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III MEF is the nucleus of a joint and coalition Stand-In Force within the First Island Chain. In competition, III MEF assures and expands access for the joint force across the Indo-Pacific. In crisis, it provides in-place response forces to secure allies and partners while deterring adversary aggression. In conflict, III MEF fights from advanced naval bases as part of a naval expeditionary force and enables Joint Force objectives in the Indo-Pacific.
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A U.S. Navy Sailor aboard the amphibious assault ship USS America guides a U.S. Marine Corps F-35B lightning II in the Philippine Sea, May 31, 2025.
U.S. Marines with 3d Marine Littoral Regiment load the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System into a KC-130J Super Hercules May 25, 2025.
Marine with MASS-2 changes an M240B machine gun barrel in the Central Training Area, Okinawa, Japan, May 13, 2025.
Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II aircraft with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 211 lands at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, May 10, 2025
U.S Marines conduct on and off drills out of a LAV while conducting a TRAP simulation as a part of MEU Exercise at Camp Hansen, Japan, May 3, 2025.
A U.S. Marine gives commands to surrendering adversary forces during a simulated force-on-force mechanized raid at Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan.
BATANES ISLANDS, Philippines – Strategically positioned on an island in the Luzon Strait, U.S. Marines with 3d Littoral Combat Team, 3d Marine Littoral Regiment, 3d Marine Division, established a Fires Expeditionary Advanced Base (EAB) with the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) and conducted simulated maritime interdiction as a part of Exercise KAMANDAG 9, June 1, 2025. The event was tied to a larger Maritime Key Terrain Security Operation (MKTSO), during which U.S. Marines with 3d LCT and Philippine Marines with Marine Battalion Landing Team 10 rehearsed securing and defending key maritime terrain in the advancement of a Free and Open Indo-Pacific.
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CAMP SCHWAB, OKINAWA, JAPAN – On May 8th, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Marines (2/23) executed an Alert Contingency Marine Air-Ground Task Force (ACM) rehearsal designed to assess the battalion’s readiness to rapidly respond to a range of crises. Operating under the 4th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division on Okinawa, 2/23 improved their ability to quickly mobilize and complete complex operations under time-sensitive conditions.
The III Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group concluded Exercise Kaiju Rain 25 on May 12 with a closing ceremony, marking a significant step forward in advancing the Marine Corps’ operations across the information environment in the Indo-Pacific.
MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan – The U.S. Marine Corps deployed Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 211, an F-35B squadron based out of Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona to MCAS Iwakuni, Japan, under the Marine Corps’ Unit Deployment Program on May 10, 2025. The stealth fighter squadron, known by the moniker “Wake Island Avengers,” joins Marine Aircraft Group (MAG) 12, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing in support of flight operations across the Indo-Pacific region.
NAVAL STATION LEOVIGILDO GANTIOQUI, Philippines – U.S. Marines with 3d Littoral Anti-Air Battalion, 3d Marine Littoral Regiment, alongside Philippine Airmen with 960th Air and Missile Defense Group, concluded one of six Combined Joint All-Domain Operations (CJADO) events during Exercise Balikatan 25, April 27, 2025. The Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) was held at Naval Station Leovigildo Gantioqui from April 25 - 27 and included live- and dry-fire demonstrations from the U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Army, and Philippine Air Force’s counter-unmanned aerial systems (c-UAS) weapon systems.