An official website of the United States government
Here's how you know
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : Media : News : News Article View
NEWS | July 8, 2016

Iwakuni Marines with Marine Wing Support Squadron 171 Arrives in Fuji, Unleashes Eagle Wrath 2016

By Lance Cpl. Aaron Henson

COMBINED ARMS TRAINING CENTER CAMP FUJI, SHIZUOKA, Japan -- U.S. Marines with Marine Wing Support Squadron 171, based out of Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, arrived at the Combined Arms Training Center Camp Fuji, Japan, to participate in exercise Eagle Wrath 2016 on July 8, 2016.

The annual exercise focuses on providing aviation-ground support to an assigned aviation combat element while reinforcing skills that Marines learned throughout their military occupational specialty schooling and Marine Combat Training.

“During this exercise we are focusing on air base ground defense while also being tasked to defend the air base,” said U.S. Marine Corps 1st Lt. Alexandra Buckley, communications officer with MWSS-171. “No matter what military occupational specialty the Marines have, we are coming out here to train, shoot weapons and defend an air base.”

Known as ‘America’s Squadron,’ MWSS-171 is receiving assistance throughout the exercise from Combat Logistics Company 36 from MCAS Iwakuni, the Low Altitude Air Defense Battalion and Marine Air Traffic Control Mobile Team from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 25 from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, and HSC-12 from Naval Air Facility Atsugi.

“We attached a helicopter squadron from NAF Atsugi so we can practice close air support,” said Buckley. “We also have a Low Altitude Air Defense Battalion and Marine Air Traffic Control Mobile Team coming out to support us with their anti-air and air traffic control capabilities.”

The squadron plans to complete their unit annual training requirements throughout three stages, which focuses on air base ground defense and Marine Corps common skills that Marines are unable to train for locally.

During the first stage, called the ‘personal and crew served weapon’ stage, Marines practice the employment of M4A1 Carbines, M16A4 service rifles, M203 grenade launchers, AT-4 rocket launchers, M2 .50-caliber heavy-machine guns, M240 bravo light-machine guns, M249 squad automatic weapons, M67 hand grenades and MK19 grenade launchers. The Marines will implement some of these weapons while conducting table three rifle qualifications, a fire team employment exercise, squad patrolling practice, and machine gun employment and familiarization training.

“We have individual weapons ranges where Marines will shoot machine guns and throw hand grenades,” said Capt. Eric Morishige, air field operations company commander with MWSS-171. “The companies will also conduct their own training such as firefighting at Yokota Air Force Base, installing expeditionary airfield gear or practicing air base ground defense measures. And finally we will assemble a small forward operating base where we exercise everything we would do for a small air field, which includes MH-60S Seahawks from the Navy.”

Following the first stage Marines then start the ‘company training’ stage where company commanders have the opportunity to train their personnel and prepare for the final culminating event.

“The culminating event will include a mock air base where air field operation Marines will make a landing zone and create a refueling point while it is MWSS-171’s job to defend it,” said Buckley. “Throughout four days we will dig defensive and machine gun positions, conduct convoys, patrols and air base ground defense.”

To wrap up exercise Eagle Wrath 2016, ‘America’s squadron’ will conquer Mount Fuji before packing up gear and washing down equipment.

“This is one of the only areas we have to go out as a squadron and practice shooting machine guns, AT-4’s, rifles, and digging into the defense,” said Buckley. “We all trained in this during Marine Combat Training but it might be years before a Marine is asked to pick up a rifle and defend an air base. If Marine Aircraft Group 12 picks up and moves somewhere they don’t attach an infantry unit, it’s all through MWSS-171. We are the ones that will be tasked to do our jobs as well as defend our base.”

MWSS-171 conducts this exercise once a year in order to train all the Marines within the squadron, enhance their technical skills, field experience and military occupational specialty capability.

