Pacific Marines Stories

U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Zechariah Guerrero,left, a team leader, and 1st Lt. Max C. Burke, a platoon commander, both with 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, Marine Rotational Force – Darwin 25.3, provide security during a Maritime Key Terrain Security Operations event in support of Exercise Balikatan 25 near Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines, May 5, 2025. Balikatan is a longstanding annual exercise between the 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. Guerrero is a native of Texas, and Burke is a native of Virginia. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Ezekieljay Correa) - U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Zechariah Guerrero,left, a team leader, and 1st Lt. Max C. Burke, a platoon commander, both with 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, Marine Rotational Force – Darwin 25.3, provide security during a Maritime Key Terrain Security Operations event in support of Exercise Balikatan 25 near Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines, May 5, 2025. Balikatan is a longstanding annual exercise between the 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. Guerrero is a native of Texas, and Burke is a native of Virginia. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Ezekieljay Correa)

U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. Andrew Williamson, right, the executive officer of Marine Rotational Force – Darwin 25.3, salutes with Group Captain Melissa Neilson, the commander of Headquarters Northern Command, during the 83rd anniversary ceremony of the Battle of the Coral Sea in Darwin, Australia, May 6, 2025. - U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. Andrew Williamson, right, the executive officer of Marine Rotational Force – Darwin 25.3, salutes with Group Captain Melissa Neilson, the commander of Headquarters Northern Command, during the 83rd anniversary ceremony of the Battle of the Coral Sea in Darwin, Australia, May 6, 2025. The ceremony commemorated U.S. and Australian service members who lost their lives in the Battle of the Coral Sea, which took place from May 4-8, 1942, during WWII. Williamson is a native of New York, and Neilson is a native of Tasmania. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Angelina Sara)

The IAMD event consisted of dry- and live-fire demonstrations of counter-unmanned aerial systems, to include the U.S. Marine Corps’ Marine Air Defense Integrated System, the U.S. Army’s AN/TWQ-1 Avenger, and the Philippine Air Force’s Surface-to-Air Python and Derby - Medium Range. Balikatan is a longstanding annual exercise between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and 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 Cpl. Iyer P. Ramakrishna) - U.S. Marines with 3d Littoral Anti-Air Battalion, 3d Marine Littoral Regiment, 3d Marine Division, teach Philippine Airmen with the 960th Air and Missile Defense Group, how the Marine Air Defense Integrated System operates during the Integrated Air and Missile Defense event as a part of Exercise Balikatan 25, at Naval Station Leovigildo Gantioqui, Philippines, April 24, 2025.

VMFA-211, an F-35B squadron from MCAS Yuma, Arizona, deployed to augment MAG-12, 1st MAW under the Unit Deployment Program, which provides U.S.-based units with operational experience in the Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by LCpl. Erick Reyes) - A U.S. Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II aircraft with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 211, Marine Aircraft Group 12, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing lands at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, May 10, 2025.

U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Adam Clyne, an assistant patrol leader with 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, Marine Rotational Force – Darwin 25.3, and a Philippine Marine with 3rd Marine Brigade, Philippine Marine Corps, pose for a photo before a counter-landing live-fire rehearsal in support of Exercise Balikatan 25 at Rizal, Palawan, Philippines, April 27, 2025. - U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Adam Clyne, an assistant patrol leader with 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, Marine Rotational Force – Darwin 25.3, and a Philippine Marine with 3rd Marine Brigade, Philippine Marine Corps, pose for a photo before a counter-landing live-fire rehearsal in support of Exercise Balikatan 25 at Rizal, Palawan, Philippines, April 27, 2025. Balikatan is a longstanding annual exercise between the 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. Clyne is a native of Minnesota. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Keegan Jones)

Armed Forces of the Philippines, U.S. Marines, and Japan Self-Defense Forces service members and U.S. government officials pose for a group photo during a Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Tabletop Exercise in support of Exercise Balikatan 25 at Camp Aguinaldo, Manila, Philippines, May 1, 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. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Carson Jeney) - Armed Forces of the Philippines, U.S. Marines, and Japan Self-Defense Forces service members and U.S. government officials pose for a group photo during a Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Tabletop Exercise in support of Exercise Balikatan 25 at Camp Aguinaldo, Manila, Philippines, May 1, 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. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Carson Jeney)

A U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawk with 25th Combat Aviation Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, prepares to land while transporting U.S. Marines with 3d Littoral Combat Team, 3d Marine Littoral Regiment, 3d Marine Division, and Philippine Marines with Marine Battalion Landing Team 10, to the Batanes island chain for the Maritime Key Terrain Security Operations event during Exercise Balikatan 25 in the Philippines, April 24, 2025. Balikatan is a longstanding annual exercise between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and 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 Cpl. Malia Sparks) - A U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawk with 25th Combat Aviation Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, prepares to land while transporting U.S. Marines with 3d Littoral Combat Team, 3d Marine Littoral Regiment, 3d Marine Division, and Philippine Marines with Marine Battalion Landing Team 10, to the Batanes island chain for the Maritime Key Terrain Security Operations event during Exercise Balikatan 25 in the Philippines, April 24, 2025. Balikatan is a longstanding annual exercise between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and 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 Cpl. Malia Sparks)

Balikatan is a longstanding annual exercise between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and 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 Sgt. Mitchell Johnson) - U.S. Marines with 3d Littoral Anti-Air Battalion, 3d Marine Littoral Regiment, 3d Marine Division, prepare a Marine Air Defense Integrated System for the Integrated Air Missile Defense training during Exercise Balikatan 25, at Naval Station Leovigildo Gantioqui, Philippines, April 25, 2025.

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)

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)