U.S. Marines and South Korean forces start first Korea-based Multi Domain Reconnaissance Course

U.S. Marines from III Marine Expeditionary Force (III MEF) and South Korean service members began the Multi Domain Reconnaissance Course (MDRC) 26.1 across South Korea on 21 October. The course runs until 6 November and is being held in Korea for the first time, according to a III MEF release published through DVIDS.

The U.S. Marine Corps says the course has historically been held in Hawaii. This year’s version moves it to South Korea to train alongside the Republic of Korea (ROK) military, a change the release says strengthens the ROK-U.S. alliance and helps both forces integrate and operate in any scenario.

What the course trains

Col. Clinton Cummings, commanding officer of 3d Expeditionary Operations Training Group, said the course tests the Force Reconnaissance Platoon of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) in the full range of reconnaissance missions in a simulated peer-threat environment, with support drawn from several domains.

The Marines first completed several weeks of academics and practical training in Okinawa, Japan, on multi-domain reconnaissance and surveillance, before deploying to Korea. The culminating exercise, from 21 October to 6 November, tests the combined U.S.-ROK ability to conduct reconnaissance in support of the 31st MEU in austere environments.

According to Cummings, training with the ROK military offers the chance for bilateral work on crisis response and embassy engagements, joint kill-chain integration, live-fire supporting arms and full-mission-profile reconnaissance missions. “We are excited about this opportunity to conduct realistic, challenging training,” he said.

Part of a wider pattern in the region

The course comes as U.S. forces are carrying out other training with allies in the Western Pacific. Earlier on 22 October Geopolitiki reported on Marine instruction of Japanese controllers in Okinawa: U.S. Marines train JGSDF joint terminal attack controllers on Okinawa for future Sakishima operations. In Korea, the U.S. Army has just started a new rotation, covered in 3rd Cavalry Regiment uncases its colors in Korea to begin a nine-month rotation at Camp Hovey.

The release does not name the training areas in Korea, the number of participants or the ROK units involved, and it gives no details of live-fire events. It closes by saying such training keeps the alliance ready for a rapid response to any crisis while maintaining deterrence, so that “the Pacific remains stable, secure, and free.”