• Military Menu                       

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

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

MSRON 7 Conducts Unit Level Training and Readiness Assessment Exercises on Guam

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS100727-20
7/27/2010

By Jesse Leon Guerrero, Joint Region Marianas Public Affairs

SANTA RITA, Guam (NNS) -- Sailors from Maritime Expeditionary Security Squadron (MSRON) 7 participated in Unit Level Training and Readiness Assessment (ULTRA) exercises on U.S. Naval Base Guam July 20-23.

The objective of the exercise was to introduce the command's detachments of Delta, Echo, and Foxtrot, as well as personnel from Boat Division. It is also the first step in preparations for ULTRA certification tests in October.

Sailors set up a camp site with tents for living quarters, maintenance, supply storage, and workspaces. They also set entry control points and fortified them with sandbag emplacements and concertina wire along the perimeter. Working day and night in shifts, more than 100 MSRON 7's personnel protected the camp from potential "enemy" forces.

"Overall, I think that things went very well," said Master-at-Arms 1st Class (SW) Justin Fil, who served as operations supervisor. "Here, we were able to put things in a more relaxed position and actually let the people learn, make the mistakes, correct them, take the time to show them how to do things right instead of going and really pressuring people to keep the timeline and get the mission done on time."

Fil said this exercise simulates running a camp with full electrical power and sustainability while it is forward deployed anywhere in the world.

Master-at-Arms Seaman Alexis Steele said she didn't have expectations and just tried to be ready for anything. Steele said personal motivation and working with everyone helped get her through each day.

"The training is very important because the more practice that you do get, the better you feel on deployment, being in the field, and just advancing in different positions within the campsite," Steele said.

In addition to training with weapons and improving their situational awareness, MSRON 7 personnel practiced life support skills and casualty care skills. Participants also responded to a simulated a mass casualty event resulting from a simulated generator explosion.

Chief Hospital Corpsman (SW/SCW/FMF) John Coates saidit is important to have as many personnel as possible capable of applying triage, sorting the most critically wounded and getting them to medical care.

"Every watchstander here, at the minimum, can do basic first aid, and they can actually do a little more advanced first aid under direction," he said. "It is a requirement that by themselves they can treat a basic casualty, put them on a litter, and bring them to medical."

Master-at-Arms 3rd Class Micah Cannon said he learned a lot about the layout and manning of MSRON 7's entry control points (ECP) for a camp and how their chain of command will operate on deployments.

"I learned how to set up basic camp and Charlie posts," Cannon said, referring to the crew-served weapons positions monitoring the camp. "It's a different ECP set up. Pretty much what I got out of it is a basic understanding of how we work out in the field," Cannon said.

MSRON 7, which was commissioned in May 2004, provides rapidly deployable forces to conduct or support anti-terrorism and force protection missions. MSRON 7 promotes the nation's Maritime Strategy by providing security for American citizens through the application of sea power, and by strengthening partnerships with allied nations.