by Sabrina Salas Matanane

Guam - Marines based out of Okinawa are on island to participate in Exercise Guahan Shield which gets underway on Monday. Participating in the training are two Okinawa-based Marines and sailors with III Marine Expeditionary Force, according to a press release. The exercise will facilitate multi-service engagement, set conditions for bilateral and multilateral training opportunities, and support rapid response to potential theater crises and contingency operations in the Asia-Pacific region.

According to a press release Guahan Shield is being conducted as part of III MEF's responsibility to ensure its Marines and sailors are thoroughly trained to meet mission requirements and perform at the highest level of readiness. Guam provides the diverse expeditionary training opportunities Marines need to conduct dynamic, varied training evolutions necessary to maintain proficiency and operational readiness across the range of military operations, further improving the

Marine Corps' ability to rapidly respond to contingencies throughout the

region.

"It is exciting for us to deploy for training; we look to take advantage of

the diverse training environments and opportunities that Guam has to offer.

Aviation units have done several exercises on Guam, but ground service support

companies can also benefit from training there, specifically our engineering

company and the potential opportunities for multiservice engagement projects,"

said Capt. Chad Presley, company commander for CLD-39.

Exercise Guahan Shield concludes in May.