U.S. Seabees assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 3 and U.S. Marines assigned to 7th Engineer Support Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group, recently conducted a joint bridge exercise on board Marine Corps Base Camp Bendleton, California.

The 20 Seabees partnered with 32 Marines for the week-long exercise to construct both an eight-bay double story and six-bay single story Medium Girder Bridge (MGB) and a five-bay Improved Ribbon Bridge (IRB), to demonstrate NMCB capabilities and improve interoperability with their Marine counterparts.

The overall purpose was for Seabees to learn what the Marines have to offer in a joint operational environment and vice versa, to improve Navy and Marine Corps bridging operations for major combat operations response.

The exercise consisted of constructing two MGBs, which are a key piece of military bridging capabilities. They are lightweight, easily transportable, constructed aluminium bridges used to traverse land gaps. Their speed of erection by a small group of Seabees paired with very little maintenance requirements once erected are defining characteristics.

7th ESB is based at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California and provides general engineering support of an expeditionary nature to the Marine Expeditionary Force, to include mobility, counter mobility and survivability enhancements, explosive ordnance disposal, and general supply support to include the handling, storage and distribution of bulk water and fuel.

Seabees are the expeditionary engineering and construction experts of the naval service. They provide task-tailored, adaptable and combat-ready engineering and construction forces that deploy to support global Navy objectives.

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