III. Marine Expeditionary Force
The III. Marine Expeditionary Force ( III MEF ) is a major unit at corps level of the US Marine Corps as part of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force concept (MAGTF) and sets primarily from the 3rd Marine Division , the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing and the 3rd Marine Logistics Group together. The association has a staff of over 23,000.
The III MEF provides the marine troops for operations in the Western Pacific and the Indian Ocean , and it also forms the US presence in Japan within the Japanese-US defense alliance.
history
The III MEF was set up in 1942 during the Second World War and took part in the battle against the Japanese Empire in the Pacific War. The association took part in some of the fiercest battles, including the Battle of Iwojima and the Battle of Okinawa . The association was dissolved soon after the end of World War II after it occupied the Japanese island of Okinawa.
The association was reactivated in 1965 to be used in the Vietnam War . From 1966 to 1979 the association was active under the name III Marine Amphibious Force ( III MAF ) and comprised the 1st US Marine Division , the 3rd US Marine Division and the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing . The operational area of the unit under the command of the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam at that time was the northern zone, called the I Corps Tactical Zone . Since 1988, the association has been stationed again as III MEF on Okinawa, where it supports the defense alliance between the United States and Japan, which was concluded in 1952 .
Since the end of the Cold War in 1990, the association has had many uses. During the Second Gulf War he was part of Operation Desert Shield in Saudi Arabia ; In 1991, United States Marines helped evacuate civilians from the Philippines because of the Pinatubo eruption . In January 1995, the association helped with disaster relief after an earthquake in the Japanese city of Kobe .
assignment
The III. Marine Expeditionary Force is a rapid reaction force that is able at any time to carry out military orders of all kinds, humanitarian aid and logistical assistance in the event of natural disasters. As part of the higher-level component command of the PACOM, the US Marine Forces Pacific (MarForPac), it forms the main US amphibious forces in the Asia-Pacific region. Through its advanced deployment in Japan and Asia and its military presence in this region, the III MEF helps to support and implement the security interests of the United States in the context of regular international maneuvers and other defense-specific cooperation. This major association thus actively serves the national and international security policy conception in this theater of war (in this region).
organization
Mission groups according to the MAGTF concept basically contain four basic components: Staff component ( Command Element ), ground combat component ( Ground Combat Element ), air combat component ( Aviation Combat Element ) and a supply component ( Combat Service Support Element ).
The three Marine Expeditionary Forces make up the Fleet Marine Force , a global crisis reaction force that operates from the five US Navy fleets. The I MEF and III MEF are deployed in the Pacific and the II MEF in the Atlantic.
The headquarters of the III MEF is Marine Corps Base Camp Courtney in Gushikawa, Okinawa . Associated units are:
- Ground combat component: 3rd Marine Division
- Air combat component: 1st Marine Aircraft Wing
- Supply component: 3rd Marine Logistics Group
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Staff component: III Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group
- III Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters
- 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade
- 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit
- 3rd Intelligence Battalion
- 3rd Law Enforcement Battalion
- 3rd Radio Battalion
- 7th Communication Battalion
- 5th Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company
guide
The Command Group of the III MEF consists of the Commanding General Lieutenant General Richard C. Zilmer , who is also the Commander of the US Marine Corps Forces, Japan , his Deputy Brigadier General Ronald L. Bailey, the Chief of Staff Colonel Charles S. Dunston, the Sergeant Major Daniel J. Fierle and Command Master Chief Mark A. Busam ( USN ).
References
Web links
- Official website of the III MEF (English)
- Information on Globalsecurity.org (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ The Single Manager ( Memento of May 21, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) (Willard Webb in Joint Forces Quarterly ; 1993–1994; English)
- ↑ See at iiimef.usmc.mil ( Memento from September 20, 2008 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on August 7, 2008
- ↑ See at iiimef.usmc.mil ( Memento from September 23, 2008 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on August 7, 2008
- ↑ See at iiimef.usmc.mil ( Memento of December 24, 2008 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on August 7, 2008
- ↑ See at iiimef.usmc.mil ( memento of March 7, 2009 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on August 7, 2008