Marines return from six-month deployment to Australia

Nearly 1,200 Marines and sailors have returned stateside in late October after six months in the dirt Down Under where they . Troops taking part in this latest rotational deployment to Darwin, Australia, saw everything from new ships to training alongside Chinese forces as the Corps pushed one step closer to the planned deployment of a 2,500-man Marine Air-Ground Task Force.  

The Marines' late October return marked the end of the Corps’ fourth rotation through deployment to Darwin, Australia, and the second time a full battalion landing team has deployed to the Northern Territory. Units included he first included roughly 200 Marines in 2012. This latest team of nearly 1,200 Marines and sailors was anchored by 1st Battalion, 4th Marines and a detachment from Combat Logistics Battalion 1 out of Camp Pendleton, California, and Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 463 out of HawaiiRegiment, 3rd Marine Division and was the second consecutive reinforced battalion deployment.

Darwin deployments are all about regional security and response, with an eye toward an expanding Chinese military that is expanding by the day. But five Marines and U.S. soldiers teamed with 20 counterparts from Australia and China for Exercise Kowari, a three-week test of survival in the rugged outback roughly 80 miles south of Darwin.

Kowari 2014 marked the first time the People’s Liberation Army participated in a field environment with U.S. forces, said 1st Lt. Natalie Poggemeyer, a spokeswoman for Marine Corps Forces Pacific. Poggemeyer, who described tThe team-based environmental survival course was "an excellent opportunity for our countries to work together at the small-unit level to build mutual trust, cooperation and respect," she added. 

Building Still, improved interoperability with partner nations' militaries is one of the top priorities for Marine Rotational Force-Darwin.  will be the name of the game for any Marine units that deploy to Darwin. The latest 2015 rotation included several uch bilateral and multilateral exercises in Australia, such,throughout Southeast Asia such as Hamel, Talisman Sabre, Crocodile Strike, and Southern Jackaroo.  

During this iteration, Marines conducted include a bilateral live-fire exercise with the between the Marines and Aussies and also embarked one platoon aboard the dry cargo ship Sacagawea during Exercise Koa Moana in Timor-Leste in June and July. While the embark was an invaluable opportunity for the blue-green team, which looks to use alternative Navy ships platforms in future deployments, the theater security exercise with the Timor-Leste defense force also honed squad-level urban terrain and live-fire operations.

Another platoon worked on interoperability, marksmanship, medical practices and unarmed combat while supporting humanitarian assistance construction projects during Exercise Tafakula, held in the Kingdom of Tonga in August and September. Marines joined troops from the French New Caledonian Armed Forces, His Majesty’s Armed Forces of Tonga and the New Zealand Defence Force for patrol-based operations and platoon-level attacks.

"MRF-D is a tangible demonstration of the U.S.’ sustained commitment to the U.S.-Australia alliance and to the Asia-Pacific region, which improves security cooperation activities, disaster relief response capabilities, and the ability to respond to various crises," Poggemeyer said. "Rotational deployments in Darwin enable Marines to more effectively train, exercise and operate with partners, [it] enhances regional security and builds capacity to respond more rapidly to natural disasters and crises throughout the region. The special relationship we share with Australia is based on trust established through generations of working together and our common values. Regional challenges require the effort and contribution of both of our nation’s forces to ensure continued security and stability.  U.S. and Australian interoperability is vital."

The size of Marine forces is not the only boost in the works. Pentagon and Australian defense leaders are looking to rotate a three-ship amphibious readiness group through the region, and perhaps a carrier strike group. Darwin’s port would need to be expanded to host an amphibious assault ship and two dock landing ships.

The Australian naval base in Stirling could host the massive carrier strike group, which includes the carrier, its air wing, two Aegis guided-missile cruisers, a destroyer squadron with two to three guided missile destroyers, up to two attack submarines, and a combined ammunition, oiler and supply ship for logistic support. However, the port is not capable of handling nuclear-powered ships in the long-term.