Note. Be prepared for weak as drivel. Buzzwords. Catch phrases. Utter bullshit. I weep for my Marine Corps. Never knew the plain spoken leadership of the past would give way to social influencers that don't do shit except preen and post.
Since December 2024, the Marines and Sailors of Marine Rotational Force – Darwin (MRF-D) 25.3 have charted a historic path, validating what it means to be a stand-in force in the Pacific under the U.S. Marine Corps’ Force Design 2030. As the first MRF-D Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) to simultaneously deploy forces forward to Australia and within the First Island Chain (FIC), their presence in the Indo-Pacific has demonstrated America’s commitment to positioning combat-credible formations forward alongside allies and partners, wherever and whenever needed.
What are stand-in forces? “Stand-in forces deter the application of military power on the part of adversaries by establishing forces designed to persist forward alongside allies and partners within a contested area, providing the fleet, joint force, interagency, and allies and partners more options for countering an adversary’s strategy,” according to the Marine Corps’ A Concept for Stand-in Forces published in December 2021. The MRF-D MAGTF’s footprint this year personifies this thought in the positioning, capability, and durability of its forces.
From Exercise Steel Knight 24’s proving grounds in California and Arizona to the humid jungles of Palawan, the rugged training areas of Mount Bundey, and the flight lines in Darwin and the Philippines that never sleep, MRF-D 25.3 personifies forward presence and command and control at scale. This deployment is more than the 14th iteration of the rotation; it is the face of what comes next for the Marine Corps: low-signature, combat-credible forces persistently positioned to decisively engage potential threats alongside combined and joint forces.
“We aren't just showing up. We're proving to our partners and any potential adversary that we can command and control lethal forces across thousands of miles of ocean, from dense jungle to open desert, and do it with precision, speed, and overwhelming force,” said Col. Jason Armas, commanding officer of the MRF-D 25.3 MAGTF. “We are defining what it means to be a stand-in force by living it every single day, side by side with our allies, ready to bring the fight wherever it’s needed.”
The journey began with Exercise Steel Knight in December 2024, where Marines and Sailors with the Ground and Logistics Combat Elements (GCE and LCE) of 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, and Combat Logistics Battalion (CLB) 1 composited under the 1st Marines Command Element (CE) with augments enabling fires, air control, and defensive cyber operations. Together, with elements of 1st Marine Division and joint forces from the U.S. Army, Navy and Air Force, this near-MAGTF executed a series of dynamically tasked rapid maneuvers to reinforce a simulated embassy and certify the formation’s ability to conduct crisis and contingency response operations. During this time, the MAGTF certified the heart and soul of the MAGTF – the Marine rifleman – in a Marine Corps Combat Readiness Exercise (MCCRE) across miles of Camp Pendleton training grounds, while CLB-1 validated its ability to conduct sustainment operations in austere environments and set the stage for what their medical teams would accomplish.
In March, the MRF-D MAGTF launched the operation that would define this deployment. Instead of compositing all MAGTF forces in Darwin initially, MRF-D deployed elements of the GCE from California directly to the Philippines to train with the Philippine Marine Corps (PMC) in Marine Exercise 25 while also reuniting with Australian Defence Forces (ADF) in Darwin, signaling MRF-D’s first surge across the Pacific. During this period, the MRF-D MAGTF controlled distributed maneuver forces in the FIC and integrated seamlessly with the ADF to prepare for upcoming training.
Throughout this phase, GCE Marines exercised bilateral patrolling, jungle warfare training, and fires integration with PMC units, reinforcing the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP) Archipelagic Coastal Defense Concept while understanding what it takes to sustain and position forces thousands of miles across maritime terrain.
With April came MRF-D’s participation in Exercise Croix du Sud 25 in New Caledonia and Wallis and Futuna, where CLB-1 demonstrated the meaning of combined expeditionary logistics and medical readiness alongside the Armed Forces of New Caledonia and multinational allies and partners. Marines and Sailors rehearsed humanitarian assistance operations that strengthened collective crisis response capabilities within a joint and combined construct, setting the stage for later successes in the FIC.
“Our Marines have built something out here that didn’t exist a year ago – small teams spread thousands of miles apart, keeping this MAGTF fed, fueled, supplied, and alive,” said Lt. Col. Tara Patton, commanding officer of CLB-1, MRF-D 25.3. “They’ve proven that when it comes to sustaining stand-in forces, innovation and adaptability are just part of who we are.”
