U.S. Marines with 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force soldiers with Reconnaissance Company, Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade, conduct amphibious reconnaissance training during Exercise Iron Fist 2020 on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, Jan. 20-22. Iron Fist is an annual, bilateral training exercise between U.S. and Japanese forces that builds their combined ability to conduct amphibious and land-based contingency operations. (U.S. Marine Corps video by Cpl. Patrick Crosley)

U.S. Marines with 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force soldiers with Reconnaissance Battalion, Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade, practice assaulting the beach and recovering their combat rubber raiding craft during Exercise Iron Fist 2020 on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, January 20. Amphibious operations are vital to effective crisis response support, regional maritime security and deterrence. (U.S. Marine Corps video by Lance Cpl. Robert Kuehn)

U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Salomon Segura, a section leader with 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion, discusses bilateral training alongside Japan Ground Self-Defense Force soldiers with Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade during Exercise Iron Fist 2020 on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, Jan. 18. Exercise Iron Fist provides realistic, relevant training necessary for effective combined military operations. (U.S. Marine Corps video by Sgt. Desiree King)

U.S. Navy medical personnel with 1st Medical Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force soldiers with Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade demonstrate field surgical and combat care procedures during Exercise Iron Fist 2020 on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, Jan. 14-17. Exercise Iron Fist provides realistic, relevant training necessary for effective combined military operations. (U.S. Marine Corps video by Lance Cpl. Robert Kuehn)

U.S. Marines and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) soldiers will conduct a joint amphibious training during Exercise Iron Fist 2020 on Camp Pendleton, California. Iron Fist is an annual bilateral amphibious training between the U.S. Marines and JGSDF soldiers to improve the participant's respective capabilities and enhance U.S.-Japanese relationships. (U.S. Marine Corps video by Cpl. David Luckey)

Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California – Marines with the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit took part in an intensive combat-centric training course Jan. 9-27 that taught them the skills necessary to support the MEU’s Maritime Raid Force here at Camp Pendleton. The MRF is the Marine Corps’ elite clandestine force enabling precision raids, amphibious reconnaissance and a myriad of other mission sets. The Close Quarters Tactics Enablers course trains Marines to support the MRF in these mission sets. “This type of training is paramount to the operational capabilities of the MEU’s MRF,” said Staff Sgt. Presten Gabaldon, the 15th MEU’s operations training chief and MRF liaison. “In close-quarters combat operations, one must have the ability and knowledge to make life and death decisions – when to shoot and when not to shoot – and it’s essential to not only the 15th MEU but to the Marine Corps as a whole.” Enablers who participated in this training are subject matter experts who enhance and support the MRF mission by providing support such as law enforcement Marines handling military working dogs with the ability to find explosive ordnances, radio operators, and combat camera Marines who document the mission in the heat of battle. During the CQTE course the Marines went through a variety of close-quarters combat-oriented training exercises, to include blindfolded weapons malfunction drills, urban patrolling, advanced marksmanship, and weapons manipulations in low-light visibility. The skills taught at the course will help the 15th MEU effectively support the employment of the MRF in expeditionary operations while forward deployed. “The 15th MEU’s goal in this training exercise is to ensure our Marines are confident, combat effective and prepared for any situation,” said Gabaldon, “Every day of training brings us one step closer to reaching that goal.”

U.S. Marines with the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit’s Maritime Raid Force fire both rifles and pistols on the flight deck of the USS Anchorage (LPD 23). The 15th MEU, embarked on the ships of the Essex Amphibious Ready Group, is deployed to maintain regional security in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations. (U.S. Marine Corps motion media by Sgt. Steve H. Lopez/Released) Interview: Cpl. James A. Berry (Cypress, TX), Scout with 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit’s Force Recon Det Videographer Sgt. Steve H. Lopez 15th MEU PA-COMCAM Productions steve.lopez@anchorage.usmc.mil

ARTA TRAINING RANGE, Djibouti (Oct. 20, 2015) U.S. Marines with the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit participate in various events during a desert survival and tactics course. Elements of the 15th MEU trained with the 5th Overseas Combined Arms Regiment (RIAOM) in Djibouti in order to improve interoperability between the MEU and the French military. (U.S. Marine Corps motion media by Sgt. Steve H. Lopez/Released) Interview: Cpl. Daniel Clark, Section Leader, Delta Company, 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Detachment, Battalion Landing Team 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit

U.S. Marines with the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit’s Maritime Raid Force execute different shooting drills during a deck shoot aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Essex. The Marines did pushups and shuttle runs prior to firing to raise their heart rates and identify how it affects their marksmanship. The 15th MEU, embarked on the ships of the Essex Amphibious Ready Group, is deployed to maintain regional security in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations. (U.S. Marine Corps video by Cpl. Anna Albrecht/Released)