Pacific Marines Stories

A Marine Air Defense Integrated System Mk 1 fires upon a small unmanned aircraft system during a training exercise at Pohakuloa Training Area, Hawaii, Jan. 25, 2025. A key component of the Marine Corps’ Force Design initiative, the mobile MADIS increases 3d Marine Littoral Regiment’s tactical flexibility by extending the range of the airspace which 3d MLR is able to sense and defend without support from the Joint Force. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Jacqueline C. Parsons) - A Marine Air Defense Integrated System Mk 1 fires upon a small unmanned aircraft system during a training exercise at Pohakuloa Training Area, Hawaii, Jan. 25, 2025. A key component of the Marine Corps’ Force Design initiative, the mobile MADIS increases 3d Marine Littoral Regiment’s tactical flexibility by extending the range of the airspace which 3d MLR is able to sense and defend without support from the Joint Force. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Jacqueline C. Parsons)

Enhanced Defense: 3d MLR Deploys MADIS to Philippines for Balikatan 2025

U.S. Marines with 3d Marine Littoral Regiment, 3d Marine Division, deployed to the Philippines in support of Exercise Balikatan 25, scheduled for April 21 to May 9, 2025. During this year’s iteration of the Integrated Air and Missile Defense event (IAMD), one of the 6 Combined Joint All-Domain Operations events scheduled during Balikatan 25, U.S. Marines with 3d Littoral Anti-Air Battalion’s Ground-Based Air Defense Battery (GBAD) will conduct live-fire training with the newly fielded Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS).

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U.S. Marines with 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, Marine Rotational Force – Darwin 25.3 unload cargo from a U.S. Air Force C-130J. - U.S. Marines with 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, Marine Rotational Force – Darwin 25.3 unload cargo from a U.S. Air Force C-130J with 36th Airlift Squadron, 374th Airlift Wing after their arrival to Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines, from Mindanao for Balikatan 2025, April 15, 2025. Balikatan is a longstanding annual exercise between U.S. and Philippine armed forces designed to strengthen the alliance, showcase the capable combined force, and demonstrate the commitment to regional security and stability. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Ezekieljay Correa)

MRF-D 25.3 surges forward for Balikatan

PUERTO PRINCESA, Philippines – Following the successful completion of Marine Exercise 2025 in Mindanao, the Marine Rotational Force – Darwin (MRF-D) 25.3 Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) seamlessly repositioned it’s ground combat element (GCE) forces from Mindanao to Palawan, Philippines, as a show of allied and partner commitment to regional security and building maritime domain awareness in support of Exercise Balikatan 25.

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U.S. Marines with Echo Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, Marine Rotational Force – Darwin 25.3 and Armed Forces of the Philippines service members disembark a Philippine Naval vessel during an amphibious assault demonstration as part of Marine Exercise 2025 near Cotabato City, Mindanao, Philippines, April 9, 2025. - U.S. Marines with Echo Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, Marine Rotational Force – Darwin 25.3 and Armed Forces of the Philippines service members disembark a Philippine Naval vessel during an amphibious assault demonstration as part of Marine Exercise 2025 near Cotabato City, Mindanao, Philippines, April 9, 2025. MAREX 2025 is a bilateral exercise between the U.S. Marine Corps and the Philippine Marine Corps designed to further enhance relationships, interoperability, and combined arms capabilities in a realistic training environment. MRF-D 25.3 is part of an annual six-month rotational deployment to enhance interoperability with the Australian Defence Force and Allies and partners and provide a forward-postured crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Ezekieljay Correa)

Combined Strength and Shared Commitment: MRF-D 25.3 concludes MAREX 25

CAMP IRANUM, Mindanao, Philippines – U.S. Marines with 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, Marine Rotational Force – Darwin 25.3, concluded a two-week bilateral exercise alongside the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) during Marine Exercise (MAREX) 25, held from March 31 to April 11 in Mindanao.

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Philippine and U.S. government and military representatives conduct the “crossing of hands” during the opening ceremony to commence Exercise Balikatan 25 at Camp Aguinaldo, Manila, Philippines, April 21, 2025 - Philippine and U.S. government and military representatives conduct the “crossing of hands” during the opening ceremony to commence Exercise Balikatan 25 at Camp Aguinaldo, Manila, Philippines, April 21, 2025. Balikatan is a longstanding annual exercise between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the U.S. military designed to strengthen our ironclad alliance, improve our capable combined force and demonstrate our commitment to regional security and stability. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Erica Padgett)

Exercise Balikatan 2025 kicks off with opening ceremony highlighting ironclad alliance

CAMP AGUINALDO, Quezon City, Philippines – Exercise Balikatan 25, the largest annual bilateral exercise conducted between the Philippines and the U.S., commenced with an opening ceremony today.

