MRF-D 25.3 Postured, Ready In Indo-Pacific Region
by U.S. Marine Corps 1st Lt. Samuel DeRobertis
April 22, 2025 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. This staggered deployment demonstrates MRF-D's ability as a forward-deployed Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) to rapidly maneuver and execute operations across the Indo-Pacific region with key allies and partners. With forces operating in both Australia and the Philippines, the MAGTF maintains command and control over multiple training events across thousands of miles of ocean, strengthening alliances and enhancing collective regional security.
“Our ability to deploy and integrate forces to multiple locations at once is a testament to the flexibility and adaptability of the MAGTF," said Col. Jason C. Armas, commanding officer of the MRF-D 25.3 MAGTF. “We are simultaneously enhancing capabilities with our allies and partners while demonstrating our unwavering commitment to regional stability and security.”
In Mindanao, U.S. Marines with 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, MRF-D 25.3, commenced Marine Exercise Philippines (MAREX) 25, a bilateral exercise designed to further improve small unit tactics and combined arms capabilities in a realistic jungle training environment. MAREX 25 is just the beginning of a series of planned training between MRF-D 25.3 Marines, PMC and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), all happening simultaneously with major training events in Australia, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea and Malaysia. 
April 4, 2025 - U.S. Marines with Marine Rotational Force — Darwin 25.3 cross a river during a jungle patrol as part of Marine Exercise 2025 near Cotabato City, Mindanao, Philippines. 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. (Image created by USA Patriotism! from U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Ezekieljay Correa.)
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“It has been a great experience building upon the already close relationship we have with the Philippine Marine Corps,” said Capt. Carter Collins, a company commander with 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment. “We cherish every opportunity to train with our PMC partners, and being able to do so in this environment with the people who know it best makes us all more capable moving forward.” MAREX 25 includes subject matter expert exchanges, combat marksmanship training, jungle survival instruction and opportunities for U.S. and Philippine Marines to engage with local communities in Mindanao. The exercise will culminate in the execution of a full mission profile- a realistic, end-to-end training scenario replicating all phases of a military operation. It is designed to closely simulate the conditions Marines might face in real world combat environments. Successfully completing this full mission profile alongside the PMC will ensure combined readiness across a broad range of future potential missions. 
April 5, 2025 - U.S. Marines and sailors with Marine Rotational Force – Darwin 25.3 shoot on a range during combat marksmanship training as part of Marine Exercise 2025 near Cotabato City, Mindanao, Philippines. 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. (Image created by USA Patriotism! from U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Ezekieljay Correa.)
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Meanwhile in Darwin, the remainder of the MAGTF is preparing for a series of multinational exercises across the Pacific. At the forefront is Balikatan 25, where MRF-D Marines and Sailors will train alongside joint U.S. military forces, the Australian Defence Force, AFP and Japan Ground Self Defense Force. At the joint level, the MRF-D MAGTF will train alongside the U.S. Army’s 1st Multi-Domain Task Force during a counter-landing live fire event at Palawan, Philippines. Concurrently with Balikatan, members of Combat Logistics Battalion 1, the MAGTF’s logistics combat element, will rehearse humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR) operations in New Caledonia and Wallis and Fortuna alongside the 9th Mission Support Command, U.S. Army Pacific, and the Armed Forces in New Caledonia. 1400 miles to the west, CLB-1 will also conduct a technical reconnaissance operation in Papa New Guinea with the Australian Defence Force and other regional partners to locate and mark unexploded ordnance in the region for safe disposal while engaging with the local community.
The MRF-D 25.3 MAGTF command element is postured to command and control the force across the Indo-Pacific. With expanded operational reach and the ability to seamlessly transition the MAGTF between exercises with allies and partners, the MRF-D 25.3 MAGTF’s force closure marks the critical first step to a successful deployment in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific. The U.S. Marines | Marines - The Few, The Proud | Our Valiant Troops | I Am The One | Veterans | Citizens Like Us U.S. Marines Gifts | U.S. Marine Corps | U.S. Department of Defense |
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