater Bay Training Area). Among other human rights violations, the Kamarians were accused of genocide, promoting international terrorism and supporting the overthrow of the legitimate Legais government to establish a Kamarian-sponsored dictatorship. The United Nations Security Council mandated the notional blue force to take all necessary measures to remove the Kamarians from Legais and restore the constitutional monarchy which ruled the country since its independence from Australia in 1968. The blue force conducted an amphibious landing at 3 a.m. June 20, at Freshwater Beach on the northeast coast of Australia in Shoalwater Bay Training Area and moved inland. Simultaneously, they launched an airborne assault at a drop zone in the northwestern section of the training area. The red force mounted opposition from the air, land and sea. A major naval battle also took place between the red and blue force ships in the Coral Sea and Shoalwater Bay concurrently. The blue forces, which had a significant advantage in personnel and equipment, were on the offensive throughout the exercise. The red forces aggressively defended Legais with all available assets and current-day tactics, according to Brig. Gen. John M. Croley, red force commander . Croley, like many of the Marines he commanded, is a Marine Reservist. As deputy commander of Marine Corps Forces South, his career has spanned more than 30 years, 23 of which he has been a reservist. “Talisman Saber is run every two years and with increasing levels of participation and tactical challenges, and this year, I think it went very well,” said Croley.