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U.S. Marine Corps Pfc. Christian Renklema, a native of Georgia and an artillery cannoneer with 3d Littoral Combat Team, 3d Marine Littoral Regiment, 3d Marine Division, operates the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System on Marine Corps Training Area Bellows, Hawaii, Oct. 24, 2024. The NMESIS provides the Marine Corps a highly deployable, land-based, anti-ship system that is a key capability for the Marine Littoral Regiment. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Eric Huynh) - U.S. Marine Corps Pfc. Christian Renklema, a native of Georgia and an artillery cannoneer with 3d Littoral Combat Team, 3d Marine Littoral Regiment, 3d Marine Division, operates the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System on Marine Corps Training Area Bellows, Hawaii, Oct. 24, 2024. The NMESIS provides the Marine Corps a highly deployable, land-based, anti-ship system that is a key capability for the Marine Littoral Regiment. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Eric Huynh)

3d MLR Deploys NMESIS to Philippines for Exercise Balikatan 25

Following the announcement by U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth during his visit to Manila on March 28, U.S. Marines with 3d Marine Littoral Regiment deployed the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System to the Philippines in support of Exercise Balikatan 25. This marks the inaugural deployment of the newly fielded Marine Corps weapon system to the Philippines and serves as a major milestone for the continuously developing U.S.-Philippines Alliance.

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Indian Army (IA) personnel from the 4/8 Gurkha Rifles Infantry Battalion, 91st Infantry Brigade, traverse the beach in an IA BMP-II Sarath amphibious infantry combat vehicle, left, with an IA Mahindra Armored Light Specialist Vehicle, along with two U.S. Army 11th Airborne Division personnel, while two landing craft mechanized (LCM-8), launched from Indian Navy amphibious transport dock INS Jalashwa (L41), pull away during a large-scale amphibious landing drill held as part of Exercise Tiger Triumph 2025, at Kakinada Beach, Andhra Pradesh, India, April 11. - KAKINADA, Andhra Pradesh, India (April 11, 2025) - Indian Army (IA) personnel from the 4/8 Gurkha Rifles Infantry Battalion, 91st Infantry Brigade, traverse the beach in an IA BMP-II Sarath amphibious infantry combat vehicle, left, with an IA Mahindra Armored Light Specialist Vehicle, along with two U.S. Army 11th Airborne Division personnel, while two landing craft mechanized (LCM-8), launched from Indian Navy amphibious transport dock INS Jalashwa (L41), pull away during a large-scale amphibious landing drill held as part of Exercise Tiger Triumph 2025, at Kakinada Beach, Andhra Pradesh, India, April 11. Tiger Triumph is a joint and combined U.S.-India exercise focused on humanitarian assistance and disaster response readiness and interoperability. Tiger Triumph enables U.S. and Indian armed forces to improve interoperability and bilateral, joint, and service readiness in the Indian Ocean region and beyond to support a free and open Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Caroline H. Lui)

Tiger Triumph nears conclusion with large-scale amphibious operation training

KAKINADA, India (April 11, 2025) – Nearly 1,000 U.S. and Indian military personnel took part in a large-scale amphibious landing drill on Kakinada Beach in Andhra Pradesh, India, on April 11, 2025, for the culminating event in Exercise Tiger Triumph 2025.

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U.S. Marines with Marine Wing Support Squadron 174, Marine Aircraft Group 24, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing and Philippine Engineers with the 357th Air Engineering Squadron members pose for a team photo during Exercise Balikatan 25 at the Barangay Dagupan Multipurpose Gymnasium, Lal-lo, Cagayan, Philippines, April 8, 2025. - U.S. Marines with Marine Wing Support Squadron 174, Marine Aircraft Group 24, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing and Philippine Engineers with the 357th Air Engineering Squadron members pose for a team photo during Exercise Balikatan 25 at the Barangay Dagupan Multipurpose Gymnasium, Lal-lo, Cagayan, Philippines, April 8, 2025. Balikatan is a longstanding annual exercise between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the U.S. military designed to strengthen our ironclad alliance, improve our capable combined force and demonstrate our commitment to regional security and stability (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Roger- Junior Annoh)

Philippine, U.S. Troops Kick off Exercise Balikatan 2025

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the U.S. military are joining forces for the 40th iteration of Exercise Balikatan, the largest annual bilateral training exercise between the two allies, from April 21 to May 9. Building on the complexities and achievements of past iterations, this year’s exercise will demonstrate the progress in the AFP’s modernization efforts and further strengthen the U.S. - Philippine Mutual Defense Treaty by enhancing military interoperability and readiness.

