[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] First Training on the US Mainland Since the Founding of the Marine Corps

On the 70th Anniversary of the Korea-US Alliance, Six Trainings Including Mobile Shooting Conducted at California US Marine Corps Training Center... Supporting US Marine Forces

The Marine Corps is participating in a combined South Korea-U.S. training exercise on the U.S. mainland for the first time since its founding. Marking the 70th anniversary of the Korea-U.S. alliance this year, it is expected to strengthen the joint operational capabilities of the two countries' landing forces.

According to military officials on the 25th, from next month 2nd to 29th, more than 50 Marine Corps personnel will participate in the Korea-U.S. Marine Corps combined arms training in the United States.

The location where the Korea-U.S. Marine Corps will conduct training this time is the Marine Air-Ground Task Force Training Center (MAGTF-TC) located in Twentynine Palms, southern San Bernardino County, California. The training area covers 2,413 km², making it the largest training ground owned by the U.S. Marine Corps. It was used as an Air Force flight training ground during World War II and was taken over by the Marine Corps in 1952 to establish the training center. The center simulates environments such as mountainous regions and sandstorms like those in Afghanistan, and training for deployments to Iraq is also conducted here.

The Korea-U.S. Marine Corps will conduct six types of training on-site, including maneuver shooting training, scientific equipment training, and urban combat training. In particular, the combined arms training involving both South Korea and the U.S. will be conducted continuously for five days without overnight breaks. Our Marine Corps will participate in the training equipped only with personal firearms. It is known that the U.S. military will support with equipment such as the M777 towed howitzer and Stryker armored vehicles on-site.

Since the 22nd, the Marine Corps has deployed two Marine On landing assault helicopters to the multinational combined exercise "Talisman Saber," held in the northeastern region of Australia until next month 4th. This is the first time the Marine On has participated in overseas training.

The multinational combined exercise "2023 Talisman Saber," led by the U.S. and Australia, involves a total of about 30,000 troops from 13 allied countries including South Korea and Japan, and will be conducted over two weeks. This long-distance expedition training with the Marine On is an opportunity to test the performance of our landing assault helicopters abroad, so the Marine Corps Aviation Unit had high expectations. Experts analyze that this Talisman Saber exercise, expected to be the largest ever, strongly aims to check China.

In October, the Marine Corps will also participate in the U.S.-Philippine Marine Corps "KAMANDAG" training to be held in the Philippines again this year. Notably, it is known that the Japan Self-Defense Forces will participate in both the Talisman Saber and KAMANDAG exercises.