As the 40th iteration of the AFP’s largest multinational exercise ramped up in mid-April, Exercise Balikatan 25, the MRF-D MAGTF sustained its forward presence by maneuvering forces from Cotabato, Philippines, and Darwin, Australia, to Palawan, Philippines, leaning on joint air and logistics assets to make it all possible. During the exercise, the MRF-D MAGTF employed capabilities across major Combined and Joint All-Domain Operations (CJADO), showcased through a joint and combined counter-landing live-fire (CLLF) evolution leveraging fires from the U.S. Army’s 1st Multi-Domain Task Force (MDTF) High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) in concert with small arms, crew-served weapons and artillery, and Maritime Key Terrain Security Operations (MKTSO) in southern Palawan. Combined, these CJADOs stress-tested the MAGTF’s ability to maneuver in challenging terrain alongside Philippine and Australian allies against a simulated adversary force while nesting within the larger combined task force architecture. This also marked the first time Australia participated in Balikatan as well as the MRF-D MAGTF’s participation alongside them. During this time, MRF-D’s Role II medical coordinated with Australian expeditionary medical facilities and personnel to work through casualty evacuation scenarios and provide robust real-world medical support in case of crisis or contingency, further enhancing regional health service support interoperability.
“This deployment proves that medical capabilities and allied interoperability can and will enable operations," said Lt. Cmdr. Jordan Lyons, the MRF-D 25.3 MAGTF Surgeon. "Every step we’ve taken has ensured our Marines and Sailors remain healthy, ready, and able to keep pushing forward, whether through predeployment health assessments or operational implementation of our medical providers. I’m really proud of what medical has accomplished so far in garrison, Australia and the First Island Chain. I’m looking forward to the training we have coming next, and how we can continue to help our Marines be first to fight.”
From May through early June, KAMANDAG 9 saw MRF-D MAGTF Marines and Sailors working side by side with Philippine Marines to build on the successes of Balikatan. The MRF-D MAGTF, with its command element commanding and controlling and coordinating with planning cells in Manila, rapidly executed CJADOs with the AFP, Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, and Republic of Korea Marine Corps. The CJADOs were demonstrated through a series of MKTSO events in Palawan with maneuver enabled by U.S. Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft and KC-130J tankers from Camp Pendleton, setting conditions for a multinational Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) training evolution and culminating CLLF against a simulated adversary force. During the HADR, CLB-1 corpsmen executed casualty evacuation drills and trauma lanes, maintaining lifesaving proficiency amidst high-tempo operations alongside Japanese and Korean medical capabilities. At the epicenter of it all, the regimental-level MRF-D MAGTF Fires and Effects Coordination Center (FECC) commanded and controlled live and virtual fires from joint and combined assets to support maneuver of allied forces across the Philippine archipelago, rehearsing the defense of key maritime terrain when it matters most. This persistence in the jungles of Palawan, within the FIC, and using both organic, combined, and joint sustainment demonstrated the scalable lethality and survivability of U.S. Marine Corps formations envisioned by Force Design 2030 while also solidifying MRF-D’s reputation as a combat-credible force. That presence continues now during Archipelagic Coastal Defense 25.3, where a rifle company from the MAGTF GCE remains to train with the PMC in the jungles of Palawan to hone their inner jungle warfighter.
“We’ve asked these Marines to do things that would take most units years to accomplish – and they delivered in spades,” Lt. Col. Travis Onischuk, commanding officer of 2nd Bn., 1st Marines, MRF-D 25.3. “From jungle operations in the Philippines to live-fire maneuver in Australia, they’ve shown that wherever we go, we bring credible combat power with allies at our side, ready to close with any threat.”
At the same time, 3,000 miles from the Philippines in the Northern Territory and Queensland, Australia, MRF-D Marines participated in the Predator Series and Exercise Southern Jackaroo, executing combined arms live-fire ranges, maneuvering large-scale formations, and coordinating artillery fires with the Australian Army’s 1st and 3rd Brigades and the JGSDF. These exercises served as the first major Australia-based training events with the ADF and laid the groundwork Talisman Sabre 25. The Predator Series demonstrated the “crawl-walk-run” training model, progressing from simple squad attacks to large-scale company live-fire evolutions integrated with artillery in the signature flats, smoke, and dust of the Mount Bundey training area. In Townsville, Australia, the MRF-D MAGTF’s Air Combat Element (ACE), Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 363 or “Lucky Red Lions,” tested their ability to respond to dynamic air tasking in support of combined training evolutions in the Townsville Field Training Area, rapidly maneuvering forces across an evolving battlespace while logistics Marines ensured uninterrupted sustainment and the GCE continued ground interoperability with ADF and JGSDF forces.
