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Press Release #20-001 November 26, 2019
1ST MARINE DIVISION TO CONDUCT LARGEST, MOST COMPLEX STEEL KNIGHT EXERCISE IN ITS HISTORY
Camp Pendleton, Calif. – Marines and Sailors from the 1st Marine Division will conduct Exercise Steel Knight 2020 (SK20) from December 2 – December 20, 2019 at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, California, and other military installations in southern California and Arizona. The exercise will also include critical combat and combat service support elements from across I Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF), to include 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, 1st Marine Logistics Group, and I MEF Information Group.
“Comprising approximately 13,000 personnel, SK20 will be the largest and most complex 1st Marine Division-led exercise in Steel Knight’s history. SK20 enhances the Division’s ability to fight and win against peer or near-peer adversaries,” said Maj. Gen. Robert Castellvi, commanding general of 1st Marine Division.
Steel Knight will provide complex and intense training in an expeditionary environment to ensure the 1st Marine Division remains lethal, combat-ready, interoperable, and rapidly deployable.
This year’s exercise will include an amphibious assault, air and surface ship-to-objective maneuver; a combined arms live-fire breach, clear and seizure operation; a battalion-size river crossing over the Colorado River; full-mission-profile casualty evacuation operations from point of injury to medical treatment facility; and a regimental, combined arms, live-fire air assault.
“Sharpening these skills will ensure 1st Marine Division remains the most lethal, resilient, and combat-ready force of choice in any clime and place,” added Castellvi.
1st Marine Division’s participation in SK20 is in line with the 2018 National Defense Strategy, the Secretary of the Navy’s FY 2020-23 guidance, and the 38th Commandant of the Marine Corps Planning Guidance. SK20 will provide an opportunity to demonstrate that 1st Marine Division is optimized for naval expeditionary warfare in contested spaces and is purpose-built to facilitate support of the Navy fleet.
Members of the media are encouraged to attend the SK20 Media Day, scheduled for 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. December 6, 2019. Media Day will include an amphibious landing, where 1st Marine Division forces will expeditiously offload equipment and build up combat power ashore while preparing to move inland.
Media members are also encouraged to inquire about additional opportunities to embed alongside operational units during SK. For more information, or to RSVP for the Media Day, please contact the 1st Marine Division Media Officer, 1st Lt. Cameron Edinburgh, at cameron.edinburgh@usmc.mil or 760-725-1129.
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