thedrifter
02-29-08, 05:36 AM
Making a more cunning Marine
By: MARK WALKER - Staff Writer
New program teaches troops how to be the hunter and not the prey
CAMP PENDLETON ---- Great hunters have an uncanny ability to spot what's out of place and where a target is hiding.
In a new program at Camp Pendleton, infantry Marines who will lead rifle patrols in urban environments in Iraq are learning the skills to keep them from being the prey.
"We think we are being hunted out there on the battlefield and we want our Marines to be the hunters," said Col. Clarke Lethin, chief of staff of the 40,000-strong I Marine Expeditionary Force. "A Marine that is confident can make better moral and ethical decisions in the irregular warfare that we face, and those going through this program will never look at the world the same."
One of those Marines gaining that new level of confidence is Sgt. Adam Bosley, who heads out later this year for his third tour of duty in Iraq.
On Thursday, he was one of more than three dozen Marines taking part in a new "Combat Hunter" exercise to arm him with the skills necessary to make what one commander called a "more tactically cunning Marine."
The training taking place at a newly opened mock Iraqi village. It employs big game trackers, former police officers and a former Iraqi army special operations soldier to teach Marines the latest techniques in identifying potential enemies mixed into an urban civilian population.
Bosley said that when he leaves for Iraq in September, he and his troops should be less likely to fall victim to a sniper's bullet.
"It's some of the best training I've ever received," said Bosley, an infantry squad leader, moments after reviewing a scenario involving a sniper attack. "Instead of just looking at everybody as a threat, this gives us a better way of looking at a situation, evaluating possible threats and taking steps to neutralize the threat."
The Marines had observed the interaction of Iraqi role players from camouflaged positions several hundred yards away.
As three men portraying Iraqi police officers walked through the village and mingled with civilians, a shot rang out and one of the "officers" was hit.
The watching Marines' job was to identify as many of the 29 possible anomalies included in the scenario that led up to the assassination as they could, including spotting the sniper and determining whether other insurgents were among the people on the streets.
The scenario was one of 15 the Marines will encounter during the training, all with the goal of enhancing their ability to sense all the possible threats.
An outgrowth of a seed planted by Gen. James Mattis during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the Combat Hunter program was developed by the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab. The Marines going through the training this week are among the first to get the full experience.
Thursday's lead instructor was Greg Williams, a blunt-talking former police officer.
"Being more observant means you die less," he said. "This training works from Kansas to Kandahar."
Williams repeatedly stressed that a Marine's most important weapon isn't raw firepower but rather brains and eyes. The skills being taught will work in Iraq, Afghanistan or any other trouble spot where troops might find themselves, he said.
As he conducted a debriefing of the exercise with the Marines, Williams said a key part of their job was to think like the enemy while exercising cunning, patience and planning in dealing with a threat.
He also walked the Marines through the proper action to take after spotting a possible insurgent or anything else that may look out of place.
If someone represents an immediate threat, such as aiming a weapon, the Marines have the authority to shoot on sight. If a person is just carrying a weapon, a common sight in Afghanistan and Iraq, there is no authority to shoot.
"We never do trigger time unless we do brain time first," Williams said.
While the goal is to train as many Marines as possible in the Combat Hunter techniques, the reality is that only a few hundred can take part per month. With that in mind, the Marine Corps has designated rifle team leaders such as Bosley to get the training, which they can then impart to their men.
The Marine Corps also has placed former police officers in every infantry battalion to enhance the environmental awareness training, Lethin said.
By giving the troops more training in cultural awareness as well as spotting potential trouble before it happens, commanders said the training could also pay off in fewer civilian casualties.
"We want them to have a laser beam focus on their surroundings," said Col. Fred Padilla, commanding officer of Camp Pendleton's School of Infantry. "We're not just teaching profiling or tracking, we're teaching how to be much more tactically aware. By doing so, Marines are able to make much better decisions."
Williams was more direct on why the training is necessary: "This isn't 'Dancing with the Stars'," he said in reference to the popular reality TV show. "It's combat and it's hunting."
Contact staff writer Mark Walker at (760) 740-3529 or mlwalker@nctimes.com.
