12th Marine Littoral Regiment | |
---|---|
Active | 4 October 1927 – 1945 17 March 1952 - present |
Country | United States of America |
Branch | United States Marine Corps |
Type | Littoral Regiment |
Role | Provide fires in support of 3rd Marine Division |
Part of | 3rd Marine Division |
Garrison/HQ | Camp Smedley Butler, Okinawa, Japan |
Nickname(s) | Thunder and Steel |
Motto(s) | Honor, Fidelity, Valor |
Engagements | World War II |
Commanders | |
Current commander | Colonel Peter B. Eltringham |
Notable commanders | Donald M. Weller Clifford B. Drake |
The 12th Marine Littoral Regiment is a Littoral regiment of the United States Marine Corps based at Camp Smedley Butler, Okinawa, Japan. Nicknamed "Thunder and Steel," the regiment falls under the command of the 3rd Marine Division.
The 12th Marine Littoral Regiment is a naval formation, including capabilities to enable maneuver and operations in the maritime domain. It is a stand-in force: mobile, low-signature, persistent in the contact to blunt layers, and relatively easy to maintain and sustain as part of a naval expeditionary force. MLRs leverage the full ability of amphibious platforms, connectors, and boats. [1]
The regiment is made up of one artillery battalion and one headquarters battery:
The Regiment was activated on October 4, 1927, at Tientsin, China and assigned to the 3rd Marine Brigade.a
The regiment was reactivated September 1, 1942, at San Diego, California, as the 12th Marines and assigned to the 3rd Marine Division. It relocated during October 1942 to Camp Dunlap, California. From there it deployed during March 1943 to Auckland, New Zealand. In July 1943 it moved to Guadalcanal.
The regiment participated in the following World War II campaigns:
Following the war, the 12th Marines relocated in December 1945 to Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California.
The Regiment was reactivated on 17 March 1952, at Camp Pendleton, California, and assigned to the 3rd Marine Division. Deployed during August 1953 to Camp McNair, Japan. Redeployed during February 1956 to Okinawa. Redeployed from March–July 1965 to the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam).
The Regiment participated in the War in Vietnam, May 1965 – November 1969, operating from:
Redeployed from August–November 1969 to Camp Hansen, Okinawa.
Relocated during August 1971 to Camp Hauge, Okinawa. Elements participated in the Southeast Asia Evacuations, April–June 1975. Elements participated in the recovery of the SS Mayaguez in May 1975. Relocated during August 1976 to Camp Zukeran, Okinawa. Camp Zukeran renamed Camp Foster during March 1980.
Elements participated in the Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm, Southwest Asia, September 1990-April 1991. Relocated during July 1998 to Camp Hansen, Okinawa.
Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used by the U.S. government for both the first stage (2001–2014) of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. Marines from the battalion took part in the Helmand Province Campaign, particularly the Battle of Sangin.
The regiment was redesignated as the 12th Marine Littoral Regiment on 15 November 2023, during a ceremony at Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan. [2]
The 3rd Marine Division is a division of the United States Marine Corps based at Camp Courtney, Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler in Okinawa, Japan. It is one of three active duty infantry divisions in the Marine Corps and together with the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing (1stMAW) and the 3rd Marine Logistics Group forms the III Marine Expeditionary Force. The division was first formed during World War II and saw four years of continuous combat in the Vietnam War. Today, elements of the 3rd Marine Division are continuously forward deployed and forward postured to carry out the US Government's mission of a Free and Open Indo-Pacific in conjunction with its sister services.
3rd Battalion, 11th Marines (3/11) is an artillery battalion comprising three firing batteries, a Liaison Unit, and a headquarters battery. The battalion is based at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California and its primary weapon system is the M777 lightweight howitzer with a maximum effective range of 25 miles. They fall under the 11th Marine Regiment and the 1st Marine Division.
The 1st Marine Logistics Group is a logistics unit of the United States Marine Corps and is headquartered at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, with several subordinate elements also located at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma and Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms.
2nd Battalion, 1st Marines (2/1) is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based in Camp HORNO on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. Nicknamed "The Professionals," the battalion consists of approximately 1,200 Marines and Sailors. Normally they fall under the command of the 1st Marine Regiment and the 1st Marine Division.
The 3d Marine Littoral Regiment is a regiment of the United States Marine Corps that is optimized for littoral maneuver in the Indo-Pacific Theater. Based at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, the regiment falls under the command of the 3rd Marine Division and the III Marine Expeditionary Force. It was known as the 3rd Marine Regiment from 1914 to 2022, when it was renamed as part of the Commandant of the Marine Corps' Force Design 2030 initiative. The 3d MLR has participated in the 2022 and 2023 Balikatan exercises in Northern Luzon, Philippines.
2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines (2/3) was an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based out of Marine Corps Base Hawaii consisting of approximately 1,000 Marines and sailors. The battalion fell under the command of the 3rd Marine Regiment and the 3rd Marine Division. The battalion was deactivated in January 2022 as part of the Marine Corps' ongoing Force Design efforts.
1st Battalion, 11th Marines (1/11) is an artillery battalion comprising four firing batteries and a Headquarters battery. The battalion is stationed at the Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in California. Its primary weapon system is the M777 lightweight howitzer. The battalion is under the command of the 11th Marine Regiment, part of the 1st Marine Division.
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.
5th Battalion, 11th Marines (5/11) was a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) battalion consisting of four Firing Batteries and a Headquarters Battery. The battalion is stationed at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. It is the first active duty HIMARS Unit in the Marine Corps. They fall under the command of the 11th Marine Regiment and the 1st Marine Division. This is the only battalion in the 11th Marine Regiment not using the M777A2 lightweight howitzer.
1st Battalion 14th Marines (1/14) was a reserve artillery battalion comprising three firing batteries and a headquarters battery. The battalion was based in Alameda, California. Its primary weapon system was the M198 Howitzer. It was part of the 14th Marine Regiment of the 4th Marine Division.
The 9th Marine Regiment was an infantry regiment of the United States Marine Corps. Formed during World War II, it served until 1994, when it was deactivated during the post Cold War drawdown. Battalions of the Ninth Marine Regiment, but not the regiment itself, were reactivated from 2007 to 2014 as part of the Marine Corps' growth during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The battalions have subsequently been deactivated again.
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 Combat Engineer Battalion is a combat engineer battalion of the United States Marine Corps. The unit, nicknamed "The Super Breed", is based at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California and falls under the command of the 1st Marine Division and the I Marine Expeditionary Force.
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.
The Combat Assault Battalion was a mechanized battalion of the United States Marine Corps and subordinate element of the 3rd Marine Division and the III Marine Expeditionary Force. The unit was last based at Camp Schwab, Okinawa, Japan.
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 1st Maintenance Battalion is a battalion of the United States Marine Corps that provides intermediate-level maintenance for the I Marine Expeditionary Force's tactical ordnance, engineer, motor transport, communications electronics and general support ground equipment. The Marines and Sailors of 1st Maintenance Battalion are regularly assigned and deployed around the world with command elements that deliver tactical logistics support to I MEF units. The command is based out of Camp Las Pulgas, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California and is organized under the command of the 1st Marine Logistics Group.
Combat Logistics Battalion 12 (CLB-12), formerly known as 3d Transportation Battalion and previously 3rd Transportation Support Battalion, 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 command of Combat Logistics Regiment 3 and the 3rd Marine Logistics Group.