Leaders representing the General Royal Marines and U.S. Marine Corps Forces Command recently met to discuss future bilateral training opportunities.
Commandant General Royal Marines Maj. Gen. Charlie R. Stickland and Commanding General of MARFORCOM Lt. Gen. Mark A. Brilakis said the meeting served as an opportunity for the leaders to strengthen a long-standing rapport while also speaking about current and future operational advantages gained from training together.
“As we develop both Royal Marine and Royal Navy capabilities with the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Navy, each time we undertake a NATO exercise we should seize them as an opportunity and as a building block to develop our capability, our interoperability, and our collective ability to project power,” Stickland said. “That’s why these NATO events are so key.”
Benefits of dual training endeavors include the sharing of tactics, techniques and procedures and combining the experiences of each service to create a larger capacity and achieve mission success, officials noted.
“Take a look at what we are planning to do with the Royal Navy and Royal Marine Corps in 2021, where fifth generation United States fighter jets are going operate on the brand new naval capability of the Queen Elizabeth,” Brilakis said. “It provides an incredible opportunity for us to understand our interoperability requirements, our ability to conduct those operations in time, in space and in locations to provide a rapid capable deterrent force.”