BUBIYAN ISLAND, Kuwait -- At the Government of Kuwait’s invitation, Marines and Sailors of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) recently conducted a successful training exercise with a platoon from the Kuwaiti military’s 25th Commando Brigade on the uninhabited island of Bubiyan.
“We enjoyed training with the professionals from the 25th Commando and were impressed by their performance with small craft and overall enthusiasm for the exercise,” said Lt Col. Robert Rice, 11th MEU operations officer. “It was a great opportunity for us to build relationships with our regional partners and solidify our commitments to security in the region.”
The exercise cultivated the already close relationship that the two militaries enjoyed, and included an amphibious landing as well as follow-on training. Kuwaiti commandos trained with MEU reconnaissance Marines in small boat operations and advanced infantry skills while other MEU personnel practiced ship-to-shore landing and setting up company-sized training sites.
“Bubiyan Island provided an ideal venue to practice our ability to move from ship to shore,” Rice said. “The position of the ships allowed us to practice a true over the horizon amphibious assault.”
The Marines and Sailors came ashore from the amphibious transport dock ship USS Cleveland (LPD 7), and amphibious dock landing ship USS Rushmore (LSD 47) which departed San Diego, California on September 18 for a deployment to the Western Pacific and the Middle East.