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KS25 is a biennial, joint and bilateral field-training exercise involving U.S. military and Japan Self-Defense Force personnel, designed to increase readiness and interoperability while strengthening the ironclad U.S.-Japan alliance. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Rodney Frye) - U.S. Marines with 3rd Battalion, 12th Marine Littoral Regiment, 3d Marine Division and Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron (VMGR) 152, Marine Aircraft Group 12, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, transport an M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System in a KC-130J Super Hercules in preparation for Keen Sword 25 at Japan Air Self –Defense Force Kenebetsu Air Base, Hokkaido, Japan, Oct. 18, 2024.

U.S. Marines Participate in Keen Sword 25

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP S. D. BUTLER, Okinawa, Japan - III Marine Expeditionary Force Marines and Sailors will participate in exercise Keen Sword 25, a joint-bilateral biennial exercise, alongside the Japan Self-Defense Force from October 23 through November 1, 2024, throughout Japan.

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Ratliff is a native of Indiana. KMEP is a bilateral training exercise that increases interoperability and strengthens the combined capabilities of ROK and U.S. Marines. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Paley Fenner) - U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Grace Ratliff, right, an engineer assistant with Company B, 9th Engineer Support Battalion, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, and Republic of Korea (ROK) Marines with 8th Engineer Company, 2nd Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, prepare a ROK KM16 anti-personnel practice mine during a bilateral conventional minefield exchange during Korean Marine Exchange Program 24.2 on Gunha-Rhi, Gyeonggi, South Korea, Aug. 1, 2024.

UFS 2024

U.S. Marines joined their Republic of Korea Marine Corps counterparts for an annual exercise, Ulchi Freedom Shield 24, forming the Combined Marine Component Command. During the exercise, the CMCC, as part of the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command, enhanced the integration of their combined combat power under a single command.

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U.S. Marine Corps Col. Timothy S. Brady Jr and Sgt. Maj. Rodney E. Nevinger, 3d Marine Littoral Regiment commanding officer and sergeant major, unveil the 3d MLR unit colors during the redesignation ceremony of 3d Marines to 3d MLR aboard Marine Corps Base Hawaii, March 3, 2022. The 3d MLR will serve as a key enabler for joint, allied, and partnered forces, will integrate with naval forces, and will enable multi-domain maneuver and fires within contested spaces. The transition of 3d Marines to 3d MLR is in accordance with Force Design 2030 and one of the first major steps to facilitating a shift as the Marine Corps divests in legacy capabilities and builds a force that is optimized for operations envisioned within the Commandant’s Planning Guidance. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Patrick King) - U.S. Marine Corps Col. Timothy S. Brady Jr and Sgt. Maj. Rodney E. Nevinger, 3d Marine Littoral Regiment commanding officer and sergeant major, unveil the 3d MLR unit colors during the redesignation ceremony of 3d Marines to 3d MLR aboard Marine Corps Base Hawaii, March 3, 2022. The 3d MLR will serve as a key enabler for joint, allied, and partnered forces, will integrate with naval forces, and will enable multi-domain maneuver and fires within contested spaces. The transition of 3d Marines to 3d MLR is in accordance with Force Design 2030 and one of the first major steps to facilitating a shift as the Marine Corps divests in legacy capabilities and builds a force that is optimized for operations envisioned within the Commandant’s Planning Guidance. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Patrick King)

MARINE LITTORAL REGIMENT (MLR)

The Marine Littoral Regiment is one part of the larger force design intended to remedy challenges created by the continued evolution of the character of warfare – specifically the proliferation of the Mature Precision Strike Regime.

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U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Samuel Smith, with 3d Reconnaissance Battalion, 3d Marine Division, takes the final practical application exam during Tactical Combat Casualty Care training at Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, Jan. 20, 2021. TCCC training reinforces Marines and Sailors’ ability to provide lifesaving care and to limit the risk of casualties on the battlefield. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Juan Carpanzano) - U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Samuel Smith, with 3d Reconnaissance Battalion, 3d Marine Division, takes the final practical application exam during Tactical Combat Casualty Care training at Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, Jan. 20, 2021. TCCC training reinforces Marines and Sailors’ ability to provide lifesaving care and to limit the risk of casualties on the battlefield. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Juan Carpanzano)

How to Save a Life: Marines Learn Casualty Care

Using a true-to-life mannequin that mimics a casualty in pain, complete with screams and fake blood, Marines with 3d Marine Division trained to save lives during a Level II Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) certification course on Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan.

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Lt. Gen. Lawrence D. Nicholson visits Kadena Air Force Base, Okinawa, Japan, Feb. 14, 2017, to thank various Airmen, including Capt. John Krzyminski, who assisted in the search and rescue of an MV-22 Osprey, in Okinawa, Japan, December 2016. Nicholson is the commanding general of III Marine Expeditionary Force and Krzyminski is a combat rescue officer with the 31st Rescue Squadron. The aircraft had five crew members onboard, but thanks to the quick thinking of the pilot and the efforts of the airmen who responded to the incident, all were recovered. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Laura Gauna) - Lt. Gen. Lawrence D. Nicholson visits Kadena Air Force Base, Okinawa, Japan, Feb. 14, 2017, to thank various Airmen, including Capt. John Krzyminski, who assisted in the search and rescue of an MV-22 Osprey, in Okinawa, Japan, December 2016. Nicholson is the commanding general of III Marine Expeditionary Force and Krzyminski is a combat rescue officer with the 31st Rescue Squadron. The aircraft had five crew members onboard, but thanks to the quick thinking of the pilot and the efforts of the airmen who responded to the incident, all were recovered. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Laura Gauna)

No Marine Left Behind: An Osprey, an Air Force rescue crew, and the Marines they saved in Okinawa

KADENA AIR FORCE BASE, Okinawa, Japan -- The minute combat rescue Airmen heard about what appeared to be the beginning of a disaster, they took action. An MV-22 Osprey made a forced landing off the coast of Okinawa, Japan, Dec. 13, while conducting an aerial refueling operation at night.

