Marines Train At Eager Lion 2019
by U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Jason Monty November
5, 2019
U.S. Marines with India Company, Battalion Landing Team 3/5, 11th
Marine Expeditionary Unit, participated in military-to-military
relationship building exercises during Exercise Eager Lion 2019 in
the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, August 25 to September 5.
Eager Lion, U.S. Central Command’s largest and most complex
exercise, is an opportunity to integrate forces in a multilateral
environment, operate in realistic terrain and strengthen
military-to-military relationships.

August 31, 2019 - U.S. Marines
with India Company, Battalion Landing Team 3/5, 11th Marine
Expeditionary Unit (MEU), exit from an amphibious assault
vehicle while conducting a dry-fire exercise during Exercise
Eager Lion 2019 in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. (U.S.
Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Jason Monty)
|
India Company is a mechanized force, transported by amphibious
assault vehicles made to launch from the well deck of U.S. Navy
ships and land on a beach.
According to 1st Sgt. Elijah
Lawton, the company’s senior enlisted leader, Eager Lion was a
chance for the force to improve their proficiency working with other
nations’ forces and to tighten the bonds between allied forces,
ensuring their ability to fight any future battles together.
Eager Lion is an exercise that is conducted every year in order to
help the United States military and other partner militaries build
and sustain their relationships.
“During Eager Lion, India
Company conducted cross training with the amphibious ready group,
light armored reconnaissance, a tactical recovery of aircraft and
personnel platoon, the combined anti-armor team, and some
international agencies to include a platoon of Jordanians, a squad
of Saudi Arabians and two elements from the Italian forces,” said
1st Lt. Sean McDonough, a platoon commander with India Company.
India Company conducted multilateral training exercises with the
Italian Armed Forces, Royal Jordanian Marines and the Royal Saudi
Naval Forces over the two-week exercise.
“For India Company,
internally, Eager Lion was a great opportunity for us to get some
live-fire training in,” said McDonough. “Live-fire training was
limited to us while we were aboard the ship. We were able to get our
guys out there and actually put some rounds down range and get some
good training in. On a bigger scale, it allowed us to work with
international organizations and other militaries to trade some
tactics, techniques and procedures with them – get us familiar with
how other units operate and be able to pass on some more training to
them.”

August 31, 2019 - U.S. Marines
with India Company, Battalion Landing Team 3/5, 11th Marine
Expeditionary Unit (MEU), fire their rifles during a
dry-fire exercise during Exercise Eager Lion 2019 in the
Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by
Cpl. Jason Monty)
|
All forces of the 11th MEU launched from U.S. Navy amphibious
ships, making the exercise the largest amphibious operation in the
Central Command area of responsibility.
“The exercise was
bigger than ourselves,” said Lawton. “Eager Lion showed myself and
the Marines who participated in the battalion landing team that we
are stronger together. With the bilateral exercise that Eager Lion
was – it showed exposure. It allowed Marines to train side-by-side,
build bridges and definitely enhance lethality and how we will
pursue whatever the objective is in the future.”
Eager Lion,
U.S. Central Command's largest and most complex exercise, is an
opportunity to integrate forces in a multilateral environment,
operate in realistic terrain and strengthen military-to-military
relationships.
The U.S. Marines |
Marines - The Few, The Proud |
Our Valiant Troops |
Veterans |
Citizens Like Us
U.S. Marines Gifts |
U.S. Marine Corps |
U.S.
Department of Defense
|
|