NORWAY --
U.S. Marines from the II Marine Expeditionary Force performed vehicle maintenance, conducted technical inspections and prepared cargo for shipping Jan. 14 at Marine Corps prepositioning facilities in Norway, ahead of Exercise Joint Viking 25.
While II MEF technicians from the 2d Marine Division performed vehicle maintenance on light armored vehicles, others conducted technical inspections on lightweight howitzers and up-armored Humvees. Technicians from the 2d Marine Logistics Group gathered machine guns as logistics specialists prepared quadruple shipping containers.
Marine Corps Prepositioning Program Norway (MCPP-N) uses ground equipment caves for storage, maintenance and prepositioning of equipment and supplies. It is designed to reinforce Norway and facilitate crisis response. The program also supports limited sustainment for U.S. Marine Corps expeditionary operations under U.S. European Command and other geographic combatant commanders.
Exercise Joint Viking, one of the region's largest routine winter warfare exercises, is set to take place in March. Norway will conduct the exercise with participation from NATO allies, including the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany and Finland. The armed forces will engage in joint land and sea operations, ensuring the effective defense of Norway.
U.S. Marines will exercise their ability to operate in the harsh Nordic environment, rehearsing their response to a crisis with rapid force generation and a regimental-sized trans-Atlantic deployment.
MCPP-N, which operates under the oversight of Blount Island Command in Jacksonville, Florida, stages enough equipment to reinforce a Marine regimental combat team.