MRF-D manoeuvres combat credible forces afloat

Within weeks of completing humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) operations in the Philippines, U.S. Marines and Sailors with the Marine Rotational Force – Darwin (MRF-D) 25.3 Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) shifted into Exercise Alon 25 in the Philippines, Super Garuda Shield 25 in Indonesia, and embarked combat-credible forces afloat in First Island Chain waters. The rapid pivot showcased the MAGTF’s ability to move from crisis response to high-end training and afloat operations, cementing its role as a forward, combat-credible force in the Indo-Pacific. The transition from delivering food and supplies to Batanes, Philippines, to executing complex, multinational training highlighted the agility, scalability, and command and control prowess of the MAGTF. Their constant presence in the region means more than quick crisis response. It provides deterrence, interoperability, and enduring partnership, benefiting all who participate. During the HADR mission, MRF-D’s Aviation Combat Element (ACE) flew U.S. Marine Corps MV-22B Ospreys assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 363 into isolated areas, delivering food packs and critical aid alongside Philippine partners for the nation’s whole-of-government response. As the wheels of the last supply flight touched down, the MRF-D MAGTF immediately turned its attention to Exercise Alon 25. The next mission began without pause. Exercise Alon 25, led by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and Australian Defence Force (ADF), provided MRF-D with a unique opportunity to support the Philippine-Australian combined force. MRF-D plugged in as a valuable integrated force multiplier capable of leveraging assets from other joint forces in the area for any crisis or contingency. “This exercise is about Australia and the Philippines, and there’s a Canadian and a U.S. component to it,” said Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles. “This is about building the interoperability between two countries which share values and have one intent, and that is to uphold the rules-based order in this region.” Off the heels of the multinational opening ceremony in Puerto Princesa, Palawan, the MAGTF ACE provided MV-22B Osprey lift for combined military free fall operations with ADF personnel and Philippine Air Force (PAF) planners, dropping Australian special operations forces over a simulated contested drop zone in Palawan. U.S. Marines with 1st Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company (ANGLICO), MRF-D 25.3, spearheaded combined planning efforts and provided command-and-control integration for the MAGTF commander. Success here depended on the ability of the MRF-D MAGTF’s Command Element (CE) detachments at Luzon and Palawan, Philippines, like Marine Air Control Group (MACG) 38, MRF-D 25.3, to plan, coordinate, and deconflict the operational airspace for smooth execution. Airspace coordination was nonstop. U.S., Australian and Philippine aircraft all shared the same skies. Deliberate liaison placement and continuous combined coordination ensured safety and mission success. “The ANGLICO Supporting Arms Liaison Team (SALT) provides the MRF-D MAGTF with subject matter expertise in the planning, control and employment of aviation and fire support,” said U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Erik “Sister” Carlson, a forward air controller with 1st ANGLICO, MRF-D 25.3. “In Exercise Alon the ANGLICO SALT integrated with Philippine Air Force F/A-50s, A-29s, UH-60s and C-130s, as well as Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) F/A-18E and E/A-18G aircrew at the tactical level to incorporate the unique capabilities of partners and allies with the combat power of MRF-D Marines.” U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Stanford Taylor, the MACG-38 detachment officer in charge, MRF-D 25.3, expanded on MRF-D’s CE integration even further: “The Marine Air Control Group detachment provided critical command, control and communications capabilities via multiple nodes. Critical battle tracking and flight updates were passed from air control agencies, an air liaison officer C2 [command and control] was provided to the Australian Joint Operations Room, while METOC [meteorology and oceanography] conducted preflight weather briefs with the PAF — all enabling increased situational awareness for the commander and allied and partner players across the battlespace.” Throughout the exercise, the MRF-D Fires and Effects Coordination Center (FECC) conducted subject matter expert exchanges (SMEE) with Australian counterparts at the Philippine Western Command (WESCOM) military installation on Palawan, striving toward interchangeability of forces and operational concepts in the realm of fires. Targeting, command and control processes, and combined fires planning helped carve out future opportunities for integration between the two nations, enhancing both capabilities and setting a precedent for what right looks like. On Clark Air Base, Luzon, MRF-D aircraft maintainers, refuelers and supporting personnel worked around the clock to ensure every aircraft remained operational alongside RAAF and PAF personnel using the same flight lines. A Combined Joint Forcible Entry Operation (CJFEO) signified the culmination of months of multinational planning, rehearsals and synchronization. The operation began with simulated strikes from PAF F/A-50 fighter jets, setting conditions for combined ADF, AFP and Canadian naval forces to launch an amphibious assault on the beachhead north of San Vicente, Palawan. Simultaneously to the south, U.S. Marines with MRF-D’s Ground Combat Element (GCE) of Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, MRF-D 25.3, loaded their MV-22B’s at Antonio Bautista Air Base, Palawan, alongside PAF UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters carrying Philippine Marines with Marine Battalion Landing Team 7, 3rd Brigade, to seize and hold key maritime terrain to the south of the main beachhead objective in San Vicente. “A tremendous amount of logistics and planning have gone into what we witnessed here,” said Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilbert Teodoro. “I think credit also goes to not only those who actually participated in the assault, but those who went into the months of planning, months of preparation. Things like this are done with advanced planning, with the realization that in a moment’s notice, let’s say for a typhoon or for whatnot, we may have to operate together.” Securing both objectives demonstrated how allies and partners can seize key maritime terrain and project combat power in lockstep with one another. The combined seizure strengthened multinational interoperability and aligned