MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON -- TWENTY-NINE PALMS, Calif. - Behind every successful Combined Arms Exercise here, there is a band of  "coyotes" ensuring safety on the ranges and at times offering tactics to participating units.

These "coyotes" are not small wolf-like dogs roaming the desert, but a group of 35 Marines, including reserve augments, with different occupational specialties in combat arms at the Tactical Training Exercise Control Group.

Since the beginning of CAX, when it was called the Palm Tree Exercise, there have been Marines operating as range controllers.  However, there wasn't an official designation to the band of Marines working in that capacity until 1981.

During the upstart, the "coyotes" were originally tasked with observing and evaluating the training conducted by units visiting Twenty-nine Palms, as part of the Tactical Exercise Evaluation and Control Group. 

"That changed because we found that that method wasn't very productive," said Lieutenant Colonel Roger Angel, Deputy Director of TTECG.  "It wasn't counter-productive, but the units weren't really learning much from their mistakes."
When the designation of the TEECG was changed to the TTECG the role of the coyote changed to an even more productive role.

"Our role now is to be teachers and controllers," said Lieutenant Colonel Gregg Brinegar, air representative, TTECG.

However, the "coyotes" main role is to facilitate and enforce safe execution of training.  The safety standards they must enforce are handed down from the commanding general of Marine Air Ground Task Force Training Command and is translated as the CAX regulations.

To ensure safety, representatives from fields such as tanks, artillery, engineers, infantry and aviation must constantly keep open communications with each other.  Only through this cooperation, can the proper use of combat arms assets be ensured in a safe manner. 

"At any given moment during CAX, there are coyotes in the hills watching the exercise and directing fire," said Angel.  "There are also coyotes with the units doing the movements ensuring tactics are being done safely and correctly."

"In a situation where there is a safety violation, we shut down the operations of that unit until the commander is confident and comfortable in the correction of the situation," said Major Rich Valiant, assistant artillery representative, TTECG.  "Then and only then, do we allow that unit to take part in the exercise again."

One violation that can put a halt to operations, is the firing of mortars over troops.

"You have to have 400 meters between the mortar and the target with no troops in between," said Angel.  "Mortars are known to fall short during flight and if there are troops in between during firing, you are essentially placing the troops in extreme danger."

The "coyotes" training is continuos during their 18 month tour, but it takes six CAX operations for a "coyote" to be 80 percent trained and over a year to be at least 100 percent aware of all safety issues.

"A lot of the training is dependent on the occupational field the Marine is coming from," said Brinegar.  "It can take less for one Marine to learn and longer for another Marine."

Eventually, the "coyote" will have the experience from participating in several exercises to offer advice on techniques and procedures that have worked in the past.  The "coyote" will also be able to explain why a certain procedure, used in the past, is not successful.

With several CAX operations occurring every year, the "coyotes" will continue to do their job and offer valuable advice on techniques as well as procedures used by designated combative units.