RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (August 1, 2009) -- Today's Marines are tasked with much more than combat missions. Medical casualty evacuation, non-combatant evacuation, humanitarian, and disaster relief operations are just a few examples of situations that Marines from multiple countries could face on short notice.
Southern Exchange 2009 (SE-09), a multinational peacekeeping exercise, came to a close Friday, bringing together Marines from seven countries in order to enhance proficiency and interoperability between the partner nations, and ultimately to strengthen relationships resulting in improved stability and security throughout the region.
"Transparent multinational exercises offer the best military coalition training opportunities," said LtCol. Miguel Ameigeiras, the U.S. Marine Corps Forces, South SE-09 exercise director. "They provide an excellent opportunity for a regional exchange of ideas and training while simultaneously fostering goodwill that will be invaluable during any possible peacekeeping or disaster relief missions that may arise in the future."
Southern Exchange exercise is made possible by funds from U.S. Southern Command's Developing Countries Continuing Exercise Program (DCCEP) and the Global Peace Operation Initiative (GPOI) program. This year's Southern Exchange was hosted by the 'Corpo de Fuzileiros Navais' (CFN) of the Brazilian Navy, July 13-31, at the Governor's Island Naval Complex and the island of Marambaia.
Comprised of 10 groups totaling over 450 Marines, designated Alpha through Juliet, Marines from the seven participating countries were evenly distributed in round-robin type training for the first two weeks of Southern Exchange 2009 in order to conduct training in support of future Peacekeeping Operations (PKO), Security and Support Operations (SASO) and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Operations, followed by a two-day final peacekeeping exercise (FINEX) on the remote island of Marambaia, off the coast of Rio de Janeiro in which the Marines showcased their skills and lessons learned.
During the past two weeks (phase 1), classes on Law of War and Human Rights were taught daily to all participants, and training was conducted by various experts representing each participating nation. Training focused on fundamentals that are common among all Marine Corps throughout the Americas: riot control/crowd control, convoy operations, first aid, water survival, amphibious training, martial arts, patrolling, and checkpoint operations to name a few, in order to enhance each nation's peacekeeping and humanitarian disaster relief capabilities, should the need arise.
"Exercises like this allow us to gather knowledge from other countries regarding medical procedures that can be utilized to better our own capabilities," FN. Marinheiro Primeiro, the Portuguese equivalent of a Petty Officer 1st Class, Wagner Manteiro, a Brazilian medic with the Corpo de Fuzileiros Navais (CFN) 3rd Battalion. "The main difference between countries is the materials we use, and with this exchange we learn about more practical tools."
"In Colombia, there are some of the toughest acts of guerilla warfare," said Cleves Castro Pedro, a machine gun instructor for the Colombian infantry Marines. "This training with the other countries helps us sharpen our skills and stay one step ahead of the enemy. We learn something from all the other countries that we can add to our tactics, so we can better prepare for any present and future situation."
A successful Southern Exchange will enable participants to return to their respective nations to further train and share their experiences and lessons learned with their colleagues.