TWENTYNINE PALMS, CA, UNITED STATES -- 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division deactivated its weapons company during a ceremony June 1 at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California, as part of the Marine Corps’ next infantry battalion experimentation phase.
The company’s Marines and capabilities, including heavy machine guns, anti-tank missiles, medium mortars, and the scout platoon will integrate into and reinforce the battalion’s existing rifle companies and headquarters company to better facilitate organic, combined arms maneuver and decentralized command.
“This is not the first time this battalion has evolved, and it will most likely not be the last.”Lt. Col. Jason Copeland, Commanding Officer, 3rd Bn., 4th Marines
The battalion leads the way in experimentation and evaluation as part of Phase II of Infantry Battalion Experiment 2030 for 1st MARDIV and for the Marine Corps. The battalion will continue fielding new equipment, testing new formations, and integrating new concepts across the unit to ensure the most lethal battalions result from IBX-30.
“Some of the weapon systems will remain while others will be replaced with those more lethal and more capable,” said Lt. Col. Jason Copeland, the commanding officer for 3rd Bn., 4th Marines. “What will not evolve is the nature of warfare and the Marines who win the battles. We are becoming more expeditionary as a result of this evolution called IBX-30.”
As part of the deactivation ceremony, weapons company Marines and Sailors received orders to report to different companies across the battalion. One heavy machine gun squad and one anti-armor platoon will report to each of the three rifle companies, while the 81 mm mortar platoon and the scout platoon will report to the headquarters company.
“This is a unique formation, a collection of enablers, Marines that provide a unique capability that increases the lethality of any unit they support,” explained Capt. Michael Hanson, who served as company commander for Weapons Company, 3rd Bn., 4th Marines. “What makes a unit great is not its number or designation, its guidon, or even its history. It’s the people that make up the unit, both its current members and those who went before.”
The realignment of these supporting capabilities is just one part of a series of experiments the battalion will execute over the next year. Other experiments include the integration of advanced, unmanned systems at the small unit level, upgraded communications assets, and an increase in anti-armor weapons across the unit. Focused lines of effort for IBX-30 include sustainment, sensing, and lethality capabilities of the newly organized battalions. Additionally, 1st MARDIV will reinforce the battalion with command and control, cyber security, and surveillance assets to best evaluate the IBX construct’s ability to compete and win against adversaries in challenging environments.
“As we speak of evolution today, our commandant has tasked this battalion to conduct the infantry battalion experimentation, IBX-30, in support of the service,” said Copeland, during the ceremony. “This is not the first time this battalion has evolved, and it will most likely not be the last.”
The battalion is no stranger to evolution, even under combat conditions. The battalion underwent several changes during World War II, demonstrating proficiency during key battles like Corregidor, Bougainville, and Okinawa. The unit also played significant roles in major battles of the Vietnam War and carried its proud tradition forward to the Middle East as one of the first units into both Baghdad and Fallujah. Regardless of construct or organization, the battalion remains ready and lethal as part of the Blue Diamond.