Members of the 157 sailors and marines, of the armed forces of the Philippines contingent joining the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Haiti, stand at attention an oath during a sending-off ceremony, as a Philippine Airlines plane flies overhead, at t
IN PHOTO: Members of the 157 sailors and marines, of the armed forces of the Philippines contingent joining the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Haiti, stand at attention an oath during a sending-off ceremony, as a Philippine Airlines plane flies overhead, at the Villamor air base in Pasay city, metro Manila September 22, 2014. The troops will be tasked to provide perimeter security for the force's headquarters of the UN Mission in Haiti, a naval press statement said. Reuters/Stringer

Los Angeles has become the venue for an urban-combat training session of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit of the U.S. marines. As a result, Los Angeles residents are getting to see frequent movements of choppers and many of them flying over their roof tops.

The two-week long training exercise began on Dec 6 and is supposed to conclude on Dec. 16. An estimated 2,400 marines and sailors are taking part in the exercise. Similar exercises have also taken place in military bases of California, Las Vegas, Flagstaff and Arizona. Giving details of the training, an Associate Press report noted that the training will see dozens of marines raiding buildings and trying to "dodge paintballs shot from modified M-15s" at undisclosed locations in the city.

Urban Warfare

Stripes News reported that the training is a routine one and meant for preparing troops for urban combat readiness. According to Capt Brian Block, "no one will be able to see the raids being held at undisclosed locations because they will be off limits to the public for safety reasons." For the logistics of the drill, the military worked closely with the Los Angeles Police Department and notified the concerned property owners to avoid being caught off guard, Block said. At present, no residents are living in the spots where the pseudo-combat will take place. In the mock combat, the military has pressed into service many actors for role play.

The training precedes the deployment of Marines and sailors to the Western Pacific and Middle East in the spring of 2015. The exercise is expected to boost the skills in a real urban setting, unlike what is being done in a military base. That is why cities are chosen for the training.

Strong Coordination

According to Pendleton's public affairs office, all aspects of the training have been coordinated with the federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. One more name of 15th MEU is "Task force." There are seven task forces in the Marine Corps and each unit consists of 2,200 personnel, including infantry, helicopter squadron and combat logistics. "In this realistic urban training Marines and sailors can sharpen vital skills to prepare for what they face while forward-deployed,'' said Col Vance L. Cryer, the 15th MEU's commanding officer, reported SM Mirror News.. Cryer said the advantage of bringing together the entire Marine Air-Ground Task Force in a grand exercise like this will be that of imparting quality and realistic training so essential for unit readiness.