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Staff Sgt. Jonathan Snow, an explosive ordnance disposal technician with Naval Service Warfare Center, Explosive Ordnance Disposal, Technology Division, Marine Corps Detachment, talks about the capabilities of the Remote Fuse Disassembly System. Snow taught a five-day series of classes on the system. - Staff Sgt. Jonathan Snow, an explosive ordnance disposal technician with Naval Service Warfare Center, Explosive Ordnance Disposal, Technology Division, Marine Corps Detachment, talks about the capabilities of the Remote Fuse Disassembly System. Snow taught a five-day series of classes on the system.

Robotics help explosive-handling Marines reduce risk

CAMP HANSEN, Okinawa, Japan - The purpose behind the unit is to help make ordnance disposal safer by allowing EOD technicians to disassemble ordnance at distances five times farther than before.

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Lance Cpl. Jeremie Lewis, Lance Cpl. Quinn Beckens, Lance Cpl. Rodrigo Cruzvera, and Lance Cpl. Javier Avila Jr. stand in front on their fire truck April 1, 2016. The Marines are aircraft rescue and firefighting Marines with Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron, Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Marine Corps Installations Pacific. Lewis is from South Haven, Miss.; Beckens is from Sodus, N.Y.; Crusvera is from Gardnerville, Nev.; Avila is from San Augustine, Texas. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Kelsey M. Dornfeld/ Released) - Lance Cpl. Jeremie Lewis, Lance Cpl. Quinn Beckens, Lance Cpl. Rodrigo Cruzvera, and Lance Cpl. Javier Avila Jr. stand in front on their fire truck April 1, 2016. The Marines are aircraft rescue and firefighting Marines with Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron, Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Marine Corps Installations Pacific. Lewis is from South Haven, Miss.; Beckens is from Sodus, N.Y.; Crusvera is from Gardnerville, Nev.; Avila is from San Augustine, Texas. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Kelsey M. Dornfeld/ Released)

Training For the Fire

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION FUTENMA, Okinawa, Japan -- "Bunker drill!" In response to the alert, four Marines spring into action, donning their flame retardant uniforms. They race to put their helmets on as a Marine cries “twenty seconds!” from within the chaos. One by one, they climb aboard a fire truck each and slap their hands on the dashboard, signaling that they are ready to go. Readiness is paramount for the Aircraft Rescue Fire Fighting Marines with Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron, MCAS Futenma. Being ready requires constant practice, such as the flight line fire fighting training they conducted here, April 1.

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III MEF Marines Pacific Spotlights

Marines with III Marine Expeditionary Force speak about their own Marine Corps experiences in Okinawa, Japan.

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Lance Cpl. Tony McCandless, right, hands out cake to kids Dec. 19 at the Kin Town Social Welfare Center, Okinawa, Japan. Marines organized a toy drive through the Kin Town Single Parent Association to give back to their community by handing out gifts and cake to the children. McCandless is a radio maintainer with 3rd Intelligence Battalion, III Marine Headquarters Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Isaac Ibarra/Released) - Lance Cpl. Tony McCandless, right, hands out cake to kids Dec. 19 at the Kin Town Social Welfare Center, Okinawa, Japan. Marines organized a toy drive through the Kin Town Single Parent Association to give back to their community by handing out gifts and cake to the children. McCandless is a radio maintainer with 3rd Intelligence Battalion, III Marine Headquarters Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Isaac Ibarra/Released)

Marines Play Santa for a Day

Presents slowly fill the room under a board display saying “3rd Intel 2015 Toys Drive.” Empty desks await the children, and soon, they will notice that Santa Claus came dressed a little different this year. He came dressed as a U.S. Marine.

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Junko Kurata, right, serves salad to Cpl. Jonathan Koren during a Christmas Party thrown by the Hikariga Oka Nursing Home in Kin Town, Okinawa, Japan, Dec. 18, 2015. The nursing home hosts the Christmas party annually to pay thanks for 7th Communication Battalion continuous contributions and community outreach projects. Since 1994, Marines with the battalion have regularly volunteered regularly by organizing routine cleanups and maintenance for the home and its surrounding area. Kurata is from Kin town and is a nurse at the nursing home. Koren is from Allentown, Pennsylvania and is a digital wideband repairer with 7th Comm. Bn., III Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group, III MEF. (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Cpl. Devon Tindle/Released) - Junko Kurata, right, serves salad to Cpl. Jonathan Koren during a Christmas Party thrown by the Hikariga Oka Nursing Home in Kin Town, Okinawa, Japan, Dec. 18, 2015. The nursing home hosts the Christmas party annually to pay thanks for 7th Communication Battalion continuous contributions and community outreach projects. Since 1994, Marines with the battalion have regularly volunteered regularly by organizing routine cleanups and maintenance for the home and its surrounding area. Kurata is from Kin town and is a nurse at the nursing home. Koren is from Allentown, Pennsylvania and is a digital wideband repairer with 7th Comm. Bn., III Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group, III MEF. (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Cpl. Devon Tindle/Released)