• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

FAST Marines Practice Shipboard Combat Operations

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS071116-02
Release Date: 11/16/2007 8:44:00 AM

By Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Gabriel S. Weber, Fleet Public Affairs Center Det., Japan

YOKOSUKA, Japan (NNS) -- Marines from the 1st Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team (FAST), 3rd Platoon completed their second day of shipboard combat training, Nov. 14, at Commander Fleet Activities Yokosuka.

The Marines spent the day working within the confines of a "ship in a box" training facility, which is a structure designed to resemble the passageways and compartments within a ship. According to Staff Sgt. Don Hernandez, using such a facility allows the Marines to practice their tactics in a shipboard environment.

"Right now we're just doing some basic room clearing," he said. "Going in there and just getting everybody's proficiency back up on room clearing and taking down a ship."

Although the platoon regularly trains taking down rooms within buildings, the unique layout of a ship requires different execution and different training, according to Lance Cpl. Joshua Freel.

"Ships are a lot more constricted, have smaller rooms and smaller doors so we use different tactics and formations," said Freel.

Hernandez added that the smaller spaces within a ship also restrict the number of Marines that can maneuver in an area at the same time.

"Ships are a lot smaller, some of the rooms are smaller and tighter, even the hallways would be a lot closer, so we have to maneuver in just a single stack, a single column of Marines," he said. "In a building, it's a lot bigger and has larger rooms so we can maneuver with a double stack, having Marines on both sides of the hallway."

The shipboard training ensures that the FAST Marines are ready to respond in the event of a security emergency at sea, said Hernandez.

"If something were to go down inside a ship - if we were to get an intruder, we know exactly how to get in there and take down the ship," Hernandez said. "Whatever the case may be, we're able to get in there and clear these rooms and we can accomplish that. If we get sent in to go do something, anybody could pick us up and drop us off on any ship, and we're ready to do that."

First Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team, 3rd Platoon is based in Norfolk, and is currently deployed to Yokosuka, Japan in support of Commander, U.S. 7th Fleet.