Since June 16, engineer reservists with the U.S. Marine Corps and British forces have been at Marine Corps Base Quantico for two weeks of training at Camp Upshur and The Basic School on the westside of base. They wrap up their exercises Friday.

The goal is to share best engineering practices and strengthen the NATO partnership between the U.S. and United Kingdom said, Capt. Ethan Akerberge, inspector instructor at 6th Engineer Support Battalion in Portland, Ore.

Around 60 U.S. Marine reservist from various engineer support battalions across the nation paired with 56 reserve British Army Commando Engineers and nine Royal Marines, both active duty and reserve personnel.

During the joint effort, military members have been practicing demolitions, clearing landing zones for Ospreys, operating equipment and constructing tactical-rope bridges.

Akerberge said manpower challenges in recent wars revealed the significance of collaborating engineering forces.

“The engineering community in the Marine Corps and the military in general is very small,” Akerberge said. “In Afghanistan and during Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, we, as engineers, really had to find out who those other engineers in our NATO partnership were because we didn’t have a lot of assets or manpower, and we were always being pulled in different directions.”

U.S. and British forces had to figure out the best way to maximize efforts and accomplish their mission, so they created, a combined company that practices annually, alternating home countries each year.

Maj. Mark Normile, British commanding officer for 1.31 Independent Commando Squadron, said training in a different terrain is another key reason they’re training here.

“One of our big training objectives is environmental training,” Normile said, “getting our guys used to operating in arduous climates. When you get out into the trees [at Quantico] it’s like a jungle with the bugs, heat and humidity.”

Quantico’s expansive land is also a plus.

“This base has vast training area, which offers so much opportunity to do different stuff: we can blow trees up, we can flatten areas, we can build roads,” Normile said. “In the UK, it’s very difficult to engage in that sort of training because the area is a lot smaller and there are more environmental constraints.”

During this joint exercise, military members integrated at the squad level, which means commando platoon commanders pair up with U.S. Marine platoon sergeants.

“We’re actually operating as a single company, integrating from squad level between the UK and America,” Normile said. “This is the first year we [have] trained together since the beginning of the war Afghanistan around 2005 or 2006. Next year we’ll alternate and train in the UK.”

As the Marine Corps shifts focus to the Pacific Region, Akerberge said, it’s essential that U.S. military engineers and their allies train the way they fight.

“The more we practice and get opportunities like this at a lower level, the more efficient we’ll be together in combat,” Akerberge said.

— Writer: afelton@quanticosentryonline.com