MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, Hawaii – 3rd Littoral Anti-Air Battalion, 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment, certified Air Defense Artillery Fire Control Officers following a three-week course taught by the Army’s Fires Center of Excellence aboard Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Jan 23, 2025. Manned and trained with ADAFCOs, 3rd LAAB is better postured to integrate into joint air and missile defense systems and operations.
The three-week course that was hosted by 3rd LAAB, brought together service members from across Hawaii. Students engaged in in-depth training on mission analysis, advanced battle management, command and control, and joint operations through classroom and practical exercises. The course was a result of a shared understanding across military branches in Hawaii that having ADAFCOs in the Indo-Pacific would lead to greater mission success.
“3rd LAAB has previously sent students to the ADAFCO course at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma,” said U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Darnell Burton, a low-altitude air defense officer and the assistant operations officer with 3rd LAAB. “We worked diligently with the Army’s Fires Center of Excellence and the 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, along with the Air Force’s Distributed Training Operation Center and the Air National Guard’s 169th Air Defense Squadron, to coordinate conducting a course at 3rd LAAB because we all recognized the importance of what having trained ADAFCOs provides our mission in the Indo-Pacific.”
The certification of ADAFCOs within 3rd LAAB’s formation equips 3rd MLR with skilled Marines that are capable of managing and coordinating complex air defense operations, seamlessly integrating with joint service air and missile defense systems.
“ADAFCOs provide the MLR with a greater depth of air battle management, including direct incorporation with the Sector Air Defense Commander,” said Burton. “3rd LAAB ADAFCOs have gained the skills to effectively employ organic ground-based air defense systems like MADIS alongside partner assets such as the PATRIOT, accelerating the kill chain for MADIS engagements.”
Equipped with the Marine Air Defense Integrated System and the Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar, assets typically assigned to Marine Aircraft Wings for aviation commanders to engage air threats and build air-domain awareness, 3rd LAAB is purpose-built to support a joint force commander with air defense and command and control in support of expeditionary advanced base operations in a littoral environment.
“EABO involves operating from small, dispersed, and often austere locations,” continued Burton. “ADAFCOs provide the essential expertise to coordinate and control air and missile defense for forward-deployed units, ensuring their protection from air and missile threats.”
Force Design initiatives address the dynamic threat associated with modern air systems to include small unmanned aerial systems and medium-range cruise missiles. Coupled with the U.S. Marine Corps’ Stand-In Force concept, which stresses sensing, making sense, and communicating with joint force entities, 3d LAAB embodies a modernized warfighting capability that maintains an advantage from inside adversary weapons engagement zones.
“As a Stand-In Force, 3rd LAAB’s ability to positively and procedurally control aircraft in addition to organically defending against air and missile threats is paramount to enabling the MLR to conduct its primary missions of reconnaissance, counter-reconnaissance, and sea-denial in support of the joint force,” concluded Burton.
Developing ADAFCOs within 3rd LAAB is a direct reflection of 3rd MLR’s investment into effectively combating aerial threats to both enable and defend expeditionary advanced bases from which the joint force can use to employ fires during distributed maritime operations.
3rd MLR is a dedicated U.S. Marine Corps unit specializing in littoral warfare operations. Stationed on Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay and deployed throughout the Indo-Pacific region, 3rd MLR is committed to promoting regional security and stability through strategic partnerships and collaborative efforts with the joint force and allied and partnered nations.