Pacific Marines Stories

U.S. Marine Corps Pfc. Freddy Peubla, a machine gunner with 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, fires a M240B machine gun during a littoral live fire exercise for Marine Aviation Support Activity at Punta Baja, Palawan, Philippines, July 15, 2023. MASA 23 is a bilateral exercise between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the U.S. Marine Corps, aimed at enhancing interoperability and coordination in support of U.S.-Philippine mutual defense. - U.S. Marine Corps Pfc. Freddy Peubla, a machine gunner with 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, fires a M240B machine gun during a littoral live fire exercise for Marine Aviation Support Activity at Punta Baja, Palawan, Philippines, July 15, 2023. MASA 23 is a bilateral exercise between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the U.S. Marine Corps, aimed at enhancing interoperability and coordination in support of U.S.-Philippine mutual defense.

Pacific-focused, globally ready: 1st Marine Division’s impact reinforces ‘no better friend, no worse enemy’

Blue Diamond Marines and Sailors will train in, and work closely with teammates from Australia, Brazil, France, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, the Philippines, the UAE, and many more allied and partnered nations by the end of this summer. The vast reach of support from the 1st Marine Division and the Marine Corps continues to set conditions for greater combined readiness, interoperability, and shared defense cooperation around the world. The great effort of these Marines and Sailors demonstrates a prominent 1st MARDIV slogan: “no better friend, no worse enemy”...

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U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. Robert J. Hillery, commanding officer of Task Force Koa Moana 23, gives remarks during the 81st Anniversary of the Battle of Guadalcanal Ceremony at the Guadalcanal American Memorial in Honiara, Solomon Islands, August 7, 2023. The Battle of Guadalcanal, also known as Operation Watchtower, was a seven-month campaign that marked the first Allied land offensive in the Pacific theater in World War II. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. Courtney G. White) - U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. Robert J. Hillery, commanding officer of Task Force Koa Moana 23, gives remarks during the 81st Anniversary of the Battle of Guadalcanal Ceremony at the Guadalcanal American Memorial in Honiara, Solomon Islands, August 7, 2023. The Battle of Guadalcanal, also known as Operation Watchtower, was a seven-month campaign that marked the first Allied land offensive in the Pacific theater in World War II. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. Courtney G. White)

Battle of Guadalcanal: 81st Anniversary of Operation Watchtower

“We struck at Guadalcanal to halt the advance of the Japanese. We did not know how strong he was, nor did we know his plans. We knew only that he was moving down the island chain and that he had to be stopped. We were as well trained and as well armed as time and our peacetime experience allowed us to be. We needed combat to tell us how effective our training, our doctrines, and our weapons had been. We tested them against the enemy, and we found that they worked. From the movement in 1942, the tide turned, and the Japanese never again advanced.” – U.S. Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Alexander A. Vandergrift...

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U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Simon Li, a low altitude air defense gunner with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 265 (Rein.), 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, aims a FIM-92E stinger missile system during a forward arming and refueling point exercise at Shoalwater Bay Training Area, Australia, July 4, 2023. Marines with 2nd LAAD provided a defensive posture for the FARP from aerial threats as part of an expeditionary advanced base of operations. The 31st MEU is operating aboard ships of the America Amphibious Ready Group in the 7th Fleet area of operations to enhance interoperability with allies and partners and serve as a ready response force to defend peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. - U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Simon Li, a low altitude air defense gunner with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 265 (Rein.), 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, aims a FIM-92E stinger missile system during a forward arming and refueling point exercise at Shoalwater Bay Training Area, Australia, July 4, 2023. Marines with 2nd LAAD provided a defensive posture for the FARP from aerial threats as part of an expeditionary advanced base of operations. The 31st MEU is operating aboard ships of the America Amphibious Ready Group in the 7th Fleet area of operations to enhance interoperability with allies and partners and serve as a ready response force to defend peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

A Ready Marine Corps in the Western Pacific: The Stand-in Force Emerges in III Marine Expeditionary Force

On a tropical island within the First Island Chain, planners from the U.S. Marine Corps and the Japan Ground Self Defense Force are deeply engrossed in their work, studying maps under tan weathered tents. Their focus is on wargaming enemy actions within their battlespace, while attentive interpreters in their native military uniforms mediate technical discussions, dictating their nation's part in the Stand-in Force...

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U.S. Marines with Lima Co., 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, Marine Rotational Force – Darwin 23 engage simulated targets during Exercise Southern Jackaroo 23 in Townsville Field Training Area, Queensland, Australia, July 1, 2023. Southern Jackaroo is a trilateral exercise with MRF-D, Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force, and Australian Defence Force, with Republic of Korea observers, working together to achieve fire, maneuver, and communications interoperability objectives. - U.S. Marines with Lima Co., 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, Marine Rotational Force – Darwin 23 engage simulated targets during Exercise Southern Jackaroo 23 in Townsville Field Training Area, Queensland, Australia, July 1, 2023. Southern Jackaroo is a trilateral exercise with MRF-D, Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force, and Australian Defence Force, with Republic of Korea observers, working together to achieve fire, maneuver, and communications interoperability objectives.

