III Marine Expeditionary Force is a formation of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force of the United States Marine Corps. It is forward-deployed and able to rapidly conduct operations across the spectrum from humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HA/DR) to amphibious assault and high-intensity combat.
Combat service support is a topic that is, broadly speaking, a subset of military logistics. However, combat service support is often more limited in depth, as the related groups primarily address factors supporting readiness for combat operations. The United States Department of Defense organizes various agencies providing services such as medical assistance, for example, akin to other nations' militaries.
The 4th Marine Regiment is an infantry regiment of the United States Marine Corps. Based at Camp Schwab in Okinawa, Japan, it is part of the 3rd Marine Division of the III Marine Expeditionary Force.
The 3rd Marine Logistics Group is the Logistics Combat Element (LCE) for III Marine Expeditionary Force currently headquartered on Camp Kinser, Marine Corps Base Smedley D. Butler, Okinawa, Japan. 3rd MLG provides combat service support (CSS) to III MEF units above the organic capability. CSS is the essential capabilities, functions, activities, and tasks necessary to sustain all elements of operating forces in theater at all levels of war. Combat service support includes, but is not limited, to supply, maintenance, transportation, general engineering, health services, and other services required by aviation and ground combat forces to permit those units to accomplish their missions.
The 7th Marine Regiment is an infantry regiment of the United States Marine Corps based at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California. Nicknamed the "Magnificent Seventh", the regiment falls under the command of the 1st Marine Division and the I Marine Expeditionary Force.
2nd Battalion, 4th Marines (2/4) is an infantry battalion of the United States Marine Corps. The battalion, nicknamed the Magnificent Bastards from the Vietnam War, is based out of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California and is a part of the 4th Marine Regiment and 1st Marine Division.
The 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion conducts amphibious and ground reconnaissance in support of the 3rd Marine Division and Marine Forces Pacific (MarForPac), operating in the commander's areas of influence. The battalion is based out of Camp Schwab, a satellite base of Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler. It is geographically located on the Okinawa Prefecture in Japan.
2nd Battalion, 11th Marines (2/11) is an artillery battalion comprising four firing batteries and a Headquarters Battery. The battalion is stationed at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. Its primary weapon system is the M777 lightweight howitzer. The battalion was the first in the Marine Corps to fully transition from the M198 Howitzer. They fall under the command of the 11th Marine Regiment and the 1st Marine Division.
1st Battalion, 4th Marines (1/4) is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based out of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California consisting of approximately 800 Marines and sailors. They fall under the command of the 1st Marine Regiment and the 1st Marine Division.
2nd Battalion, 23rd Marines (2/23) is a reserve infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps located throughout the Western United States consisting of approximately 1000 Marines and Sailors. They fall under the command of the 23rd Marine Regiment and the 4th Marine Division.
The 1st Battalion 9th Marines (1/9) was an infantry battalion of the United States Marine Corps. Formed during World War I, it served until the mid-2000s when it was deactivated to make room for one of three light armor reconnaissance battalions. During the Vietnam War, 1/9 sustained an especially high casualty rate as they faced extraordinary challenges and hardships during their tour. General Vo Nguyen Giap promised President Ho Chi Minh that he would wipe out the 1st Battalion, 9th Marines, as a present for the leader’s birthday. In describing the fate that awaited the Marines in the valley, Giap allegedly used the term "Di Bo Chet", translated as the “Walking Dead”. He viewed that the Marines should be considered already dead, just not buried yet. However, 1st Battalion, 9th Marines, proudly and defiantly adopted “The Walking Dead” as its nickname due to the unit's persistence and resilience.
Combat Logistics Regiment 3 (CLR-3) is a direct support (DS) logistics unit of the United States Marine Corps and is headquartered at Camp Foster, Okinawa, Japan. The unit falls under the 3rd Marine Logistics Group and the III Marine Expeditionary Force.
The 3d Medical Battalion is a medical support unit of the United States Marine Corps and is headquartered at Camp Foster, Okinawa, Japan. The unit falls under the command of 3rd Marine Logistics Group.
3rd Battalion, 12th Marines (3/12) is an artillery battalion comprising four firing batteries and a Headquarters Battery. The firing batteries are not permanently assigned to the battalion- they are all on 6-month rotations in Okinawa from the 10th Marine Regiment and the 11th Marine Regiment. The battalion is stationed at Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, and its primary weapon systems are the M777 lightweight howitzer with a maximum effective range of 30 km, along with the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS). The battalion utilizes the Unit Deployment Program to fill its four firing batteries with detachments from artillery units across the Marine Corps.
1st Battalion, 12th Marines (1/12) was an artillery battalion comprising three firing batteries and a Headquarters Battery. The battalion was stationed at Marine Corps Base Hawaii and fell under the 12th Marine Regiment and the 3rd Marine Division. It was deactivated on 26 May 2023.
2nd Battalion, 9th Marines (2/9) was an infantry battalion of the United States Marine Corps. Formed during World War I, the unit played an instrumental role in the defeat of the Japanese forces in the Battles of Guam and Iwo Jima during World War II. The battalion distinguished itself in the defense of Khe Sanh during the Vietnam War, and later participated in an ill-fated invasion of Koh Tang Island in Southeast Asia, with the intention of rescuing the crew of SS Mayaguez. During Operation Desert Storm, the battalion served as the lead battalion for the III Marine Expeditionary Force.
The 3rd Battalion, 9th Marines (3/9) is an infantry battalion of the United States Marine Corps. Formed during World War I it served until the early 1990s when it was redesignated as 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines (3/4) during a realignment and renumbering of the Marine Corps' infantry battalions, following the deactivation of the 9th Marine Regiment. The 3rd Battalion, 9th Marines was initially a subordinate unit of the 9th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, but was later operationally transferred to the 1st Marine Division as a subordinate unit of the 7th Marine Regiment where it remained until its redesignation as 3/4.
The United States Marine Corps is organized within the Department of the Navy, which is led by the Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV). The most senior Marine commissioned officer is the Commandant of the Marine Corps, responsible for organizing, recruiting, training, and equipping the Marine Corps so that it is ready for operation under the command of the unified combatant commanders. The Marine Corps is organized into four principal subdivisions: Headquarters Marine Corps, the Operating Forces, the Supporting Establishment, and the Marine Forces Reserve.
The 3rd Maintenance Battalion is a battalion of the United States Marine Corps that provides intermediate-level maintenance for the III Marine Expeditionary Force's tactical ordnance, engineer, motor transport, communications electronics and general support ground equipment. The unit falls under the command of 3rd Sustainment Group (Experimental) and the 3rd Marine Logistics Group, and is based at Camp Kinser, Okinawa, Japan, with the exception of Regional Maintenance Operations Companies, which are located at nearby Camp Foster and Camp Hansen, respectively.
John Harrison Miller is a highly decorated retired lieutenant general in the United States Marine Corps. A veteran of World War II, Korea and Vietnam, Miller completed his career as commanding general, Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic.
