Operation Bold Alligator comes to an end

An 11-day amphibious exercise involving approximately 15,000 sailors and Marines from 10 nations draws to a close this weekend off the coast of Virginia and North Carolina, Marine officials said.

Exercise “Bold Alligator 12”, led by the U.S. Navy’s Expeditionary Strike Group Two and the Second Marine Expeditionary Brigade, was designed to reinvigorate the naval core competency of amphibious operations. It was also the largest exercise of its kind conducted on the east coast for more than a decade, according to releases.

Beginning in the pre-dawn hours of Feb 6, more than 5,000 Marines and sailors, including units from France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, landed on Onslow Beach with the support of ships from the Navy, Coast Guard, France and Canada. While the landing was opposed, the naval force relied on early efforts to identify and avoid the adversary’s strong points, coming ashore in both aerial and surface assaults that exploited weaknesses exposed in earlier phases of the operation.

Recent international news coverage of “Bold Alligator” has included speculation linking the training scenario and timing of the exercise to other global events, according to officials. Brig. Gen. Christopher Owens, commander of the Landing Force, acknowledged that he understands why news agencies and analysts might draw such a conclusion, but reiterated that the exercise scenario is not based on a particular country or regional geography.