US Marines to participate in realistic military exercise in Blythe area

United States Marines will participate in a realistic military exercise Friday in Blythe and surrounding Palo Verde Valley communities.

The Colorado River sheriff’s station, Blythe police and fire departments, California Highway Patrol, United States Border Patrol and Cal Fire will assist in the exercise, according to Sgt. Ed Reynoso of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. The exercise will take place within Blythe and surrounding Palo Verde Valley communities.

That training had originally been scheduled for Saturday, but due to inclement weather expected to pass through the area, it was being rescheduled.

During the training, the use of explosives for breaching wood facades, simunitions, rubber bullets and blanks may also be used, according to Reynoso.

“The purpose of the exercise is to provide the USMC the opportunity to conduct training in unfamiliar environments,” Reynoso wrote in a statement. “During the exercise, the USMC will be required to conduct a series of challenging and realistic training events to test their ability to conduct conventional and specialized missions.”

Reynoso said that residents in the surrounding areas should expect traffic control, road closures and areas cordoned off to the public.

In preparation for an upcoming deployment, Marines and sailors based out of Camp Pendleton with the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, I Marine Expeditionary Force will conduct the Realistic Urban Training, or RUT, until Aug. 28, according to the I Marine Expeditionary Force.

MEF officials said that the training will take place in and around Reno, Nevada as well as locations in Arizona including Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Luke Air Force Base and Phoenix. Training in California will be at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Fort Hunter Ligget and Blythe.

Residents in the surrounding areas were advised that they may experience increased noise levels and military aircraft overhead, according to MEF officials.

“The purpose of RUT is to enhance the integration and collective capability of the MEU’s command, air, logistics and ground elements while conducting a series of realistic training events,” MEF officials wrote in a statement. “This training prepares the 15th MEU to meet the nation’s crisis-response needs during their upcoming overseas deployment.”