U.S. rotational forces with Philippine commanders responsible for defending critical maritime terrain alongside Australian commanders. Furthermore, the operation emphasized how MRF-D — through its scalable and flexible air, ground, logistics and command element with key enablers — serves as a critical link within joint and combined command and control frameworks, providing unmatched battlespace deconfliction, coordinated maneuver, logistical depth and combat power. It again validated MRF-D as a stand-in force, able to be leveraged by any combined or joint commander to achieve theaterwide and strategic objectives in support of a safe and secure Indo-Pacific. “Exercise Alon, from planning to execution, showed the strength in partnership between three countries and their willingness to operate together,” said U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Christopher “Tongues” Irvin, an MV-22B Osprey pilot with VMM-363, MRF-D 25.3. “The culminating CJFEO event consisted of both an air and surface insert. The air insert consisted of all three nations providing multiple air assets, with the MRF-D and the Lucky Red Lions [VMM-363] flying three MV-22B Ospreys. The simultaneous landing with the S70-i Black Hawks displayed VMM-363’s efforts for the exercise. The event exemplified the efforts to prepare the aircraft and plan and execute operations with our partner nations.” Further down the Pacific archipelagic ladder in the Second Island Chain, U.S. Marines with Weapons Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines, MRF-D 25.3, kicked off multinational training with the armed forces of Indonesia, the Netherlands, Japan and South Korea in Exercise Super Garuda Shield 25. Super Garuda Shield is an annual exercise between the Indonesian National Armed Forces and the U.S. military designed to strengthen interoperability, capabilities and cooperation. For MRF-D, the training represented more than another exercise in the training continuum; it positioned the final piece of the MAGTF across a Pacific-wide mosaic of multinational training, linking operations from the Philippines and Australia to Indonesia and beyond. It served as a reminder that MRF-D’s formations remain unrelenting in their pursuit of allied and partner shared purpose, precision and unity, remaining vigilant at every corner of the Indo-Pacific region. Following just a few days after the successful CJFEO, MRF-D continued integration at the high end of allied training by observing the Australian and Philippine Joint Task Force’s maritime strike event. The event showcased how quickly the combined force could transition from seizing terrain ashore to delivering coordinated fires at sea. Planned in advance and executed with precision, the combined maritime strike brought together the Royal Australian Navy’s HMAS Brisbane, the Australian Army’s Amphibious Assault Force, and RAAF F/A-18 Hornet aircraft in a live-fire strike against a maritime target in the waters off the coast of Palawan. The MRF-D FECC provided subject matter expertise throughout the planning and execution, reinforcing the ability of allied and partner forces to synchronize effects across domains and demonstrate credible deterrence in simulated contested waters. Upon the final “Lucky” Osprey tail touching down in Clark, the MAGTF used the CJFEO and maritime strike success as a launch pad into joint amphibious integration with the U.S. Navy’s USS Miguel Keith, a Lewis B. Puller-class expeditionary mobile base. Using the same MV-22B Ospreys that carried them to San Vicente, a contingent of GCE Marines remained with the Ospreys returning to Clark Air Base, Luzon, positioning them for imminent placement aboard the nearby naval vessel. Giving the infantry mobility, MRF-D’s ACE positioned MV-22B Ospreys aboard the USS Miguel Keith, marking the first time in the rotation’s history that both ACE and GCE elements embarked on a U.S. Navy vessel. The integration set a precedent for future afloat operations, extended the MAGTF’s ability to project combat-credible forces at sea, on any terrain, and remain formless yet lethal in the face of any adversary. By embarking aboard the USS Miguel Keith, MRF-D is now postured as a truly expeditionary force at sea, capable of responding from multiple axes across the First Island Chain to Australia. Operating from an afloat platform provides the MAGTF with greater reach, endurance and flexibility, enabling rapid maneuver between archipelagic terrain and forward locations ashore. This positioning gives the MAGTF commander the ability to maneuver combat-credible forces where they are needed most, while presenting potential adversaries with a force that is distributed, unpredictable and integrated with the joint and combined formations. Within weeks, MRF-D has moved from delivering food to displaced families, to seizing airfields with the AFP and ADF, to training with a multinational coalition in Indonesia. This operational rhythm showed that MRF-D can respond, adapt and sustain momentum across the Pacific. At every stage — from humanitarian assistance in Luzon, complex combined all-domain operations in Palawan, positioning forces at the strategic point of influence between Darwin, Indonesia and the Philippines in the First and Second Island Chains — MRF-D embodied the ethos of stand-in forces in the Pacific. MRF-D has demonstrated time and time again the ability to surge combat-credible forces across the Pacific using any and all available means, to integrate with any allied and partner force, and conduct the full continuum of military training and operations, confirming MRF-D’s role as a linchpin of U.S. force posture in the Indo-Pacific. “Our presence here reveals the very purpose of this deployment,” said U.S. Marine Corps Col. Jason Armas, the commanding officer of the MRF-D 25.3 MAGTF. “In just a matter of days, our Marines shifted from delivering lifesaving aid in Northern Luzon to conducting demanding, high-end training alongside the AFP and ADF. That rapid transition is the essence of what makes MRF-D unique: a combat-credible force that can surge forward, respond decisively in crisis, and then integrate seamlessly into any joint or combined formation to deter aggression and uphold regional stability.” Armas continued: “This rotation is about more than repetitions, about going through the motions, about doing what we’ve always done. It’s about proving the United States and our allies and partners are stronger together. Our presence sends a clear message: we stand ready with our allies to maneuver, sustain and fight as one force wherever and whenever called to preserve a free, open and secure Indo-Pacific region.” For Editorial Inquiries Contact: Editor Kym Bergmann at [email protected] For Advertising Inquiries Contact: Group Sales Director Simon Hadfield at [email protected]