Sailors aboard amphibious transport dock USS Green Bay (LPD 20) and Marines assigned to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) conducted a defense of the amphibious task force (DATF) live-fire gunnery exercise, March 4.

During the DATF exercise, Green Bay's small-caliber action team (SCAT) worked together with the Marines to supplement the ship's defensive capabilities. Both Marines and Sailors operated several weapons and weapon systems in order to provide 360-degree coverage of the ship, to include .50-caliber machine guns, M240B machine guns, Marine snipers outfitted with .50-caliber rifles, and two of the ship's MK-46 30mm guns.

"If we practice together with the Marines now, we'll be able to know how well we're going to react when a real-life scenario occurs," said Ensign Levi Rosa, Green Bay's weapons officer. "This training with the Marines will make us all more proficient in the future."

While Marines are disembarked from the ship, Green Bay's Sailors are responsible for the security of their ship. However, when the Marines are aboard, they are able to provide an extra layer of protection.

According to Rosa, the sole purpose of conducting the DATF exercise was to test how well Sailors and Marines work with each other, and ultimately how well they will respond to future threats.

"This exercise is important to the ship because we are trying to form an integrated 'blue and green' team," said Rosa. "Since we eat, sleep, and live among one another, we will defend our ship together, too."

In the end, the additional firepower the Marines provided Green Bay improved the Navy-Marine Corps team's ability to defend the ship.

"Marines are incredibly proficient in their ability to conduct live-fire operations and [work] together as a team," said Capt. Nathan Moyer, Green Bay's commanding officer. "Based on that proficiency, they seamlessly integrated with the crew in order to perform a successful collaborative ship exercise."

Green Bay, with embarked 31st MEU, is on a routine patrol, operating in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region to enhance partnerships and be a ready-response force for any type of contingency.

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