[MilCom] Urban Environment Exercise (TRUEX). .

[Shawn Levy, USMC S-2]

Steve, TRUEX stands for Training in an Urban Environment Exercise. It is part of MOUT (Military Operations in Urban Terrain) training. TRUEX is a standard pre-deployment training exercise for all deploying MEUs, and helps prepare the unit for operating in urban terrain ranging from major metropolitan cities to mid-sized towns and small villages.

The Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), which is a combination of ground, aviation and service support assets (MAGTAF - Marine Air Ground Task Force) start off in smaller on-base combat towns. TRUEX is the culmination of all that training, a final exam if you will.
 
The reason actual towns and cities are used, is in real world applications, the indigenous population as a whole are not combatants. In places like Mogadishu and even today in Iraqi towns an cities, the public goes about their daily routine, and MEU operations must function in, among, and around them, and be as unobtrusive as possible. Avoidance of civilian casualties in a MOUT environment are always a major consideration.
 
Many of the challenges such as daily vehicle traffic, cooperation of local gov't officials, etc, encountered during the TRUEX, are the same as those faced during real world deployments.
 
Shawn 

Stavro Giovani <mykonos21 at adelphia.net> wrote:
Mac and friends
Forgive my ignorance on this one. What exactly is the purpose of this 
exercise? I can just barely hear communications on 276.7 from my 
location in Saint simons island Georgia. Of course I know i'd hear more 
if I had an antenna :( Steve