By Pte John Wellfare
COMBINED efforts by ADF and USMC forces during Exercise Croc 03 have proved to be a pathway to future close cooperation between the two similar organisations.

With the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade (3MEB) based in Okinawa, Japan, the marines are a military link to one of Australia's closest allies.

3MEB OPSO Col Douglas Seal said the ADF and USMC shared a number of similarities, which aided their ability to conduct combined operations.

"The way the Australian Army is set up is very similar to the marine corps; relatively small and organised, we use some of the same military language so I find it very easy [to communicate]," he said.

"We were the marine forces component for the combined task force (CTF), just like 1 Bde and 3 Bde. So we were lateral components working under the same combined task force.

"In the overall CTF area of operation we had the south-eastern area and we ended up engaging and encountering, I think, [most of] the proponents of the opposing force that was fighting.

"Then we went from being the main effort and on the last day [of the scenario phase] we became the supporting effort to 1 Bde, together we seized the CTF final objective."

Col Seal said all phases of the exercise conduct required the US and Australian forces to work closely together, particularly in the planning and command of operations.

"I don't think there was a case where there were riflemen side by side but at the command posts there were [ADF and USMC personnel] coordinating.

"We actually gave up some of our air assets to the CTF air component command for 1 Bde to use.

"That's typically not how a Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) fights, but we wanted to test the interoperability between the communication links and see if the Australian force could control our air with the radios they had.

"A couple of times we masked each-others artillery; we called to the Australian force and asked them to shoot their artillery on our target, along with our artillery and I believe they did the same."

The USMC was a unique organisation, presenting a joint air, land and sea concept unheard of in most military forces, Col Seal said.

"The thing that makes the Marine Corps unique is the MAGTF concept; we have a ground combat element, combat support element and our own Aviation Combat Element.

"When Gen [Kenneth] Glueck fights as MEB, he's got all his assets under his control, they all belong to him.

"That's probably the unique capability that we usually bring to the fight."

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