Photo By Cpl. Alexander Devereux | A U.S. Marine with 3rd Battalion, 12th Marines, 3rd Marine Division, prepares to swab...... read more read more
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CAMP FUJI, Japan — U.S. Marines with 3rd Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, conducted bilateral live-fire artillery drills with the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force during Artillery Relocation Training Program (ARTP) 25.2 at the Combined Arms Training Center, Camp Fuji, Japan, from Sept. 8 to 26, 2025.
The training, part of a long-standing initiative established under the 1997 Special Action Committee on Okinawa, relocates artillery exercises from Okinawa to mainland Japan. The program aims to sustain operational readiness while supporting regional stability and U.S.-Japan security cooperation across the Indo-Pacific. This bilateral training with the JGSDF strengthens the partnership between U.S. forces and its partners in the Indo-Pacific region.
“We are enforcing the combat readiness in the battalion and in the unit,” said Sgt. Albert Lugo, a gun section chief with 3rd Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment. “We have emplaced, displaced, and shot, multiple 155mm artillery priorities down range. Now we standby for the next call and do it again.”
The Marines executed a series of precision live fire missions with the M777A2 Howitzer, and notional fire missions with the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, to refine crew coordination, enhance response times, and ensure accurate indirect fire support.
“We’re out here getting in some good training with the JGSDF and working on our ability to shoot artillery safely, accurately and effectively,” said Staff Sgt. Sergio Leal, an operations chief with 3rd Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment.
As the Marine Corps’ only permanently forward-deployed artillery unit, 3rd Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment, maintains a critical role in deterring aggression and supporting joint operations across the region.
“I want my Marines to learn a lot from this [exercise]. I want them to learn how to be flexible, capable and lethal in any scenario,” said Leal.
This training boosts the capabilities and readiness of the Marine Corps’ ability to enable accurate indirect fire support. The next iteration of ARTP will commence in November 2025.
| Date Taken: | 11.04.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 11.14.2025 03:44 |
| Story ID: | 550689 |
| Location: | SHIZUOKA, JP |
| Web Views: | 36 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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