CAMP COURTNEY, Okinawa, Japan – U.S. Marines and sailors assigned to 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade (3rd MEB) participated in an Alert Contingency Marine Air-Ground Task Force (ACM) training drill August 3 to 7, 2026, across Okinawa, Japan. The exercise was held to test the unit’s ability to rapidly respond to emerging crises while reinforcing deployment readiness in support of operations throughout the Pacific theater.
The ACM drill is designed to mirror the early stages of a real-world emergency. The exercise guided Marines and sailors from the initial notification of a simulated disaster, through recall procedures, and then into a preparatory formation. Participants conducted accountability checks, gear inspections, and deployment preparations to validate their ability to mobilize quickly in response to potential emergencies.
“Our goal in these drills is to standardize processes, establish plug-and-play templates, and validate personnel readiness,” said Maj. Codi Mullen, a senior watch officer with 3rd MEB. “By doing so, we ensure our forces are immediately prepared to deploy while eliminating the administrative burden of building response materials on the fly, directly freeing up the staff to focus exclusively on critical, scenario-specific planning.”
The drill provided an opportunity for 3rd MEB Marines and sailors to improve their communication skills and understanding of responsibilities during crisis response operations.
By practicing deployment procedures under realistic conditions, the unit strengthened its ability to coordinate internally while identifying opportunities to improve mission readiness.
“3rd MEB’s response is getting faster with each iteration. The drill provided a valuable assessment of our current baseline,” Mullen stated. “As we continue to execute these readiness drills, 3rd MEB is able to continuously advance them—building directly off the lessons of each previous iteration to make the training increasingly realistic and challenging every time.”
3rd MEB remains ready to respond to humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, and crisis response throughout the Pacific. Regular readiness exercises like this reinforce the unit’s ability to quickly deploy forces whenever and wherever they are needed.