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US Marines suffer HUMILIATING defeat at hands of British colleagues in training exercise

Royal Marines commandos participated in a five-day mock battle at the US Marine Corps' Twentynine Palms base in southern California

US troops were reportedly dominated by their British counterparts and forced to surrender just days into a joint military training exercise in the Mojave desert.

Royal Marines commandos participated in a five-day mock battle at the US Marine Corps' Twentynine Palms base in southern California, touted as one of the largest military training facilities in the world, where the British forces scored a decisive victory against American troops. The Royal Marines joined hands with allied forces in Canada, the Netherlands, and the UAE to render nearly every US asset inoperable and finished the exercise by capturing more than 65 percent of the training area after starting the exercise with less than 20 percent, the Daily Mail reported.

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Soldiers were given paintball-style training equipment for reduced pressure and velocity of rounds, coupled with hi-tech simulators for heavier firepower like artillery, and live ammunition on vast ranges. After realizing they were cornered, US combatants asked for the training to be "reset" barely halfway into the five-day exercise after having sustained considerable casualties from the UK commandos.

British troops from 3 Commando Brigade and Taunton-based 40 Commando spent the last two months in the Mojave Desert in preparation for deployments next year. During the exercise, they took part in the five-day simulated conflict Green Dagger, which is reportedly used to test the US Marine Corps prior to units being deployed overseas.

The sprawling mock battlefield covered more than 3,500 square kilometers of mountainous and desert terrain. It also featured urban settings where actors play civilians and are allowed to choose between helping or hindering the military operations. The Royal Marines trained for weeks with their counterparts from the US, Canada, UAE, and the Netherlands before participating in the main exercise.

The British forces were able to successfully target the American headquarters and equipment, thereby hindering the ability of US soldiers to launch counterattacks. Meanwhile, their Artillery units also concentrated on taking out vehicles and essential weapons equipment. The American forces were eventually defeated by a long-range commando assault with fighter jet support.

According to the Daily Mail, UK combatants were testing the new  Littoral Response Group (LRG) structure, which is set to become the new template for commandos in order to make them more flexible and mobile under reforms directed by First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin. LRGs are basically Royal Navy task groups centered around commando forces and established specifically to respond to world events.

That said, the training exercise focused on three urban sprawls which were defended by allied forces, the largest of which consisted of 1,200 buildings purpose-built for military testing. While the US Marines won decisive battles early on in the exercise, British commandos fought back by carrying out raids behind enemy lines in a devastating counterattack. The training concluded by a last-ditch effort by US forces, but was successfully repelled by the opponents.

"Our success has proved the new commando force concept is more lethal and sophisticated than ever before and I am immensely proud of every member of the LRG and their vital contributions," Lieutenant Colonel Andy Dow, Commanding Officer of 40 Commando, said in a statement. "Operating alongside our partners from the USA, Netherlands, Canada, and the UAE gives us a fantastic opportunity to test, integrate and continue to push our capabilities in new and innovative directions. Throughout this deployment, our focus has been on integrating game-changing capabilities from across the commando force to deliver disproportional effect in the face of a free-thinking peer adversary," Lt Col Dow added.