Sgt. John Portugal, left, and Lance Cpl. Tanner Hurst “sugar cookie” themselves during clandestine landing rehearsals at Ternate, Philippines, Oct. 1, 2015. The Marines rehearsed clandestine landings with their Filipino counterparts, which increased their mission readiness during maritime raid operations. During clandestine landings, scout swimmers swim to shore and use the “sugar cookie” method to prevent themselves from being detected by glare or shine from their body and equipment. This training is in part of Amphibious Landing Exercise 2015, which is an annual, bilateral training exercise conducted by U.S. Marine and Navy Forces with the Armed Forces of the Philippines in order to strengthen our interoperability and working relationships across the range of military operations — from disaster relief, to complex expeditionary operations. Portugal from Vacaville, Calif., is a reconnaissance man with 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force. Hurst from Simi Valley, Calif., is a reconnaissance man with, 3rd Recon Bn., 3rd MarDiv, III MEF.