MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- Marine Aircraft Group 12, Marine All- Weather Fighter Attack Squadrons 121 and 242, Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 232 and detachments from Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 152, Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 12, Marine Wing Support Squadron 171 and Marine Wing Carrier Group 18, are participating in Exercise Geiger Fury 2012, which is scheduled to take place on Andersen Air Force Base, Guam and the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Island of Tinian from May to early June.
Geiger Fury 2012 is a continuation of unitlevel training exercises for MAG-12 and is the first iteration of expeditionary airfield ULT operations on Tinian.
The goal of Exercise Geiger Fury 2012 is employing and assessing MAG-12 combat power-generation capability and specifically the ability to sustain and generate flight operations, deploy and employ aviation ground support and operate in an austere, unimproved environment.
Approximately 700 personnel are participating in the training on Guam and about 200 personnel will train in Tinian.
Training on Tinian will include the placement of arresting gear on Tinian’s West Field and the fuel storage and distribution for the purpose of extending aviation training throughout the Mariana Island Range Complex. North Field training is scheduled to include clearing, stripping and repairing Abel and Baker runways, landing surfaces and the installation of matting for vertical take-off and landings of rotary and fixed-wing aircraft.
Along with the training exercises included in Geiger Fury, community-relations events are also scheduled for those participating in the exercise to connect and build cultural ties with the local residence.
Training on Andersen AFB is scheduled to include 24-hour flight operations and command and control.
This is the first exercise MWSS-171 has participated in since its realignment into MAG-12 in early May.
As part of Aviation Training Relocation operations, F/A-18s from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni are slated to conduct air-toair and air-to-ground training from Andersen AFB to improve combat readiness.
Approximately 36 F/A-18 Hornets will be used during flight operations on Tinian and Guam.
Exercise Geiger Fury 2012 will also give VMFA -232, the “Red Devils” and VMFA (AW )-121, the “Green Knights”, two MCAS Miramar squadrons currently on the Unit Deployment Program to MCAS Iwakuni, a chance to test their operational readiness.