Operation Steel Pike 19, US Marines largest air-assault exercise on east coast in a decade

Operation Steel Pike 19, US Marines largest air-assault exercise on east coast in a decade

Nearly 500 Marines took part in what Lieutenant Colonel Darrel Ayers called the largest air assault exercise on the east coast in approximately 10 years.

According to Ayers, Tuesday’s exercise was part of the 2nd Marine Division’s goal of returning to a level of coordination between airwing units and infantry battalions that existed before Operation Iraqi Freedom.

“Over the last 15 years we’ve been in combat, and some of the things we used to do back in the ’90s and early 2000s have kind of gone to the wayside because of our focus on combat operations,” Lt. Colonel Ayers said.