Exercise Southern Jackaroo: A direct investment towards stability in the Indo-Pacific

Marines and Sailors from Marine Rotational Force - Darwin participated in Exercise Southern Jackaroo 23, a joint military exercise conducted by the Australian Defence Force, Japanese Ground Self Defense Force, and the United States Marine Corps. Hosted at the Townsville Field Training Area in Queensland, the exercise focused on improving warfighting tactics at the small-unit level, leading to increases in efficiencies and interoperability between forces...

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U.S. Marine Corps Private First Class Alexiander Sigrah, a Kosrae native and an automotive maintenance technician with Task Force Koa Moana 23, is promoted to the rank of Private First Class in Kosrae, Federated States of Micronesia, July 4, 2023. “I am excited to be able to go back home and fix a lot of stuff that I’ve always wanted to be involved in helping with,” said Sigrah. Task Force Koa Moana deployed to the Indo-Pacific to strengthen relationships with Pacific Island partners through bilateral and multilateral security cooperation and community engagements. - U.S. Marine Corps Private First Class Alexiander Sigrah, a Kosrae native and an automotive maintenance technician with Task Force Koa Moana 23, is promoted to the rank of Private First Class in Kosrae, Federated States of Micronesia, July 4, 2023. “I am excited to be able to go back home and fix a lot of stuff that I’ve always wanted to be involved in helping with,” said Sigrah. Task Force Koa Moana deployed to the Indo-Pacific to strengthen relationships with Pacific Island partners through bilateral and multilateral security cooperation and community engagements.

Kosraean Marine returns home during Koa Moana 23

Nestled 370 miles north of the equator between Hawaii and Guam is the “Jewel of Micronesia.” Kosrae, formerly known as Strong Island, is the easternmost of the Caroline Islands in the Federated States of Micronesia. The volcanic island is largely unspoiled and surrounded by coral reefs teeming with fish. Homing nearly 6,600 people on its 42 square miles, Kosrae has become a travel destination for hikers, surfers and scuba divers. This year, Kosrae is also a destination for U.S. Marines and Sailors with Task Force Koa Moana 23 including Private First Class Alexiander Sigrah, a Kosrae native...

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U.S. Marines with 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines provide security for a platoon attack during Stand-in Force Exercise on Okinawa, Japan, Dec.11, 2022. SiF-EX is a Division-level exercise involving all elements of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force focused on strengthening multi-domain awareness, maneuver, and fires across a distributed maritime environment. This exercise serves as a rehearsal for rapidly projecting combat power in defense of allies and partners in the region. - U.S. Marines with 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines provide security for a platoon attack during Stand-in Force Exercise on Okinawa, Japan, Dec.11, 2022. SiF-EX is a Division-level exercise involving all elements of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force focused on strengthening multi-domain awareness, maneuver, and fires across a distributed maritime environment. This exercise serves as a rehearsal for rapidly projecting combat power in defense of allies and partners in the region.

Alert Contingency MAGTF: ‘Our most ready force’

It is 3:00am on a Sunday morning. III Marine Expeditionary Force receives indications and warnings that a crisis is brewing. The order is given without hesitation, and the Marines and Sailors of the Alert Contingency Marine Air-Ground Task Force are geared up and ready to deploy with a full combat load within just a couple hours. As a scalable unit, the ACM is always on standby to respond to a variety of mission sets – from humanitarian and disaster relief operations to full-scale combat operations. It is not a conceptual idea or something people just talk about, the ACM is employed routinely through a rigorous training schedule involving no-notice drills and even operational deployments within the region...

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Service members from the Royal Thai Marine Corps, Republic of Korea Navy and Marine Corps, and the U.S. Marine Corps finish the reconstruction of a new roof for Miss Bunnam Inprom’s home during Exercise Cobra Gold 23 at Chanthaburi, Kingdom of Thailand, March 2, 2023. U.S. Marines and partner nations teamed up to build a new roof for Inprom’s home, which was destroyed by termites. Marine Wing Support Squadron 171 and MWSS-172 participated in the 42nd iteration of the Cobra Gold series of exercises, where they lended their engineering expertise to multilateral humanitarian efforts. - Service members from the Royal Thai Marine Corps, Republic of Korea Navy and Marine Corps, and the U.S. Marine Corps finish the reconstruction of a new roof for Miss Bunnam Inprom’s home during Exercise Cobra Gold 23 at Chanthaburi, Kingdom of Thailand, March 2, 2023. U.S. Marines and partner nations teamed up to build a new roof for Inprom’s home, which was destroyed by termites. Marine Wing Support Squadron 171 and MWSS-172 participated in the 42nd iteration of the Cobra Gold series of exercises, where they lended their engineering expertise to multilateral humanitarian efforts.

Cobra Gold 23: Humanitarian Efforts Make a Difference

“This has been my home for almost 35 years, and I grew too scared to live in it anymore when the roof started to collapse eight years ago from termites,” said Miss Bunnam Inprom, a 61-year-old Chanthaburi native...

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