MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP BLAZ, Guam -- Combat readiness is the very pillar of the U.S. Marine Corps. Hidden in the dense, Guam jungle is a state-of-the-art, Military Operations in Urban Terrain (MOUT) facility. With more than 100 buildings, this training facility will increase the Corps’ warfighting prowess and strengthen joint, partner, and ally interoperability.
In its last phase before becoming operational, Marine Corps Base (MCB) Camp Blaz, MOUT facility is being outfitted with $4 million worth of atmospherics. These realistic features include furnished buildings, props, noise generators, and smell generators. These items are essential to help simulate multiple realistic and immersive combat scenarios.
“When you go in and train it makes you feel like someone’s actually living in there or using it as a workspace instead of it being an empty building site,” explained Phillip Villarreal, Range Control Officer for MCB Camp Blaz. “[It] gives you a better feeling for conducting training.”
In addition to the atmospherics, about 300 cameras are being installed throughout the MOUT facility with an after-action review building. The after action-review building will provide immediate feedback to service members following training events.
“This training area is incredibly important because it exposes our Marines and Sailors to the complexities of war they’ll face in an urban environment,” said Villarreal. “The camera systems and after-action room allow our leaders to assess individual and team actions, make corrections, and ultimately increase the lethality of our force.”
The MOUT facility is the largest U.S. facility in the Pacific, and it is located in Skaggs Urban Training Complex; a 2,000-acre training area that contains new and old buildings that were previously part of Andersen Air Force Base South housing. New construction includes a bank, an Embassy, a gas station, an apartment complex and even a schoolhouse. Only the new buildings are being furnished with atmospherics while the old housing buildings are being renovated for safety.
In addition to the MOUT facility, the complex is filled with different areas for training such as the combat vehicle operators training course, a grenade range, a breaching facility, and an indoor shoot house.
Officially called Skaggs Urban Training Complex, the area is named in honor of Medal of Honor recipient Cpl. Luther Skaggs, a Kentucky native, who received the Medal for his heroism and courage during the invasion of Asan Beach during World War II.