Several units of reserve Marines conducted simulated training during Night Watch, a Marine Air Command and Control System exercise, last month.
During the simulation, the reservists trained in a scenario that involved degraded communication. This situation could happen during a cybersecurity attack.
“There is a series of qualifications that all Marine Air Command and Control System Marines must meet to be qualified to sit in certain positions, and they get very limited opportunities to meet those mission essential tasks and earn those qualifications,” Maj. Thomas Dunaway, an operations officer with Marine Air Control Squadron 24, said. “Night Watch gets the Marines qualified so we can maintain readiness as a unit and we can forward deploy.”
Reserve Marines conduct 14 days of training and 48 drill periods annually. Night Watch allows them to collaborate and conduct Marine Air Command and Control System exercises together.
Night Watch also is intended to understanding how each Marine plays a vital role in the combat unit as a whole and how individual skills effect the outcome of a scenario.
The reservists now have a better understanding of what a Marine Air Command and Control System is and what their jobs are, Gunnery Sgt. David Lopez said.