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PUERTO PRINCESA, Philippines — From the northern coast of Australia to the southern edge of the Philippine archipelago, U.S. Marines with the Marine Rotational Force – Darwin (MRF-D) 25.3 Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) spent the last month executing rapid maneuver, joint and combined integrated fires, and combined exercises alongside Philippine and Australian allies across one of the world’s most complex and challenging maritime regions.
What began with deliberate, simultaneous movements from the continental United States into Darwin, Australia, and Mindanao, Philippines, for Marine Exercise 25, then from Darwin and Mindanao into Palawan for Exercise Balikatan 25, culminated in two landmark events: a trilateral air insert and subsequent counter-landing live-fire in Rizal, and a multinational maritime key terrain security operation (MKTSO) on Balabac Island.
The MRF-D MAGTF surged its command element (CE) and logistics combat element (LCE), Combat Logistics Battalion-1 (CLB), from Darwin to Puerto Princesa to establish a forward headquarters and sustainment hub in Palawan. With this surge in capability, new combined training opportunities presented themselves. Balikatan 25 tested more than just infantry tactics and operations, it validated the stand-in forces concept with the MRF-D MAGTF’s ability to seamlessly integrate with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Australian Defence Force (ADF) to conduct major combined joint all domain operations (CJADO) in the Philippine Archipelago. U.S. strategic lift and Philippine-contracted logistics provided the necessary support for CJADO event execution and enabled littoral maneuver in simulated contested space.
“Our movement from the Top End to Palawan wasn’t just about getting there fast, it was about getting there ready and able to persist where other formations cannot,” said Col. Jason C. Armas, commanding officer of the MRF-D 25.3 MAGTF. “This exercise validated our ability to serve as a forward headquarters, capable of command-and-control across vast maritime terrain, integrated with partner and allied forces.”
With the LCE and CE’s distributed sustainment and command-and-control (C2) capabilities fully integrated into the Balikatan joint and combined exercise construct, MRF-D turned the attention towards CJADO execution.
The first major event, with Col. Armas as the mission commander, was a high-tempo, trilateral air insert of ground forces into Rizal, Palawan. Four MV-22 Ospreys with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 364 inserted MRF-D’s ground combat element (GCE) Marines with 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, into the objective area alongside the Philippine Marine Corps’ 3rd Marine Brigade (3dBde) and Australia’s 5th/7th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (5/7 RAR). The force seized the airfield, secured adjacent littoral terrain, and established an engagement area in preparation for a full-spectrum counter-landing live-fire.
“We learn new techniques, tactics and procedures in doing live-fire exercises with our partners and other countries. We want to test our readiness,” said Brig. Gen. Antonio Mangoroban, the commanding officer of 3dBde, PMC. “We increased our readiness and our understanding of our partners.”
The Rizal live-fire execution showcased the MAGTF’s ability to fluently integrate combined and joint fires in a dynamic training scenario, led by a U.S. mission commander and Australian ground force commander. The MRF-D Fires and Effects Coordination Center, along with ground enablers from MRF-D’s Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company (ANGLICO) detachment, synchronized and coordinated fires from the U.S. Army’s 1st Multi-Domain Task Force (MDTF) High Mobility Rocket Artillery System (HIMARS), Australian anti-armor, PMC 105 mm Howitzers and trilateral crew-served weapons and rockets. Unmanned aerial systems and Philippine-contracted moving targets provided realistic inputs to the scenario based around repelling an adversarial amphibious assault.
At the backdrop of this training, the sustainment, safety structure and medical capabilities provided by the CLB-1 allowed the Rizal live-fire and Balabac MKTSO to proceed with logistical and medical direct support. CLB-1’s Role I and II provided each event with a wide-spectrum medical capability on standby, ranging from immediate triage of patients to surgical care. Subject matter expert exchanges were conducted with both Filipino and Australian counterparts, focusing on improving lifesaving efforts in austere environments, sharing best practices, and enhancing medical skills. In between events, CLB-1 broke new territory with the ADF medical team by exchanging medical staff and simulated patients during casualty evacuation drills, highlighting the interchangeability of U.S. and Australian medical forces.
“The Role II Expeditionary Facility (R2E) deployment from Darwin, Australia, to Palawan, during Balikatan 25, saw close integration between U.S. medical personnel and the Australian 3rd Health Battalion,” said Lt. Hannah Geisenhof, the R2E officer in charge for CLB-1. “Working with Australian and Filipino medical forces increased interoperability for future MRF-D rotations and exercises in the Indo-Pacific. The enhanced interoperability gained from Balikatan 25 lays the groundwork for lasting partnerships and strengthened regional security cooperation.”
Balikatan’s final chapter for MRF-D came in the form of a trilateral MKTSO event on Balabac Island, demonstrating the MRF-D MAGTF’s ability to conduct C2 of allied littoral maneuver in dynamic maritime terrain.
Four VMM-364 MV-22s provided assault support for a trilateral raid force consisting of 3dBde Philippine Marines, 5/7 RAR Australian Soldiers and MRF-D GCE Marines, led by the Australian 5/7 RAR Commanding Officer. 14 kilometers away on the same island, PMC forces led a simultaneous amphibious landing to provide multi-domain entry on the simulated contested terrain. Once ashore, the multinational force closed with and seized key scenario objectives and security sweeps of the island.
“The maritime key terrain security operation was key to 5/7 RAR and indeed, ADF participation of land forces in Balikatan 25,” said LTCOL Hugh Grogan, commanding officer of 5/7 RAR, ADF. “It allowed us to exercise the command-and-control functions of a multinational force. It also allowed us to work, for the first time, down to a squad and section level for the battalion [5/7 RAR] and its soldiers in a true trilateral fashion.”
While Balikatan emphasized readiness and integration, it also strengthened bonds between people. From jungle patrols to camp chow halls, U.S., Australian, and Philippine service members connected through cultural exchanges and ‘Warrior’s Nights’—sharing Filipino food and drink and belting out classics together during spontaneous karaoke sessions.
As the MRF-D MAGTF now prepares to assume the role of I Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) Forward to C2 U.S. Marine Corps formations for Exercise KAMANDAG 9 in the Philippines, the MRF-D MAGTF remains the connective tissue for joint and combined force operations across the Philippine littorals alongside the AFP and other regional allies and partners. As I MEF Forward, the MAGTF will C2 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment in Northern Luzon and VMM-364 alongside the Philippine Marine Corps, Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, and Republic of Korea Marine Corps during KAMANDAG 9.
KAMANDAG 9 will focus on amphibious integration, partner-led littoral maneuver, and humanitarian support operations across Luzon, Palawan, Tawi-Tawi and Batanes. For MRF-D, it represents a continuation of the posture and partnerships refined during Balikatan.
“Balikatan demonstrated combined force integration for major, shoulder-to-shoulder training. KAMANDAG will be about responding together,” said Col. Armas. “These aren’t isolated events—they’re part of a continuum of capability building across the Indo-Pacific.”
“What was previously called ironclad relationship, I think it’s more than that right now,” Brig. Gen. Mangoroban adds. “We have become more like a family, fighting together, and we have sweated together in the field, and we have learned so much from each other.”
As the MRF-D 25.3 MAGTF continues its historic deployment, the lessons of Balikatan will inform every evolution that follows. From rapid movement to rapid integration, the MAGTF has proven that forward presence requires the full combined and joint force effort in the pursuit of a freer and more open Indo-Pacific.
| Date Taken: | 05.09.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 05.13.2025 00:34 |
| Story ID: | 497589 |
| Location: | PUERTO PRINCESA, PH |
| Web Views: | 79 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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