Ellie
By: MARK WALKER - Staff Writer
New program teaches troops how to be the hunter and not the prey
CAMP PENDLETON ---- Great hunters have an uncanny ability to spot what's out of place and where a target is hiding.
In a new program at Camp Pendleton, infantry Marines who will lead rifle patrols in urban environments in Iraq are learning the skills to keep them from being the prey.
"We think we are being hunted out there on the battlefield and we want our Marines to be the hunters," said Col. Clarke Lethin, chief of staff of the 40,000-strong I Marine Expeditionary Force. "A Marine that is confident can make better moral and ethical decisions in the irregular warfare that we face, and those going through this program will never look at the world the same."
One of those Marines gaining that new level of confidence is Sgt. Adam Bosley, who heads out later this year for his third tour of duty in Iraq.
On Thursday, he was one of more than three dozen Marines taking part in a new "Combat Hunter" exercise to arm him with the skills necessary to make what one commander called a "more tactically cunning Marine."
The training taking place at a newly opened mock Iraqi village. It employs big game trackers, former police officers and a former Iraqi army special operations soldier to teach Marines the latest techniques in identifying potential enemies mixed into an urban civilian population.
Bosley said that when he leaves for Iraq in September, he and his troops should be less likely to fall victim to a sniper's bullet.
"It's some of the best training I've ever received," said Bosley, an infantry squad leader, moments after reviewing a scenario involving a sniper attack. "Instead of just looking at everybody as a threat, this gives us a better way of looking at a situation, evaluating possible threats and taking steps to neutralize the threat."
The Marines had observed the interaction of Iraqi role players from camouflaged positions several hundred yards away.
As three men portraying Iraqi police officers walked through the village and mingled with civilians, a shot rang out and one of the "officers" was hit.
The watching Marines' job was to identify as many of the 29 possible anomalies included in the scenario that led up to the assassination as they could, including spotting the sniper and determining whether other insurgents were among the people on the streets.
The scenario was one of 15 the Marines will encounter during the training, all with the goal of enhancing their ability to sense all the possible threats.
An outgrowth of a seed planted by Gen. James Mattis during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the Combat Hunter program was developed by the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab. The Marines going through the training this week are among the first to get the full experience.
Thursday's lead instructor was Greg Williams, a blunt-talking former police officer.
"Being more observant means you die less," he said. "This training works from Kansas to Kandahar."
Williams repeatedly stressed that a Marine's most important weapon isn't raw firepower but rather brains and eyes. The skills being taught will work in Iraq, Afghanistan or any other trouble spot where troops might find themselves, he said.
As he conducted a debriefing of the exercise with the Marines, Williams said a key part of their job was to think like the enemy while exercising cunning, patience and planning in dealing with a threat.
He also walked the Marines through the proper action to take after spotting a possible insurgent or anything else that may look out of place.
If someone represents an immediate threat, such as aiming a weapon, the Marines have the authority to shoot on sight. If a person is just carrying a weapon, a common sight in Afghanistan and Iraq, there is no authority to shoot.
"We never do trigger time unless we do brain time first," Williams said.
While the goal is to train as many Marines as possible in the Combat Hunter techniques, the reality is that only a few hundred can take part per month. With that in mind, the Marine Corps has designated rifle team leaders such as Bosley to get the training, which they can then impart to their men.
The Marine Corps also has placed former police officers in every infantry battalion to enhance the environmental awareness training, Lethin said.
By giving the troops more training in cultural awareness as well as spotting potential trouble before it happens, commanders said the training could also pay off in fewer civilian casualties.
"We want them to have a laser beam focus on their surroundings," said Col. Fred Padilla, commanding officer of Camp Pendleton's School of Infantry. "We're not just teaching profiling or tracking, we're teaching how to be much more tactically aware. By doing so, Marines are able to make much better decisions."
Williams was more direct on why the training is necessary: "This isn't 'Dancing with the Stars'," he said in reference to the popular reality TV show. "It's combat and it's hunting."
Contact staff writer Mark Walker at (760) 740-3529 or mlwalker@nctimes.com.
Ellie