U.S. Marines and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) soldiers conducted waterborne operations in U.S. amphibious combat vehicles (ACVs) and Japanese assault amphibious vehicles (AAVs) during bilateral amphibious assault training at White Beach, Marine Corps Base (MCB) Camp Pendleton, California, Feb. 1-2, as part of exercise Iron Fist 2022.
Iron Fist is a bilateral exercise between the U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Navy and JGSDF that has been ongoing for almost two decades. This year’s iteration of Iron Fist also marks the first time that Marine Corps’ ACVs have conducted waterborne operations as part of a named exercise.
During this amphibious assault training, Marines embarked on ACVs assigned to Charlie Company, 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion (AA Bn.), 1st Marine Division (MARDIV), and JGSDF soldiers embarked on AAVs assigned to 2nd Amphibious Rapid Deployment Regiment, Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade (ARDB). Facing the shore, both units executed a joint support-by-fire maneuver from the sea.
The training culminated in a bilateral assault from the sea to the shore. While establishing an inland blocking position, the training replicated the isolation of multiple objectives for an infantry company to conduct a heliborne raid.
