MARINE CORPS AIR GROUND COMBAT CENTER TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. -- The Combat Center’s Provost Marshal’s Office’s Special Reaction Team conducted vital close quarter combat skills training to prepare them for military operations in urban terrain at Range 111 July 29.
The team used simulation rounds and “flash bang” grenades to clear rooms and neutralize hostile threats, said Cpl. Matt McCaskill, a small arms repairer and technician with the SRT, and a native of Middle Water, Texas.
“We always need to work on our small unit training in a city or suburban environment,” he said. “We will always have to utilize this type of training when we get a call to sweep a house or take down a vehicle in a hostage situation.”
The team has not cleared real houses recently, however, it is a valuable asset that cannot be easily forgotten by the team, said Ken Charles, a civilian patrolman with PMO, and a native of Buffalo, N. Y.
“We haven’t actually swept a house in a long time,” Charles said. “We need to train like this as much as possible so our skills will stay fresh.”
The team hopes to gain more experience in urban environments by repeating the training as much as possible, Charles said.
“Right now, it’s either quarterly or semi-annually,” he said. “If we want to perform at a higher level, we’re going to need to train at a higher intensity and more often.”
With the team’s most recent expedition to one of the Combat Center’s many MOUT facilities complete, they will continue to push and train to be ready in the event they get the call to go into action.