“By the end of this exercise, I want my Marines to be able to go into theater, know what they’re doing, accomplish their mission and win the fight,” said Morishige. “This exercise will let us know where we are as a squadron and what we will need to improve on during future exercises.”
CONNECT WITH USINDOPACOM

ENGAGE & CONNECT MORE WITH PACOM

                                      

IN THE USINDOPACOM NEWS
Global Unity: US, Australia, Canada and UK
Royal Canadian Air Force, U.S. Air Force, and United Kingdom members participate in Virtual Flag: Coalition at the 705th Combat Training Squadron, also known as the Distributed Mission Operations Center, at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, Oct. 30 2024. Exercise VF:C serves as a train as you fight exercise by integrating the full spectrum of air, land, surface, space, and cyber warfighters in a virtual battlespace in joint and coalition environments; forces from the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada participated. (Security badges removed and screens were blurred for security reasons) (U.S. Air Force photo by Mr. Shelton Keel)
Nov. 12, 2024 - In an era defined by rapid technology advancements and with a worldwide platform saturated with Great Power Competition, the Distributed Mission Operations Center on Kirtland Air Force Base, hosted its Virtual Flag: Coalition...

MSC Far East, USNS City of Bismarck Visit Learning Center in Thailand
Lt. Cmdr. Jamil A. Khan, a chaplain at Military Sealift Command Far East, is greeted by children during a community outreach event at the Learning Center of the Human Help Network Foundation in Pattaya, Thailand, Nov. 7, 2024. (U.S. Navy photo by Grady T. Fontana)
Nov. 12, 2024 - Members of Military Sealift Command (MSC) Far East and civilian mariners assigned to expeditionary fast transport ship USNS City of Bismarck (T-EPF 9) visited the Learning Center of the Human Help Network Foundation in...

USARPAC Change of Command
U.S. Army Gen. Charles A. Flynn, outgoing commanding general of U.S. Army Pacific, (left) Admiral Samuel Paparo, commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command,(middle) Gen. Ronald P. Clark, incoming U.S. Army Pacific commanding general (right) at the U.S. Army Pacific (USARPAC) change of command ceremony at Fort Shafter, Hawaii, Nov 8, 2024. Clark comes to Fort Shafter after serving as the Senior Military Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for the last two years.  He succeeds Flynn, who later in the ceremony confirmed his retirement after 39 years of service to the United States Army and nation.(U.S. Army  Staff. Sgt. Shanae Sable Garrett)
Nov. 12, 2024 - Unit guidons spanning from Joint Base Lewis McCord, Washington to Camp Humphreys, South Korea represented all of (United States Army Pacific) as Gen. Charles A. Flynn relinquished command to Gen. Ronald P. Clark at Historic...

DPAA Marines Celebrate 249th USMC Birthday with Top Pacific Marine Commander
U.S. service members and distinguished guests bow their head during the invocation on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, Oct. 31, 2024. DPAA Marines were joined by Marine Corps Forces, Pacific senior leaders and DPAA senior leadership to celebrate the 249th Marine Corps birthday, highlighting the overlap of commitment, pride, and professionalism these two organizations share. DPAA's mission is to provide the fullest possible accounting of U.S. personnel to their families and the nation. (U.S Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Lesley Cisneros)
Nov. 12, 2024 - The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency hosted a cake cutting ceremony honoring the United States Marine Corps’ 249th Birthday at the command’s headquarters on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii., Oct. 31, 2024...

Enhancing Interoperability, Readiness at Yama Sakura 87
Service members from the U.S. Army, Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, and the Australian Army, renders a salute to the national anthems of each country at the opening ceremony for Yama Sakkura 85 in Camp Asaka, Saitama, Japan, Dec. 4, 2023. As a part of U.S. Army Pacific's Operation Pathways, the 43rd iteration of Yama Sakura exercise, YS 85, is the first U.S. Army, Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, and Australian Army command post exercise based in Japan. Participants from the JGSDF and the Australian Army train together with Soldiers of the U.S. Army I Corps, 7th Infantry Division, 11th Airborne Division, U.S. Army Japan, U.S. Army Reserve and U.S. Army National Guard in a Joint environment to strengthen multi-domain and cross-domain interoperability and readiness to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Army Photo by Pfc. Elijah Magaña)
Nov. 12, 2024 - In early fall, servicemembers from Japan, the United States, and Australia gathered at Camp Zama to initiate the trilateral planning conference for Yama Sakura 87, a simulated exercise that has consistently grown in purpose...