News

Retired Sgt. Maj. John Canley, Medal of Honor Recipient, speaks to Marines of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit and 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force on Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, Dec. 11, 2019. Sgt. Maj. Canley received the Medal of Honor for his valor in combat during the Vietnam War. The 31st MEU, the Marine Corps' only continuously forward-deployed MEU, provides a flexible and lethal force ready to perform a wide range of military operations as the premier crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific region. (Official U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Joshua Sechser) - Retired Sgt. Maj. John Canley, Medal of Honor Recipient, speaks to Marines of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit and 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force on Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, Dec. 11, 2019. Sgt. Maj. Canley received the Medal of Honor for his valor in combat during the Vietnam War. The 31st MEU, the Marine Corps' only continuously forward-deployed MEU, provides a flexible and lethal force ready to perform a wide range of military operations as the premier crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific region. (Official U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Joshua Sechser)

Learning from the Old Breed

CAMP HANSEN, Okinawa (December 10, 2019) – Retired Sgt. Maj. John Canley, Medal of Honor recipient, spoke to Marines and Sailors of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit and the III Marine Expeditionary Force on Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan last week. Gathered units attended the event as a professional military education event to further learn how to excel as warfighters.

Read More

U.S. Marine Lt. Col. Clinton Cummings, commanding officer of 1st Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, currently assigned to 4th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, under the Unit Deployment Program, shakes hands with Col. Akamai Kazuo, commanding officer of 8th Infantry Regiment, Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, at an opening ceremony during Forest Light Middle Army in Aibano Training Area, Shiga, Japan, Dec. 1, 2019. Forest Light Middle Army is an annual training exercise that is designed to enhance the collective defense capabilities of the United States and Japan Alliance by allowing infantry units to maintain their lethality and proficiency in infantry and combined arms tactics. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. D’Angelo Yanez) - U.S. Marine Lt. Col. Clinton Cummings, commanding officer of 1st Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, currently assigned to 4th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, under the Unit Deployment Program, shakes hands with Col. Akamai Kazuo, commanding officer of 8th Infantry Regiment, Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, at an opening ceremony during Forest Light Middle Army in Aibano Training Area, Shiga, Japan, Dec. 1, 2019. Forest Light Middle Army is an annual training exercise that is designed to enhance the collective defense capabilities of the United States and Japan Alliance by allowing infantry units to maintain their lethality and proficiency in infantry and combined arms tactics. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. D’Angelo Yanez)

Forest Light Middle Army Begins

Shiga, Japan – U.S. Marines and Soldiers from Japan Ground Self-Defense Force will conduct training exercise Forest Light Middle Army at Aibano Training Area in the Shiga Prefecture of Japan from Dec. 1 to Dec. 13, 2019.

Read More

U.S. Marines with 12th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, and U.S. Soldiers with 97th Transportation Company, 10th Support Group, work together to quickly embark transportation vehicles and a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System on the U.S. Army Vessel Harpers Ferry (LCU-2022) during a joint service HIMARS embarkation training exercise in Kin, Okinawa, Japan, Oct. 31, 2019. - U.S. Marines with 12th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, and U.S. Soldiers with 97th Transportation Company, 10th Support Group, work together to quickly embark transportation vehicles and a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System on the U.S. Army Vessel Harpers Ferry (LCU-2022) during a joint service HIMARS embarkation training exercise in Kin, Okinawa, Japan, Oct. 31, 2019. This event marks the first time a Marine HIMARS was loaded on to an Army landing craft in the Indo-Pacific. Strategic mobility is key in the Indo-Pacific and the ability to transport the HIMARS over water is a vital capability that the 3rd Marine Division is now able to expand upon by partnering with the 10th Support Group. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. D’Angelo Yanez)

HIMARS and Army Landing Craft conduct joint amphibious training

KIN, OKINAWA, Japan -- U.S. Marines with 12th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, and soldiers with 10th Support Group successfully embarked and disembarked a U.S. Marine High Mobility Artillery Rocket System onto a U.S. Army landing craft, utility, 2000, Oct. 31, 2019, in Okinawa, Japan. This marks the first time a Marine HIMARS was loaded on an Army landing craft in the Indo-Pacific.

Read More

U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. William Testorff with Headquarters Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, performs a radio check while on patrol during Samurai 20-1 on Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, Oct. 22, 2019. - U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. William Testorff with Headquarters Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, performs a radio check while on patrol during Samurai 20-1 on Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, Oct. 22, 2019. The purpose of this exercise is to conduct battle drills that validate the 3rd Marine Division’s movement, setup of a combat operations center, force protection, and passage of command and control between supporting elements. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. David Staten)

3rd Marine Division conducts Exercise Samurai 1-20

CAMP HANSEN, OKINAWA, Japan – Over the past week, from Oct. 22-25, 2019, the 3rd Marine Division conducted Exercise Samurai 1-20, as part of an ongoing series of training to exercise command and control on the battlefield. The goal of Samurai 1-20 was to conduct battle drills that validate the 3rd Marine Division’s movement, setup of a combat operations center, force protection, and passage of command and control between supporting elements in a combat scenario.

