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Marines with Combat Logistics Battalion 2 attempt to hold off a crowd during non-lethal riot control training at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C., Feb. 19, 2016. The training is in preparation for the unit’s upcoming Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force-Crisis Response-Africa deployment later this year.

Photo by Cpl. Joey Mendez

CLB-2: riot control training

24 Feb 2016 | Cpl. Joey Mendez The Official United States Marine Corps Public Website

Marines with Combat Logistics Battalion 2 enhanced their non-lethal tactics skills during riot control training at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C.,  Feb. 17-19.

The focus of the training was to teach the Marines to deescalate situations without resorting to the use of weapons that injure or kill.

“One of the main focuses in riot control is to control the crowd and try to deescalate a situation using non-lethal tactics,” said Cpl. Tyler S. Muscat, a riot control instructor with 2nd Law Enforcement Battalion. “This training is important because riots are a hot topic right now both nationally and internationally, so you never know when you’re going to have to pull these skills out of your tool box.”

The Marines were instructed on tactics with both riot shields and holding techniques.

“We learned different take-down and holding techniques and also learned different riot formations,” said Lance Cpl. Mackinnly J. Lewis, a landing support specialist and riot control student with CLB-2.

The Marines were trained on different formations used in a riot to control the crowd and force them to respond in an advantageous way for the Marines.

“Riot shields are used to protect the squad and gain ground on crowds through different formations we taught such as wedge, echelon and tactical columns,” said Muscat. 

“We used either wedge or column formations to push the crowd back and gain ground. We used the echelon formation to move the crowd away from a point of interest,” added Lewis. 

This training was in preparation for the unit’s upcoming deployment on Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force-Crisis Response-Africa, where they will act as the Evacuation Control Center team later this year.

“There was a lot in this training I didn’t know before that will help me on this deployment and even in the future,” said Lewis. “I feel like we had very good instructors and it was easy to pick up on. It only required practice and practice makes perfect.”

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