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ACB 1 Completes Exercise Tactical Warrior '05

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS050427-13
Release Date: 4/27/2005 4:00:00 PM

By Photographer's Mate 1st Class (AW/SW/NAC) Daniel Woods, Fleet Public Affairs Center, Pacific

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (NNS) -- More than 550 active-duty and Reserve Seabees from Amphibious Construction Battalion (ACB) 1 conducted their annual field training exercise (FTX), “Tactical Warrior 05," at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton March 8-14.

The exercise was held to provide the command more field operations experience and to better prepare them for possible deployments to Iraq and other areas around the globe.

“It is better to make mistakes during a training exercise instead of on deployment,” said CMDCM (SCW) Richard Moon, ACB 1’s command master chief.

The command’s training goals included camp defense planning, convoy tactics, techniques and procedures, camp communications and casualty transporting and reporting. The training was held in conjunction with setting-up and maintaining a 500-man camp and its defensive perimeter, similar to what they would arrange when deployed.

Equipment prepositioning, embarkation, camp construction and field training exercises were conducted during the first four days of FTX.

“These exercises are a great opportunity for Reserve and active-duty personnel to work together and improve their combat skills in a deployed environment,” said Cmdr. Allen Redemon, the Reserve operations officer for ACB 1.

The training department ran several mock war scenarios to evaluate personnel performance. Scenarios ranged from protesters at the camp perimeter, to camp infiltration, to an all-out assault on the camp.

One scenario had Seabees standing security watch at the camp’s entry point dealing with local villagers, enacted by Seabees from ACB 1’s training department, trying to open negotiations for food and medical aid.

“We try to run scenarios that are as realistic as possible,” said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Gregory Townsend, assistant training officer for ACB 1.

“The field training exercise was a huge success,” said Lt. Cmdr. William Sprauer, ACB 1’s operations officer. “We discovered areas where greater focus and additional training are required.” The command’s major training goals were achieved during the FTX.

The command's primary mission is to provide ship-to-shore transportation of fuel, materials, and equipment in support of Amphibious Ready Group-, Marine Expeditionary Force- and Brigade-sized operations, and Maritime Prepositioned Force (MPF) operations.

ACB 1 is one of two Amphibious Construction Battalions in the Navy. ACB 1 is located at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado in San Diego supporting west coast operations, and ACB 2 is at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek in Norfolk, Va., supporting the east coast.