CAMP HANSEN, OKINAWA, Japan -- In the mid-2000s, Marines’ and sailors’ vulnerabilities were being exploited in Iraq by enemy snipers and improvised-explosive device makers. Commanders began to consider the best ways to counter attack them using more intelligent tactics rather than more technologically-advanced combat systems. In 2006, the Marine Corps sought to increase offensive spirit and to become predators, not prey - the Combat Hunter program was born.
About 40 Marines from III Marine Expeditionary Force participated in a Combat Hunter course on Camp Hansen June 20-24.
The week-long course was designed to enhance the Marines’ ability to identify what is normal in a combat environment, what is out of place and what is missing.
The course also helped the Marines develop the ability to assess a situation or an area for any threat before advancing their position, avoiding possible surprise attacks that could result in casualties.
Throughout the week, Marines were taught during lectures and practical application.
During the practical application portion, the students practiced range estimation, item identification and “keep-in-mind” games.
Keep-in-mind games, or KIM’s game, a popular training tool for Marines, comes from the book “Kim,” written by Rudyard Kipling in the early 1900s. In the novel, an orphan named Kim grows up during the British occupation of India and is eventually trained in espionage.
During the training, he must memorize a table full of objects. On a second look, when objects have been removed, he must report the missing pieces.
The Marines also practiced item identification, which can prove useful in identifying threats from an observation post.
“The thing the Marines need to take away from this training is that it can’t be learned in a week. It takes practice and constant revisiting,” said Sgt. Christopher B. Wilson, combat instructor with Mobility Training Company, Mobilization Training Battalion School of Infantry West.
The course also helped the Marines learn to think like the enemy in order to outsmart the enemy.
“Conventional warfare doesn’t always work on today’s enemies. This course has helped me understand how to think and plan like the enemy would,” said Lance Cpl. Jeremy M. Schweinler, a military policeman with Military Police Company, Headquarters Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force. “It’s all about being two steps ahead.”
Knowing the enemy is also an important part of learning how to think like them.
“By taking a step back, looking at how the enemy might gather information, behavioral patterns and target selection, we learn their planning cycle,” said Capt. Patrick D. VanHorne, team officer-in-charge with Mobility Training Company. “During the classroom time, we try to put together scenarios we might encounter in a combat environment.”
Ultimately, the Marines are taught to think like hunters.
By being ahead of the game, the Marines can aggressively engage the enemy or wait silently in the shadows.