CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. — Marines conducted one of the largest simulated battles in more than a decade with about 55,000 virtual troops squaring off against a professional, well-equipped enemy during a massive training exercise in Southern California.

About 1,800 Marines participated in the exercise that was designed to test I Marine Expeditionary Force's command-and-control capabilities. The Marines were tasked with planning and carrying out mock MEF-level combat operations involving about 55,000 U.S. and coalition troops.

The exercise required Marines to think differently than they had during 13 years of counterinsurgency missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. Officials said thatit this was the first time in 12 years that Marines faced an enemy with advanced equipment and training.

"We have not done that in a very long time," said Lt. Gen. David Berger, I MEF's commander, from a faux-command and control center here. at Forward Operating Base Whiteman. "We were very focused on [Operation Iraqi Freedom]OIF and [Operation Enduring Freedom]OEF , which ... is stability, it's counter-insurgency, it allowed you to have a pretty narrow focus in your training. The scenario we created out here is a high-end threat."

The Marines' enemy was equipped with everything the Marines had, Berger said. Members of I MEF suffered about 2,000 casualties over the five-day exercise that wrapped up Monday.

"It's been a tough five days with a lot of casualties," Berger said. "But we needed that to test us."

The MEF-level exercise fits with Commandant Gen. Joe Dunford's plan to use I MEF for the world's large scale, high-end engagements that are led by a three-star general, Berger said. According to Dunford's planning guidance, released in January, the East Coast-based II MEF will focus on crisis response missions while the Japan-based III MEF will remain regionally oriented in the Asia-Pacific region.

The fictitious enemy, the Dakotians, outnumbered the Marines, and were a strong ground force, said Col. Matt Jones, the MEF's operations officer. The headquarters element had to coordinate maneuvers over distance, and combined arms, and manage a massive force launched from the sea.

The Marines faced another threat that has gotten more sophisticated over the past decade: cyber warfare. Cyber warfare has become a more prominent part of warfare since the invasion began 12 years ago in March. Berger said that Marine networks were attacked as many as six times during the exercise.

"We didn't know when it was coming, or how," he said. "They hit classified, they hit unclassified. It's not something we're used to." It's great," Berger said.

Col. Matt James, the MEF's operations officer, said the cyber attack was pretty realistic, but I MEF was and Marines were able to launcher a counterattack.

"They gave us a good workout — counteraction was able to happen, but there was some degradation," he said.

Headquarters was located at a forward operating base here Forward Operating Base Whiteman at Camp Pendleton. They could have used a typical office setting, but working from tents in the field let them test their expeditionary capabilities, including communication networks, allowing for and allowed for another level of authenticity, Berger said.

Participating units were also based The exercise involved units at bases hundreds of miles apart, so Marines had to fly or drive between venues or use satellite communication links to communicate.

"We intentionally did not co-locate," Berger said. "I can't cheat ... [and] walk across the street and say 'Hey Larry, what did you mean by that?'"

While only the headquarters portion of the MEF participated, Berger said Marines should could expect to participate in similar exercises like this spring like in Dawn Blitz, an amphibious exercise to be held this spring, as well as events next year.

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