Starting Friday in and around Charleston, South Carolina, the Special Operations Command of the Marine Corps will begin an extended training session to prepare for possible missions against Al-Qaeda terrorists by using a group of role players as part of pre-deployment exercises.
"This exercise is considered to be an important segment of collective training of MSOC M's pre-deployment training program," Marine documents state, as the military recently signed a $58,573 contract with BKM Global, to provide terrorist 'actors' to help in these training efforts.
Here were the requirements listed:
• "(1) Male/Female, Fluent French speaking role player with a college education in chemistry.
• (1)Al Qaeda personality needs to be the same personality for both iterations of exercise.
• (3) Male HVI (High Value Individual) Role Players that are capable or understand trade craft. (2) of the HVI Role Players must be available to be used as the same personalities during the first and second phases of the MSOC’s Final Exercise."
There are actually two different Al Qaeda-related exercises scheduled by the Marine Corps in coming weeks, one from April 25 to May 2, and the other from June 6 to June 13.
While the French speaking role player is only needed from April 25-April 30, the "AQ personality" in this exercise gets to be on hand throughout the two exercises, along with ten role players for each of the gatherings.
And in documents about this role playing contract, the military says these role players can't be just anyone who can speak a little French, or who knows a few things about Al Qaeda, as some of the "individuals do need to have a security clearance," the Marine Corps said.
The role players will include an Al Qaeda "cell leader" as well as "lower level Bad Guys," as the contractor must provide 10 AK-47 type weapons with blank ammunition for use during the exercise.
"The training will be conducted in and around Charleston, Ruffin, and Beaufort, South Carolina," according to the Marines.
Ruffin seems to be an out of the way, rural area on the west side of I-95, to the west-northwest of Charleston, about an hour from Beaufort, which is on coast between Charleston and Hilton Head.
So, if you run into some guys that look like Al Qaeda terrorists, carrying an AK-47, and speaking French in the Low Country of South Carolina in coming days, you won't have to ask yourself if they are lost, or on vacation.
They're just doing some role playing for the U.S. Marine Corps.
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