Read More

U.S. Marine Corps UH-1Y Huey helicopters with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 169 currently attached to 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, III Marine Expeditionary Force, fly in a formation during a rapid deployment exercise conducted by 1st MAW, Oct. 24 in Okinawa, Japan. - U.S. Marine Corps UH-1Y Huey helicopters with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 169 currently attached to 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, III Marine Expeditionary Force, fly in a formation during a rapid deployment exercise conducted by 1st MAW, Oct. 24 in Okinawa, Japan. Marines with the 1st MAW conduct rapid deployment training to increase the confidence of III MEF’s ability to rapidly deploy and maintain a secure Indo-Pacific region while showcasing the lethality and operational flexibility of 1st MAW. As the only forward-deployed MEF, III MEF is strategically postured to quickly and effectively respond to any crisis within the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Amaia Unanue)

1st MAW Rapid Deployment Exercise

1st Marine Aircraft Wing rapidly deployed more than 25 aircraft to austere, expeditionary locations and then returned those aircraft and forces to Marine Corps Air Station Futenma from October 24 to 25, 2019.

Read More

U.S. Marine Corps 1st Lt. Zachary Scalzo participates in a combat marksmanship range during exercise Fuji Viper 20.1 in Camp Fuji, Japan, Oct. 16, 2019. - U.S. Marine Corps 1st Lt. Zachary Scalzo participates in a combat marksmanship range during exercise Fuji Viper 20.1 in Camp Fuji, Japan, Oct. 16, 2019. Fuji Viper is a regularly scheduled training evolution for infantry units assigned to 3rd Marine Division as part of the unit deployment program. The training allows units to maintain their lethality and proficiency in infantry and combined arms tactics. Scalzo is assigned to 4th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Timothy Hernandez)

3rd Marine Division participates in Fuji Viper 20-1

CAMP FUJI, GOTEMBA, Japan -- U.S. Marines and Sailors with 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, currently deployed 4th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, as part of the Unit Deployment Program, are participating in Fuji Viper 20-1 in Combined Arms Training Center, Camp Fuji, Gotemba, Japan from Sep. 29 to Nov. 4, 2019.

Read More

Gunnery Sgt. Jared McManus, company first sergeant for Maneuver Company, salutes 1st Lt. Sean Gunn, company commander of Maneuver Company, during the company activation ceremony at Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, Aug. 30, 2019. - Gunnery Sgt. Jared McManus, company first sergeant for Maneuver Company, salutes 1st Lt. Sean Gunn, company commander of Maneuver Company, during the company activation ceremony at Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, Aug. 30, 2019. Composed of engineers, motor transport and landing support, Maneuver Company was activated to optimize training while in garrison and to excel in distributed operations when deployed with the 31st MEU. The 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, the Marine Corps' only continuously forward-deployed MEU, provides a flexible and lethal force ready to perform a wide range of military operations as the premier crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Dylan Hess)

Odyssey Company: Paving the way for combat logistics

“We should take pride in our force and recent operational successes,” General David H. Berger, 38th Commandant of the Marine Corps, wrote recently in his planning guidance, “But the current force is not organized, trained, or equipped to support the naval force – operating in contested maritime spaces, facilitating sea control, or executing distributed maritime operations. We must change.”

Read More

U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Gabriel Marrero, a fire directional control specialist with Headquarters Battery, 12th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, stands security during Thunder Field Training Exercise on Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, Sept. 18, 2019. The purpose of the exercise is to rehearse setting up an expeditionary combat operations center and refine procedures for doing so. Marrero is a native of Atlantic City, N.J. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Pfc. Jamal Norris) - U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Gabriel Marrero, a fire directional control specialist with Headquarters Battery, 12th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, stands security during Thunder Field Training Exercise on Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, Sept. 18, 2019. The purpose of the exercise is to rehearse setting up an expeditionary combat operations center and refine procedures for doing so. Marrero is a native of Atlantic City, N.J. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Pfc. Jamal Norris)

2019 Thunder FTX

OKINAWA, Japan - U.S. Marines with 12th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, practiced a command and control during exercise, Thunder Field Training Exercise, aboard Camp Hansen’s Central Training Area on Okinawa, Japan, Sept. 18, 2019.

Read More

The Joint Light Tactical Vehicle is the latest addition to the 3rd Marine Division's fleet of vehicles in Okinawa, Japan. With improved armor, a better engine, and durability greater than that of the Humvee, the JLTV is a valuable new asset to 3rd Marine Division and will greatly improve mission success and lethality. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Jacob Hancock) - The Joint Light Tactical Vehicle is the latest addition to the 3rd Marine Division's fleet of vehicles in Okinawa, Japan. With improved armor, a better engine, and durability greater than that of the Humvee, the JLTV is a valuable new asset to 3rd Marine Division and will greatly improve mission success and lethality. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Jacob Hancock)

Joint Light Tactical Vehicle arrives at 3rd Marine Division

OKINAWA, Japan -- 3rd Marine Division has received the new Joint Light Tactical Vehicle on Okinawa, Japan, which will replace the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle currently being used by the U.S. Marine Corps.

Read More

Marines with Echo Company, Battalion Landing Team, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, load onto an MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft prior to a simulated airfield seizure as part of a long-range raid from the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1), Philippine Sea, Aug. 12, 2019. The 31st MEU and Amphibious Squadron 11, aboard Wasp Amphibious Ready Group ships, conducted a series of sequential operations which simulated naval expeditionary combined-arms maneuver from amphibious assets to shore, utilizing Marine Air-Ground Task Force capabilities integrated across all warfighting domains. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Kenny Nunez Bigay) - Marines with Echo Company, Battalion Landing Team, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, load onto an MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft prior to a simulated airfield seizure as part of a long-range raid from the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1), Philippine Sea, Aug. 12, 2019. The 31st MEU and Amphibious Squadron 11, aboard Wasp Amphibious Ready Group ships, conducted a series of sequential operations which simulated naval expeditionary combined-arms maneuver from amphibious assets to shore, utilizing Marine Air-Ground Task Force capabilities integrated across all warfighting domains. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Kenny Nunez Bigay)