TRIDENT JUNCTURE 2018 - NATO Amphibious Operations ----- The US Marine Corps is the backbone of NATO Amphibious Capabilities!

Why so much Trident Juncture?

Because I wanted to see what some of the world's most advanced military forces bring to the table with regard to amphibious operations AND how they might stack up in a forcible entry operation.

I came to one undeniable conclusion.

The United States Marine Corps is the backbone of NATO amphibious capability.  From administrative landings, to crisis response, disaster relief and the ultimate...Forcible Entry...the US Marine Corps is the lead dog in this pack.

Chest thumping?

No.  Quite honestly I've been pleasantly surprised at the various "ways of doing business" that I've seen from our allies.  The Brits and French are most notable but from my chair I've been impressed by the range of capabilities that I've seen highlighted in this exercise.

The Royal Marines are cracker jack in the arctic.  The French have some very nice gear in the form of the Mistral and L-Cat.  The Norwegian Coastal Rangers seem to be just what the doctor ordered and should give classes to our own Riverines (I think they were working on just that at Lejeune during Bold Alligator a few years ago, but history and the Iranians, in the form of a small boat capture intervened a bit later).  Spanish mechanized forces seem capable, the Germans are getting into the game and last but not least the US Army is back in business across the entire continent.

But in Northern Europe, the USMC reclaimed an old mission.

Was this too much coverage?

Maybe, but the view was OUTSTANDING and needed to be shared.