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U.S. Marines and Sailors with Marine Rotational Force — Darwin 25.3 and Armed Forces of the Philippines service members practice fireman carries during tactical field care training as part of Marine Exercise 2025 near Cotabato City, Mindanao, Philippines, April 1, 2025. - U.S. Marines and Sailors with Marine Rotational Force — Darwin 25.3 and Armed Forces of the Philippines service members practice fireman carries during tactical field care training as part of Marine Exercise 2025 near Cotabato City, Mindanao, Philippines, April 1, 2025. MAREX 2025 is a bilateral exercise between the U.S. Marine Corps and the Philippine Marine Corps designed to further enhance relationships, interoperability, and combined arms capabilities in a realistic training environment. MRF-D 25.3 is part of an annual six-month rotational deployment to enhance interoperability with the Australian Defence Force and Allies and partners and provide a forward-postured crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Ezekieljay Correa)

Postured and Ready: MRF-D 25.3 deploys across the Pacific

Marine Rotational Force – Darwin (MRF-D) 25.3 has commenced its 14th iteration, projecting its operational reach well beyond northern Australia. While most of the force has successfully closed in Darwin, a portion of the ground combat element deployed directly from Camp Pendleton, California, to the Philippines to train with the Philippine Marine Corps’ (PMC) 1st Marine Brigade in Mindanao.

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U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. Joshua Chambers, operational planner, Operations Division, G-3, U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific, poses for a photo on Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii, Apr. 1, 2025. Chambers recounts the story of how his great-grandfather, Col. Justice M. Chambers, received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Battle of Iwo Jima. The Battle of Iwo Jima, fought from February 19 to March 26, 1945, was one of the deadliest campaigns undertaken by the United States Marine Corps during World War II. Joshua Chambers is a native of Austin, Texas. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Jose Villasenor) - U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. Joshua Chambers, operational planner, Operations Division, G-3, U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific, poses for a photo on Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii, Apr. 1, 2025. Chambers recounts the story of how his great-grandfather, Col. Justice M. Chambers, received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Battle of Iwo Jima. The Battle of Iwo Jima, fought from February 19 to March 26, 1945, was one of the deadliest campaigns undertaken by the United States Marine Corps during World War II. Joshua Chambers is a native of Austin, Texas. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Jose Villasenor)

A Legacy of Valor: How U.S Marine Corps Colonel Justice Chambers Shaped Generations of Marines

The legacy of retired U.S. Marine Corps Col. Justice M. Chambers is woven into the very fabric of Marine Corps history. His story is one of resilience, leadership, and sacrifice – qualities that not only defined his service but also left an indelible mark on future generations of Marines, including his own great-grandson, U.S Marine Corps Lt. Col. Joshua Chambers.

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U.S. Marine Corps Col. Jason C. Armas, center, the commanding officer of Marine Rotational Force – Darwin 25.3, and Sgt. Maj. Michael T. Escobar, right, the sergeant major of MRF – D 25.3, pose for a photo with Group Captain Melissa Neilson, the commander of Northern Command, at Royal Australian Air Force Base Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, March 17, 2025. - U.S. Marine Corps Col. Jason C. Armas, center, the commanding officer of Marine Rotational Force – Darwin 25.3, and Sgt. Maj. Michael T. Escobar, right, the sergeant major of MRF – D 25.3, pose for a photo with Group Captain Melissa Neilson, the commander of Northern Command, at Royal Australian Air Force Base Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, March 17, 2025. MRF-D 25.3 is part of an annual six-month rotational deployment to enhance interoperability with the Australian Defence Force and allies and partners and provide a forward-postured crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Ezekieljay Correa)

U.S. Marines, Sailors with MRF-D 25.3 arrive to Northern Territory

U.S. Marines and Sailors have arrived in the Northern Territory to kick off the 14th annual rotation of the Marine Rotational Force – Darwin Marine Air-Ground Task Force.

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