MALAYSIA – Marines and Sailors from the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) and 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) participated in exercise Tiger Strike Oct. 2-5, 2019, across several training locations in Malaysia to promote integration and interoperability between the U.S. and Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF).
Marines and Sailors from the Boxer ARG/11th MEU and the MAF conducted joint exercises to include: jungle warfare training; close air support conducted by AV-8B Harriers with the MEU’s air combat element, Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 163 (Reinforced); and combat service support.
"What we have shared together over these past few days has been very beneficial for both us and the U.S. Marines,” said Lt. Gen. Dato' Suhaimibin Hj Mohd Zuki, the Joint Force Commander of the Malaysian Armed Forces. "This exercise shows the great friendship that Malaysia and the United
States Marine Corps has in one another.”
The 11th MEU’s ground combat element, Battalion Landing Team 3/5, focused on small-unit training by conducting jungle warfare training ranges alongside the MAF to sharpen their ability to respond across the spectrum of military operations and foster interoperability between the two militaries.
"Tiger Strike was a great opportunity for U.S. Marines and Sailors to further increase our capabilities alongside our Malaysian partners," said Maj. Kyle Padilla, Lima Company commanding officer, Battalion Landing Team (BLT) 3/5. "Jungle warfare presents unique challenges that we successfully trained to during our time here. Embedding Malaysian rifle squads with each Marine rifle platoon allowed us to fully integrate and learn from each other's doctrine."
The 11th MEU consists of the command element; the aviation combat element comprised of VMM-163; the ground combat element comprised of BLT 3/5; and the logistics combat element comprised of Combat Logistics Battalion 11.
"We are honored to be here as part of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps' commitment to our Malaysian partners,” said Navy Capt. Dale Heinken, commanding officer of USS Boxer. "Our Sailors and Marines were able to work directly with their Malaysian counterparts to share knowledge and strengthen the relationship between our two nations."
Malaysian Armed Forces were joined by U.S. Marines and Sailors for exercise Tiger Strike 2019 where both forces participated in jungle survival, amphibious assault, aerial raids, and combat service support training and cultural exchanges.