During Exercise Caribbean Urban Warrior 21, Dutch marines from 32 Raiding Squadron Aruba, the St. Maarten Detachment and other units will undergo training in the United States. The training sessions will involve a number of challenging scenarios.
Joint training sessions together with US marines from the 2nd Marine Division take place several times a year in both the US and in the Dutch Caribbean. Training together with US units underlines the good relations that exist between these units and the two nations and enables the participating units to exchange knowledge and expertise. Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, offers Dutch marines posted to the various islands in the Caribbean a unique opportunity to train at an advanced level with scarce enablers in, among other things, urban areas. The Dutch marines will be hosted by Marine Expeditionary Force II (MEF).
This unique training location enables CZMCARIB to train its units at a more advanced level than is possible at its own geographical location. Cooperation with US units and the addition of enablers (helicopters, aircraft, etc.), in combination with a current and realistic scenario, creates a challenging training environment for both commanders and marines.
In the preparation and execution of this exercise, explicit account has been taken of the travel and other restrictions that are in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to travel, military personnel have been quarantined in order to prevent contact with third parties as much as possible. Only personnel who have tested negative after undergoing a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test may take part in this exercise. All participating military personnel will travel ‘bubble-to-bubble’ on a charter flight from Aruba, via Curaçao and St Maarten, directly to North Carolina. The exercise will comply with all additional measures imposed or yet to be imposed by the American government and/or the USMC. The exercise will last approximately three weeks.
