Pacific Marines Stories

An MV-22B Osprey assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 363, Marine Rotational Force - Darwin 25.3, flies in a formation flight with CV-22 Ospreys assigned to 21st Special Operations Squadron, 353rd Special Operations Wing, near Lal-lo, Philippines, during a foreign disaster relief operation, Aug. 3, 2025. - An MV-22B Osprey assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 363, Marine Rotational Force - Darwin 25.3, flies in a formation flight with CV-22 Ospreys assigned to 21st Special Operations Squadron, 353rd Special Operations Wing, near Lal-lo, Philippines, during a foreign disaster relief operation, Aug. 3, 2025. At the request of the Government of the Philippines, the MRF-D 25.3 Marine Air-Ground Task Force is working alongside the Armed Forces of the Philippines to provide foreign disaster relief to communities affected by consecutive storms and the southwest monsoon. The forward presence and ready posture of United States Indo-Pacific Command in the region facilitates rapid and effective response to crisis, demonstrating the U.S.’s commitment to Allies and partners during times of need. MRF-D is 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 Cpl. Angelina Sara)

MRF-D’s rapid response: From training to disaster relief and back again

At the close of Exercise Talisman Sabre 25, the Indo-Pacific’s largest combined military exercise with over 40,000 service members, U.S. Marines with the Marine Rotational Force – Darwin (MRF-D) 25.3 Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) began the mass retrograde from training areas across northern Australia. Aircraft, vehicles, and personnel returned to Darwin for recovery and consolidation—a familiar rhythm for the end of a months-long exercise.

Read More

uniformed U.S. Airmen wearing headsets fly MQ-9 simulators - 17th Attack Squadron MQ-9 pilots fly in Bamboo Eagle 25-3, a combat-realistic scenario in combined live-fly, virtual, and constructive exercise, at the 705th Combat Training Squadron, also known as the Distributed Mission Operations Center at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, on Aug. 5, 2025. The DMOC's live, virtual, and constructive, or LVC, training environment provides a high-fidelity proving ground where commanders and battle managers can practice decision-making in contested, degraded, and operationally complex environments without risk to life or assets. (Screens and whiteboards were blurred and security badges were removed for security purposes. Photo cropped to focus on subject.) (U.S. Air Force photo by Amn Alenne Mojica)

Forging the Fight Together: Synchronizing Joint Operations in Bamboo Eagle 25-3

Bamboo Eagle 25-3 pushed the boundaries of 21st-century mission command, leveraging the Distributed Mission Operations Center, or DMOC, to forge agile, resilient leaders. In a synthetic battlespace, the joint force rehearsed decentralized execution and empowered decision-making to achieve decision advantage, July 22 – Aug. 8.

Read More

U.S. Navy Seaman Tristian Flowers, left, a builder constructionman with Airfield Construction Company Bravo, Naval Mobile Construction Group 5, Naval Construction Force, and U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jose Rodriguez, a combat engineer with Marine Wing Support Squadron 372, Marine Air Control Group 38, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, rake concrete during Operation Resilient Spear at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, Aug. 8, 2025. Operation Resilient Spear is an opportunity for Marines with MWSS-372 to integrate and train with NMCB-5 through Base Recovery After Attack and Airfield Damage Repair Training to increase interoperability between Marine Corps engineers and Navy Seabees. Flowers is a native of New York, and Rodriguez is a native of California. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Alexander Vaughn) - U.S. Navy Seaman Tristian Flowers, left, a builder constructionman with Airfield Construction Company Bravo, Naval Mobile Construction Group 5, Naval Construction Force, and U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jose Rodriguez, a combat engineer with Marine Wing Support Squadron 372, Marine Air Control Group 38, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, rake concrete during Operation Resilient Spear at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, Aug. 8, 2025. Operation Resilient Spear is an opportunity for Marines with MWSS-372 to integrate and train with NMCB-5 through Base Recovery After Attack and Airfield Damage Repair Training to increase interoperability between Marine Corps engineers and Navy Seabees. Flowers is a native of New York, and Rodriguez is a native of California. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Alexander Vaughn)

MWSS-372 and NMCB-5 Conduct Airfield Damage Repair

Marines with Marine Wing Support Squadron 372, Marine Air Control Group 38, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, and Sailors with Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 5, 30th Naval Construction Regiment, concluded Exercise Resilient Spear 25-04 Aug. 15 after two weeks of integrated airfield damage repair training. The exercise tested the joint force’s ability to rapidly repair runways and sustain aviation operations in austere environments. The training focused on critical aviation ground support tasks including battle damage assessment and rapid airfield repair, while strengthening joint-force integration between Marine and Navy units. MWSS-372 Marines embedded with NMCB-5’s Airfield Construction Companies A and B, supporting the Navy’s pre-deployment evaluation through every phase of the mission: planning, logistics, and full-scale repair operations.

Read More

The I Marine Expeditionary Force commanding general salutes the colors with past I MEF commanding generals during the I MEF change of command ceremony at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, Aug. 21, 2025 - The I Marine Expeditionary Force commanding general salutes the colors with past I MEF commanding generals during the I MEF change of command ceremony at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, Aug. 21, 2025. Lt. Gen. Michael S. Cederholm relinquished command of I MEF to Lt. Gen. Christian F. Wortman during the ceremony, signifying the transfer of command and responsibility of I MEF. I MEF provides combatant commanders a globally responsive, expeditionary, and fully scalable Marine Air-Ground Task Force, capable of generating, deploying, and employing ready forces and formations for crisis response, forward presence, major combat operations, and campaigns. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Jordan Searls)

I MEF Commanding General relinquishes command

U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Michael S. Cederholm relinquished command of I Marine Expeditionary Force to Lt. Gen. Christian F. Wortman during a change of command ceremony held here today.

Read More