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Downtown Los Angeles might look like a scene out of “Call of Duty” next week, but military officials say don’t be alarmed. It’s a drill.

Military helicopters will be buzzing over the downtown skyline. Marines and sailors from Camp Pendleton armed with chalk-firing nonlethal rifles will converge at undisclosed locations in Los Angeles — all in an effort to get “urban realism” training.

Military officials will not disclose exactly when the training will occur in Los Angeles, hoping to dissuade potential spectators. But they don’t want people to panic.

“The last thing we want is for people to see Marines in Ospreys and think that World War III has begun,” said Capt. Brian Block, spokesman for the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit.

via Marines to invade LA, but don’t panic – Marine Corps – Stripes.

Sounds like fun. The more realistic a training scenario is, generally the more enthusiastic the troops are. Not surprisingly, that tends to result in better retention of the training objectives.

And I don’t suppose it hurts any for the taxpayer to see what their dollar is buying.