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Exercise Tartan Eagle a success

US Marine Corps News

10/28/2009
By Lance Cpl. Lucas G. Lowe, Marine Corps Base Quantico

British Royal Marines recently finished a two-week training package here Oct. 11 – 25 during the second phase of Exercise Tartan Eagle, an annual training operation conducted by the U.S. and British Marine Corps.

The exercise, which was first held in 1994 with the support of Marine Corps Security Force Regiment in Norfolk, Va., provides a conduit for mutual learning between Marines from the United States and the United Kingdom.

The bilateral exercise is divided into two phases, the first one of which has U.S. Marines training with the Royal Marines in their country. This July, Marines went to Scotland to train.

For the second phase, the Fleet Protection Group, a Royal Marine unit, conducted operations with 2nd Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team Company in Quantico. The package comprised weapons ranges, convoy operations, anti-ambush strategies and navigational classes, as well as a cultural trip to the National Museum of the Marine Corps.

The mission of 2nd FAST Co. is to support naval combatant commanders abroad and protect national assets, according to Maj. Thomas E. Elders, the company commander.

The similarities between this mission and that of the British FPG set the stage for a conducive learning environment during the Royal Marines’ time at The Basic School.

“There’s a lot of similar terminology in the squad tactics we both use,” said British Royal Marine Cpl. Alex Komiatis, a squad leader with FPG.

Komiatis, who has deployed to Afghanistan twice, and the rest of his unit trained with the Marines of 2nd FAST Co. at the Military Operations on Urban Terrain facility at TBS Oct. 22.

“It’s been good fun,” Komiatis said.

FPG, whose common missions include protecting warheads aboard nuclear submarines, shares a similar mission and ethos with 2nd FAST Co.

“In this day and age, it’s vital to a nation’s success to train with foreign allies,” Elders said. “We’re a multinational force.”

Correspondent: lucas.lowe@usmc.mil