22nd MEU ends bilateral exercise in Djibouti

[unhappycamper]

22nd MEU ends bilateral exercise in Djibouti
Staff report
Posted : Wednesday Dec 19, 2007 12:18:11 EST

Members of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit aboard the dock landing ship Gunston Hall wrapped up a bilateral exercise with Djiboutian forces Tuesday.

The exercise included joint training and proficiency demonstrations in weapons firing; visit, board, search and seizure techniques; and small-boat handling, according to a 22nd MEU press release.

Marines with the Camp Lejeune, N.C.-based unit trained side by side with Djiboutians, conducting vehicle-mounted patrols, foot patrols, fin-swim training and desert familiarization training.

“Exercise Image Nautilus 2007 was a significant and important training opportunity for U.S. and Djiboutian forces,” Capt. Frank Ponds, commander of the Norfolk, Va.-based Kearsarge Expeditionary Strike Group, said in a release. “Not only did our forces maintain operational readiness and improve command, control, communications and intelligence interoperability, but we also strengthened our relationship and demonstrated our resolve to regional security.”

The Marines and their allies practiced VBSS procedures, used to curtail criminal activity in international shipping lanes, off the Djibouti coast.


Rest of article at: http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2007/12/marine_djibouti_training_071219/



uhc comment: Previous threads on Djibouti -->

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=259&topic_id=7825
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=259&topic_id=8092
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=259&topic_id=8555