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SS MAJ STEPHEN W PLESS – A member of 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit’s Maritime Special Purpose Force restrains a simulated aggressor aboard the SS Maj. Stephen W. Pless during the visit, board, search and seizure training. The training took place In the East China Sea near the northwest coast of Okinawa. Photo by: Cpl. Willard J. Lathrop

CAMP HANSEN, OKINAWA, Japan -- The Pacific Ocean became the battleground for American service members during a mock conflict where they boarded and reclaimed a hijacked ship.

Marines and sailors with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit's Maritime Special Purpose Force conducted visit, board, search and seizure training aboard the SS Maj. Stephen W. Pless, a container and roll-on/roll-off ship, off the northwest coast of Okinawa.

"This training taught us how to engage vessels deemed hostile, or retake friendly ones and return them to the rightful owners," said Maj. Mike Wylie, MSPF commander.

SS MAJ STEPHEN W PLESS – Lance Cpl. Paul Davis provides security on the catwalk aboard the SS Maj. Stephen W. Pless during the visit, board, search and seizure training. Davis is a rifleman with Company E, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, serving as part of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit’s Battalion Landing Team. Photo by: Cpl. Willard J. Lathrop

III Marine Expeditionary Force's Special Operation Training Group supervised, guided and evaluated the unit's performance throughout the evolution.

The first day, service members boarded the vessel, accounted for personnel and gear, and received a tour of the ship.

The next day, Wylie gave the 70-man MSPF element a briefing on the upcoming scenario and established a plan based on their standard operating procedures.

After the briefing, the unit divided into four, squad-sized groups on the ship's landing pad. This is where they collaborated as individual teams, ensuring all the team members understood their individual responsibilities during the training evolution.

For the remainder of the day, the service members conducted walk-throughs aboard the ship, allowing the members of the MSPF to resolve any discrepancies in their plan.

"Operations aboard a ship differ from other close-quarter encounters because it forces you to be more aware of 360 degrees of security," said Lance Cpl. Vic Madrillejos, a rifleman with the MSPF security element.

Two members of a security element with 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit’s Maritime Special Purpose Force subdue an aggressor aboard the SS Maj. Stephen W. Pless during the visit, board, search and seizure training Sept. 11. The service members wore paintball facemasks to protect them from the special-effect small arms marking system ammunition used during this training evolution.

On the last day, the service members conducted force-on-force drills using special-effect small arms marking system ammunition.

A team of five SOTG Marines acted as aggressors, simulating a hostile force that had overtaken a friendly vessel, and the MSPF's mission was to reclaim the vessel and capture the suspected high-value targets.

Once the unit leaders ensured their Marines and sailors were prepared, they conducted multiple scenarios by reacting to armed and unarmed aggressors. They conducted three missions with varying objectives, lasting approximately 1.5 hours each.

During the missions, unit members subdued aggressors using varying degrees of force and took them prisoner whenever operational conditions dictated.

"The service members did very, very well," Wylie said. "This training allowed the Marines to transition from urban environments to other environments and it helped them gain an appreciation for (three-dimensional) combat."

© 2005 Marines. All opinions expressed in this article are the author's and do not necessarily reflect those of Military.com.

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