USMC’s Kilo Company completes MOUT exercise

The US Marine Corps’ Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, have successfully conducted fire and manoeuvre procedures against simulated enemy fighters at Marine Corps Training Area in Bellows, Hawaii.

As part of the exercise, marines have successfully conducted morning and afternoon iterations of squad and platoon-sized attacks in a Military Operations on Urban Terrain (MUOT) facility.

Kilo Company 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment squad leader corporal Parker Lawrence said: "The training was good for our new guys because it gave them a chance to experience the exercise as if it were a real-life situation."

During the exercise, a squad of Marines carried out a security patrol into the MOUT site to address role-players acting as villagers and oversee the simulated hostile activity involving invaders in the area and offered overwatch of the area as guardian angels.

"A lot of this is all about getting our Marines to make quick, precise decisions in a high-stress environment," Lawrence added.

"The decision may not always be right, but they made a decision.

"Being able to make a quick decision in the middle of a firefight is a step in the right direction, and from there we can build on it."

Further, marines conducted a platoon-sized security patrol through the MOUT facility, where they were hit with simulated enemy fire.

Kilo Company 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment Sergeant Christopher Hernandez said: "We focused on (preparing) the Marines to immediately provide suppressed fire and manoeuvre against the enemy quickly and efficiently."

Image: Marines with 3rd platoon, Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, during the firefight drill at Marine Corps Training Area Bellows, Hawaii. Photo: Courtesy of US Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Matthew Bragg.