[CTRL] Marines will play war games in Boise

[William Shannon]

http://www.idahostatesman.com/news/daily/20020220/LocalNews/227718.shtml Marines will play war games in Boise Downtown will be training zone for urban battles By Patrick Orr The Idaho Statesman Boise probably will be invaded by a small, stealthy group of U.S. Marines this fall -- creeping along the Greenbelt, near back yards, and inside buildings. But before checking out real estate prices and schools in Canada, relax -- it�s just an exercise. In an effort to better understand urban warfare and get some valuable experience in reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering in a real city instead of a simulation, the Marine Corps plans to visit Boise for some interactive war games. "This is going to be great training for them to test new techniques, to help teach them to (work) in an urban environment," Boise Police Chief Don Pierce said. "It is going to be an interesting and fun community event. There will be a role for citizens to play." Unlike a 12-day exercise currently going on in North Little Rock, Ark., Marines in the Boise exercise will not conduct car and building searches or carry weapons on city streets. Instead, they will work in small teams and try hard to avoid detection as they infiltrate urban areas and gather intelligence from a base in the Greenbelt area. "Boise is going to be great, with the Greenbelt going right through the city," Randy Gangle, senior operational adviser for the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory, said Tuesday from Little Rock. "We are good on the green side but not so good on the gray side (cities). With both, Boise is going to be a good place to train." "It is going to be good to get out of a sterile military environment and practice in a real, live city," Gangle said. "Frankly, we just really don�t know how to do urban ground reconnaissance." About 50 Marines probably will be involved, Gangle said. They will be deployed in teams of 12, pick targets in different parts of the city and gather intelligence, moving as stealthily as possible. That�s where the people of Boise can help. "We don�t want to be seen doing this," Gangle said. "People will be encouraged to help us, to call the police if they see anything, and we can gauge how effective it has been." The Marines, in camouflage, will not be carrying weapons but will carry radios and other equipment during the training, Gangle said. Marine officials will pick a foreign city similar to Boise and use it to help them create training scenarios before starting the exercise. There will be plenty of media notice before the exercise, so no-one should be that surprised to see camouflage-clad Marines skulking along a canal or through an alley. If the Marines plan to use a particular neighborhood or building, they will pass out fliers and get permission to go onto property before doing anything, Gangle said. The challenge will be for the residents to find them. Boise officials met with the Marines several months ago after Gen. Bill Catto, in town for a meeting that included Gov. Dirk Kempthorne, saw the city and thought it would be a great place to train, Gangle said. So in December, the governor�s office put the Marines in contact with city officials, who agreed to host the exercise later this year -- probably in the fall. "They came in and looked around and said they liked it a lot," Pierce said. "I think Boise is just the right size militarily for what they want." Suzanne Burton, spokeswoman for Boise Mayor Brent Coles, said city officials had a pretty solid idea the training was going to happen, but were not aware of a specific date. They plan to release information when a final date is set and more details finalized, she said. City officials started getting calls Friday when syndicated radio host Paul Harvey reported on the Marine exercises in North Little Rock and indicated they would be coming to Boise soon. The Wall Street Journal also ran a brief Friday identifying Boise as a possible training site, prompting calls from media outlets. Burton said city officials will be in contact with the Marines to try to set a date. Gangle said Tuesday that while they planned to come to Boise in the fall, he might ask to move the training up a few months. Regardless of when it happens, city officials are happy to host the Marines. "Mayor Coles thinks it�s a really good idea and a good fit," Burton said. "We want to be fully supportive. I think it is going to be a grand time for people in Boise." The Marines have been doing similar training exercises since 1997 to improve their ability to operate in urban areas. The training is not in response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, but is part of an ongoing process, Gangle said. "In the future, most of our battles overseas will take place in cities, and our ability to gather information in cities is limited," Gangle said. "The most complicated and difficult environment for us is urban with a civilian population."