Photo Of The Day: The Royal Marines Commandos have some postcards from their action-packed mission in the USA, where they are working together with US and Dutch Marines. The location: Mojave Desert in California.

Royal Marines are taking on their comrades from the United States Marine Corps in the wilds of the Californian desert as they prepare for operations as part of a new task group.

A new high-readiness force, Littoral Response Group (South), is to be built around Taunton-based 40 Commando and will focus on the regions east of the Suez Canal, ready to respond to global events.

To ensure the commando element of the group are ready for deployment next year, the marines must first complete Exercise Green Dagger in the Mojave Desert alongside the US and Netherlands Marine Corps.

The exercises across sun-scorched deserts will test the marines in a number of warfighting skills and their ability to work effectively with their Dutch counterparts who also form part of the LRG(S).

Green Dagger will culminate in a ‘free play battle’ in which Dutch and British marines will work together against the might of the USMC to evaluate the effectiveness of each of the allied forces.

The exercises are taking place at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Centre at Twentynine Palms, which covers an area similar in size to Luxembourg in the Californian deserts.

The use of these types of vehicles is getting more and more popular among units like these.

In case you didn’t read the “Welsh Guards Armoury Upgrade – Heckler & Koch SA80 A3” article, now’s your chance.

There seems to be no lack of sunshine and dust.

Below: One of the drawbacks of the SA80. Can you spot it? Please tell us in the comments.

Check here for some more postcards: Postcards from Russia’s Frogmen and Postcards from the German Kampfschwimmers.

Photo Source: Royal Marines