By William Hallowell, CP News Reporter.
Royal Marines “dominated” US troops in a training exercise in California, forcing them to surrender just days in, after eliminating most of the unit.
US forces reportedly asked for a “reset” after suffering a severe amount of simulated casualties half way into the five day exercise.
British forces won significant battles early on and carried out raids behind enemy lines, amid unsuccessful enemy counter attacks.
Commanding officer of 40 Commando, Lt Colonel Andy Dow, said:
“Our success has proved the new commando force concept is more lethal and sophisticated than ever before and I am immensely proud of every member of the LRG and their vital contributions.
“Operating alongside our partners from the USA, Netherlands, Canada and the UAE gives us a fantastic opportunity to test, integrate and continue to push our capabilities in new and innovative directions.
“Throughout this deployment our focus has been on integrating game-changing capabilities from across the commando force to deliver disproportional effect in the face of a free-thinking peer adversary.”
The area in which the exercise was conducted covered more than 3500 square kilometres of mountainous and desert terrain, and had actors playing civilians in urban settings.
The Royal Marines’ triumph was accomplished by targeting the American headquarters and military equipment, rendering US counterattacks unsuccessful.
According to the Royal Marines’ intelligence, a significant amount of enemy equipment was deemed inoperable or destroyed.
Part of their victory was also down to British artillery focused towards enemy transport and artillery capability, as well as long-range fighter jets.
At the last minute, British forces were able to hold off against a last-stand counterattack from American troops.
Having started the exercise with less than 20% control of the exercise area, the Royal Marines emerged victorious with over 65% possession of the ground.
