MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- Marines with Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 12 Ordnance headed to Sasebo Naval Base, Japan, in the first leg of their journey to the land down under for exercise Southern Frontier July 19.
The Marines will travel via boat with a plethora of ordnance for use during the exercise slated to begin Aug. 30.
Southern Frontier is an annual unilateral training exercise hosted by the Royal Australian Air Force allowing Marine Aircraft Group 12 Hornet squadrons the opportunity to focus on offensive air support training in order to improve squadron readiness.
The ordnance Marines will provide a critical service by escorting the munitions to their final destination RAAF base Tindal, Australia.
“Our main purpose for the boat ride is to not only escort the ordnance items but to make sure they are clean and ready to clear customs in Darwin,” said Sgt. José Maltos, station Ordnance magazine crew noncommissioned officer-in-charge attached to MALS-12 Ordnance for the exercise. “Apparently, the customs inspection is very tedious.”
Transporting ordnance isn’t just tossing the bombs on the boat, wiping them down and carrying on.
“One thing people don't realize is that it takes quite a bit of equipment to build and transport bombs,” said Maltos. “All this equipment is held to the same customs standard.”
Getting the bombs on location is one of the most important aspects of this exercise to complete training objectives.
In general, the ranges squadrons typically have access to while in Japan do not allow for the same level of shock and awe destruction.
“The ranges we have down in Australia are probably the least restrictive for dropping ordnance,” said Maj. Brendan O’Connell, MAG-12 plans officer. “It’s one of the best opportunities in this (area of responsibility) to go ahead and do that kind of training.”
Marine All-Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 224 will provide the jets for close air support while joint tactical air controller augments from 3rd Marine Division identify targets on the ground for summary destruction.
The exercise will allow the squadron and the augments to get integrated fire training, which is difficult to do anywhere else, said O’Connell.
The flexibility of the Australian ranges provides a much richer feature set for customizing ground layout and target structure.
“There is a lot more capability that we have there as far as just different target sets and different abilities to drop different bombs on them,” said O’Connell.
Beyond the added training set, Southern Frontier represents one of the few opportunities for integration with the Australian military.
“(Southern Frontier is) one of very few actual security cooperation exercises we do with the Australians as far as getting American military on the deck in Australia and working with them,” said O’Connell.
Because so few exercises take place there, Marines supporting the jets could be in for some surprises not experienced outside the outback.
“I suppose conducting an operation in a location that only a few people have been to is a challenge,” said Maltos. “We have an awesome crew going, so I don't anticipate any problems we cannot conquer.”