HONIARA, Solomon Islands — On August 6, 2025, U.S. Marines with the Marine Rotational Force – Darwin (MRF-D) 25.3 Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) stood alongside U.S. and Solomon Islands officials atop Skyline Ridge, participating in the 83rd anniversary commemoration of the Battle of Guadalcanal. Hosted by U.S. Ambassador to Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu Ann Marie Yastishock and with the Solomon Islands government, the ceremony served as a solemn reminder of the shared history and sacrifice that binds the United States and Solomon Islands in strength, security, and prosperity.
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U.S. Marines with Marine Rotational Force – Darwin (MRF-D) 25.3 took part in the Tiwi Island Culture Festival at Tiwi Islands, Australia, on July 19, 2025.
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Against the backdrop of Talisman Sabre 25, the Indo-Pacific’s largest military exercise involving more than 35,000 troops from 19 nations, the Marines and Sailors of the Marine Rotational Force – Darwin (MRF-D) 25.3 Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) accomplished what few forces can: multimodal and mobile command and control across thousands of kilometers of simulated contested terrain, synchronized precision fires with the U.S. Army and Australian Defence Force (ADF), and seamless combined maneuver with 5th/7th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (5/7 RAR). From the red earth of the Northern Territory to the grasslands of Queensland, the journey was a proving ground for modern warfighting.
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At the request of the government of the Philippines, U.S. Marines with the Marine Rotational Force – Darwin (MRF-D) 25.3 Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) are working alongside the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to provide urgent lifesaving support to communities affected by typhoons, tropical storms, and the Southwest Monsoon. The forward presence and ready posture of United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) in the region facilitates rapid and effective response to crisis, demonstrating the U.S.’s commitment to allies and partners during times of need.
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In a historic first for the Indo-Pacific, U.S. and Australian forces executed a fully integrated precision fires sequence, July 15-16, 2025, leveraging the U.S. Army’s Mid-Range Capability (MRC), also known as the “Typhon” missile system, in coordination with the U.S Army’s 3rd Multi-Domain Task Force (MDTF), the Australian National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS), and key enablers from the Marine Rotational Force – Darwin (MRF-D) 25.3 Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) to clear air and sea domains in support of joint and combined littoral maneuver during Exercise Talisman Sabre 25.
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U.S. Marines with the Marine Rotational Force – Darwin (MRF-D) 25.3 Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) joined the Australian Army’s 1st Brigade, Australian Defence Force (ADF), for Predator Series 2025, a dual-exercise campaign designed to sharpen interoperability and demonstrate regional readiness across two major evolutions: Predator’s Walk and Predator’s Run.
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In a first-of-its-kind operation, U.S. Marines with the Marine Rotational Force – Darwin (MRF-D) 25.3 Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) used the Tactical Air-Ground Refueling System (TAGRS) to refuel an Australian ARH Tiger helicopter for the first time, showcasing the expanding interoperability between allied forces in the Indo-Pacific.
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U.S. Marines with the Marine Rotational Force – Darwin (MRF-D) 25.3 Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) are taking part in Exercise Talisman Sabre 25, Australia’s largest bilateral military exercise, to enhance interoperability and strengthen ties with the Australian Defence Force and U.S. Army joint forces across the Northern Territory (NT) this month.
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Since December 2024, the Marines and Sailors of Marine Rotational Force – Darwin (MRF-D) 25.3 have charted a historic path, validating what it means to be a stand-in force in the Pacific under the U.S. Marine Corps’ Force Design 2030. As the first MRF-D Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) to simultaneously deploy forces forward to Australia and within the First Island Chain (FIC), their presence in the Indo-Pacific has demonstrated America’s commitment to positioning combat-credible formations forward alongside allies and partners, wherever and whenever needed.
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On a scorching hot June afternoon, the convoy of a multinational team of explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) technicians crawled through the jungle-lined roads of Rabaul, Papua New Guinea. Dust swirled around the tires of the military vehicles, the air thick with the weight of what lay hidden beneath the earth — forgotten relics of war, still deadly nearly a century later. Operation Render Safe 25-1, conducted June 3-14, 2025, was nearing its end.
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In a demonstration of allied resolve, interoperability, and command agility, U.S. Marines with Marine Rotational Force – Darwin (MRF-D) 25.3, serving as I Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) Forward, coordinated a simulated maritime strike operation in support of real-world movements and training across the Philippine archipelago during Exercise KAMANDAG 9, June 1, 2025. In a show of multinational capability, the regimental level headquarters of the forward deployed MRF-D Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) planned, coordinated and executed a true Combined Joint All Domain Operation (CJADO).