“Anytime a MAGTF comes together, our focus is to give the commander as many options as possible,” said Lt. Col. Jeff Blumenfeld, commanding officer of VMM 363, MRF-D 25.3. “For us as the ACE, that means flying these Ospreys anywhere – taking Marines and their kit across vast distances at speed. We’re connecting every part of this force, whether through sustainment or maneuver, to ensure the MAGTF can strike wherever it needs to. That’s what stand-in forces are about.”
Striking deep into the jungles of East New Britain, Papua New Guinea, Marines and Sailors from MRF-D 25.3 participated in Operation Render Safe 25.1, a multinational explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) mission led by the ADF to safely remove and dispose of unexploded ordnance remnants from World War II. Working alongside the U.S. and Australian Army and the Papua New Guinea Defence Force, MRF-D EOD technicians provided specialized support in locating, identifying, and disposing of hazardous munitions to ensure the safety of local communities. The operation not only mitigated enduring explosive threats but also strengthened regional partnerships, demonstrated combined EOD interoperability, and highlighted the Marine Corps’ commitment to enhancing security and stability across the region.
Not only did the MRF-D MAGTF execute these OAIs with clear purpose, operational precision, and a shared sense of unity, they immediately turned to another evaluation: a MAGTF integration check. Harkening back to Steel Knight 24 and with the ACE now fully integrated with the MAGTF, MRF-D validated its crisis and contingency response capabilities through the execution of simulated embassy reinforcement operations with real-world U.S. Department of State role players. The scenario required Emergency Command Center (ECC) activation and a full Noncombatant Evacuation Operation (NEO) with the GCE and LCE. The exercise tested the MAGTF’s ability to rapidly respond to a deteriorating security situation, integrate with interagency partners, and safely evacuate civilians under realistic conditions. It validated MRF-D’s readiness to protect U.S. personnel and citizens abroad, reinforcing the stand-in force’s capability to execute crisis response missions across the Indo-Pacific.
While maintaining a relentless operational tempo, MRF-D 25.3 has also demonstrated unwavering commitment to the communities that welcomed them. Across Darwin, regional Australia, and the Philippines, Marines and Sailors conducted 58 community relations events, volunteering nearly 2,000 hours. From local school visits and environmental clean-ups to sports days and medical outreach, their contributions generated an estimated $100,000 in community revenue while building relationships grounded in respect and service.
“Marines do these things because of people,” said Lt. Cmdr. Adam Bayer, the MRF-D 25.3 MAGTF Chaplain. “Sometimes the people are the Marines to their left and right and sometimes the people are those they care about back home. Engaging with the communities reminds us, at least in some way, why we do what we do.”
“I think back to visiting a foster home in Manila with some Marines from the PMC,” said Lt. Cmdr. Bayer. “We wore different uniforms from each other, but in that moment, I saw more unity between our Marines and the Philippine Marines than many people get to experience.”
As July progresses, the MAGTF sets its sights on Exercise Talisman Sabre 25, the largest military exercise the region has seen since World War II. Here, the MAGTF will integrate with the ADF, U.S. Army, and joint enablers to execute large-scale, multi-domain operations demonstrating the full capacity of fires in concert with stand-in forces concepts. Planned tactical air-ground refueling demonstrations, expeditionary airfield seizures, and integrated cyber-electromagnetic warfare operations will reinforce MRF-D’s reputation as a scalable, agile, and lethal force prepared for tomorrow’s fight alongside the joint and combined force.
This rotation has seen and done it all. The MRF-D MAGTF commanded and controlled distributed stand-in forces in the FIC from the Philippines to Australia, coordinated precision fires and effects with allies and partners across all domains, and sustained combat-credible formations forward while employing 21st-century foraging where traditional logistics can and will fail. The MRF-D MAGTF integrated multinational medical, logistics, and fires operations seamlessly while strengthening regional partnerships through presence, interoperability, and commitment. As MRF-D 25.3 enters July, its legacy is undeniable. Its accomplishments are unprecedented.
“What these Marines and Sailors did here will echo for years to come,” said Col. Armas. “They’ve shown that you don’t need massive footprints to be effective – you need endurance, you need adaptability, and you need the will to close with any problem and crush it alongside those who share your purpose. This rotation has forged the blueprint for stand-in forces in the Indo-Pacific, and every mile we’ve marched, every round we’ve sent downrange, and every relationship we’ve built has carved our place in the future fight.”
