Photo By Cpl. Daniel Granados | U.S. Marines with 4th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division and Marine Heavy Helicopter...... read more read more
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CAMP SCHWAB, OKINAWA, JAPAN –U.S. Marines with 4th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, alongside Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron (HMH) 466, forward deployed with Marine Aircraft Group36as part of the Unit Deployment Program, validated the ability to aerial lift a Mission Master Silent Partner with a CH-53E Super Stallion on Camp Schwab, Okinawa, Japan, Jan. 12, 2026.
The need to improve and adapt has always been at the core of the Marine Corps ’philosophy, modernizing its arsenal and range of capabilities, and this training iteration was the first of its kind to be implemented on Okinawa.
“Validating our ability to move the Mission Master on various air platforms enables the tactical movement of an emerging capability,” said Maj. Wesley Pond, the assistant air officer with the 4th Marine Regiment. “This combination of stacking our capabilities has many broad use cases like casualty evacuation, logistical support, moving a mobile electrical power supply option.”
The Marines with 4th Marine Regiment, continue to build on a continuous large-scale inclusion of Small Unmanned Aerial Systems and Unmanned Ground Vehicles throughout all echelons of its formation. The regiment was the first unit to fly untethered SUAS for first time on a military installation on Okinawa. They test the limits and capabilities of UGVs through its ability to transport a simulated causality evacuations in August of 2025. In December 2025 the regiment participated in the Marine Corps Attack Drone Competition that put the Neros Archer, a first-person view attack drone, into the hands of its Marines. Over the last year4th Marine Regiment has demonstrated its commitment to innovate and adapt alongside new technologies.
Transporting autonomous UGVs on various air platforms creates opportunities for small, efficient formations of Marines to enable a mission-adaptable capability that’s able to move across vast distances within the first island chain.
“We, as a Marine Corps, can only stage so many Marines in the first island chain,” said Pond. “This capability makes each Marine more effective; it makes us quieter, faster, more flexible, and able to reach farther wherever we need to be employed.”
| Date Taken: | 01.11.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 01.25.2026 20:15 |
| Story ID: | 556736 |
| Location: | CAMP SCHWAB, OKINAWA, JP |
| Web Views: | 33 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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