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U.S. Marines with Golf Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, Marine Rotational Force – Darwin (MRF-D) 25.3, and Philippine Marines from the 3rd Marine Brigade are carrying out bilateral training at Palawan, Philippines, during Archipelagic Coastal Defense (ACD) 25.3, scheduled from June 23 to July 15, 2025.
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U.S. Marines with Golf Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, Marine Rotational Force – Darwin (MRF-D) 25.3, and Philippine Marines from the 3rd Marine Brigade will conduct bilateral training at Palawan, Philippines, during Archipelagic Coastal Defense (ACD) 25.3, scheduled from June 23 to July 15, 2025.
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KUANTAN, Pahang, Malaysia – U.S. Marines with the Marine Rotational Force – Darwin (MRF-D) 25.3 Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) alongside the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) and U.S. Army Pacific are participating in the Bersama Warrior 2025 staff exercise (STAFFEX) held in Malaysia June 17-26, 2025.
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TOWNSVILLE, Australia — U.S. Marines and Sailors with the Marine Rotational Force – Darwin (MRF-D) 25.3 Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) arrived in Townsville to train alongside the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) during Exercise Southern Jackaroo 25, a multi-lateral exercise held from May 25 through June 13, 2025 at the Townsville Field Training Area, Queensland, Australia.
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Elements of I and III Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) concluded Exercise KAMANDAG 9 June 6, 2025, capping weeks of multilateral training across the Philippine archipelago, advancing air, maritime, and littoral capabilities and reaffirming the shared vision of peace and prosperity among the United States, the Philippines, Japan, Republic of Korea, United Kingdom, Australia, France, and Thailand.
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Two years after enlisting out of Palm Coast, Florida, U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Christian Diaz, a satellite transmission systems operator with Combat Logistics Battalion (CLB) 1, Marine Rotational Force - Darwin (MRF-D) 25.3, never imagined he'd find himself in Palawan, Philippines, during Exercise KAMANDAG 9, doing something he's deeply passionate about, practicing martial arts.
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Philippine, U.S., Japan, Korean and United Kingdom military leaders launched KAMANDAG 9 on Monday with an opening ceremony hosted at Marine Barracks Rudiardo Brown, marking the official start of the ninth iteration of the Kaagapay ng mga Mandirigma ng Dagat (“Cooperation of Warriors of the Sea”) exercise.
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From the northern coast of Australia to the southern edge of the Philippine archipelago, U.S. Marines with the Marine Rotational Force – Darwin (MRF-D) 25.3 Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) spent the last month executing rapid maneuver, joint and combined integrated fires, and combined exercises alongside Philippine and Australian allies across one of the world’s most complex and challenging maritime regions.
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U.S. Marines with Marine Rotational Force – Darwin 25.3 participated in a commemoration service for the Battle of the Coral Sea in Darwin on May 6.
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PUERTO PRINCESA, Philippines — U.S. Marines from 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, Marine Rotational Force – Darwin (MRF-D) 25.3 Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF), Australian Army Soldiers with the 5th/7th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (5/7 RAR), Australian Defence Force (ADF), and Philippine Marines from the 3rd Marine Brigade, Philippine Marine Corps (PMC), executed a high-tempo, trilateral simulated airfield insertion during a maritime key terrain security operation (MKTSO) for Exercise Balikatan 25, May 4, 2025.
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Service members from the United States, Philippines, Japan, Republic of Korea and United Kingdom will kick off Exercise KAMANDAG 9 on May 26, 2025, training across the Philippines to enhance multinational military readiness, interoperability, and regional defense capabilities.
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Marine Rotational Force – Darwin (MRF-D) 25.3 has commenced its 14th iteration, projecting its operational reach well beyond northern Australia. While most of the force has successfully closed in Darwin, a portion of the ground combat element deployed directly from Camp Pendleton, California, to the Philippines to train with the Philippine Marine Corps’ (PMC) 1st Marine Brigade in Mindanao.
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Three years after enlisting out of Ayden, North Carolina, Cpl. Jonathan J. Jones, a data system administrator with Headquarters Company, 1st Marine Regiment, Marine Rotational Force – Darwin 25.3, deploys for a second rotation with the 14th iteration of MRF-D.
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U.S. Marines and Sailors have arrived in the Northern Territory to kick off the 14th annual rotation of the Marine Rotational Force – Darwin Marine Air-Ground Task Force.
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