United States Marine Corps
March 3, 2015
U.S. Marines, Georgian soldiers complete training
By Lance Cpl. Calvin Shamoon, Defense Media Activity
HOHENFELS, Germany: Georgian soldiers and U.S. Marines completed their Mission Rehearsal Exercise with a final mission in a simulated Afghan village, at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center, Hohenfels, Germany, Feb. 26. The MRE concluded at the Salaam Bazar, which Georgians called “Operation Mgheli”.
“What the MRE is designed to do is put the Georgians in an environment where they deal with civilians in the battlespace while having a living, breathing enemy in the form of the OPFOR (opposing forces) that’s working against them,” said Maj. James Geiger, the officer in charge of the Georgia Liaison Team. “The Georgians also have a higher headquarters that they have to interact with and make sure all their procedures are correct.”
Upon completion of the final portion of the MRE, the Marines embedded with the 43rd Georgian Infantry Battalion will make final preparations before deploying to Afghanistan.
The training events include close air support training where U.S. Marines and Georgian troops communicate with another to coordinate the use of air evacuation and strikes on the enemy targets. The second portion is the situational training exercise.
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The Georgian battalion engaged in a six-day event where they complete operations with minimal support from the training teams. Georgian soldiers and U.S. Marines must integrate and face challenges replicating what they may face during their deployment to Afghanistan. During the MRE, the forward operating base simulates Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan, to include a bazar [sic] within the base.
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The Georgian troops also received support from Moldovan soldiers who are replicating Afghan National Army and Afghan Police Force…
The Marine Corps Security Cooperation Group trains the Georgia Training Team and the GLT in cultural emersion, basic foreign language and foreign weapon systems.
At our home station we did all of our annual training, marksmanship and basic combat skills, but we could not get the advisor training that MCSCG specializes in, said Geiger. The Marine Corps Security Cooperation Group prepared us for this deployment.
The Marine Corps Security Cooperation Group provides logistics, communication and operational support throughout the exercise. Marine Forces Europe oversees the Georgia Deployment Program while MCSCG handles the MRE and ensures its success.
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