Exercise Dawn Blitz 2015 is underway...pics by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Vladimir Ramos

An amphibious assault vehicle (AAV) with 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion prepares to exit the well deck during a ship to shore exercise movement aboard amphibious transport dock ship USS Somerset (LPD 25). Somerset is currently participating in Exercise Dawn Blitz 2015 (DB-15). Exercise DB-15 is a multinational training conducted by Expeditionary Strike Group 3 (ESG-3) and 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade (1 MEB) to build U.S., Japan, Mexico, and New Zealand’s amphibious and command and control capabilities through live, simulated, and constructive military training activities off the coast and ashore at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton and at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Training Center 29 Palms, California. Somerset is the ninth San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship.

Curious.

I can see New Zealand participating in Pacific Rim exercises.  I definitely can see their Special Ops personnel working out with SOCOM on a continuous basis but an amphibious assault/sea base exercise?  They're hardly equipped to contribute much of anything.  Mexico?  Their Marine Corps is so busy fighting Narco-Terrorists that I don't see how they have the time.  Additionally their Navy is in the same shape as New Zealand's....they're not equipped to contribute to an amphibious assault/sea base ex.

So what gives?

Joint/Multi-national for the sake of calling it Joint/Multi-national is silly.  This partnership bug needs to die.

Ok Sol, we heard you bitch, what would you like to see?  How about making Dawn Blitz the premier joint forcible entry exercise....How about instead of inviting countries with little capability we redesign it.  Year One (yeah I'm talking about resetting the whole thing) we invite the 82nd Airborne and do a joint amphibious/parachute assault on mythical country X.  Year Two we expand that to include a Stryker Brigade, SOCOM and workout a full bore MPS squadron.  Year Three we sit back and watch the people begging to participate.

I think that would be a better model than what we're seeing.  Too many exercise with too scattered a focus is just busy work.