MRF-D 26 concludes 15th rotation as the first certified Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. — Approximately 2,000 U.S. Marines and Sailors assigned to Marine Rotational Force – Darwin 26 concluded a historic deployment across Australia and the Indo-Pacific, marking the program’s 15th rotation and the first time the rotational force earned certification as a Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force.

Led by 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, MRF-D Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force 26.3 combined Marines and Sailors from I and III Marine Expeditionary Forces into an integrated force capable of bringing together command and control, aviation, ground combat and logistics capabilities.

From March through October, Marines and Sailors trained alongside the Australian Defence Force and regional allies and partners throughout Australia, the Philippines, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, French Polynesia and Indonesia.

As a certified SPMAGTF, MRF-D 26.3 demonstrated the value of a forward-postured stand-in force that remains persistent in the region, integrates with allies and partners, operates from dispersed locations and responds quickly when crises or contingencies arise. Rather than building relationships after an event begins, MRF-D 26.3 used the rotation to establish the trust, procedures and shared understanding needed to move, sustain and operate together quickly.

“This 15th rotation stands as a testament to what the U.S. and Australia can achieve when we train shoulder-to-shoulder,” said U.S. Marine Corps Col. George Flynn, commanding officer of MRF-D 26.3 SPMAGTF. “I want to extend my deepest gratitude to our ADF counterparts and our hosts across the country for their unwavering support. By pushing our limits together during exercises like Render Safe, Predators Run, Southern Jackaroo and Capital Reach, we have learned immensely from one another. We have forged an unparalleled level of interoperability, proving that we can move together rapidly and effectively to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific.”

The force began preparing before it arrived in Australia. During Exercise Steel Knight 2025 in California and Arizona, the still-forming force established geographically distributed command-and-control nodes and rehearsed long-distance movement of personnel and equipment using MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft and C-130J Super Hercules aircraft.

Marines and Sailors also underwent evaluations on their ability to conduct embassy reinforcement, evacuation operations, casualty evacuation, expeditionary medical support, aviation-node operations and expeditionary advanced base operations.

After arriving in Darwin in March, MRF-D 26.3 began its regional training campaign in April with Exercise Balikatan 2026 in the Philippines, held April 20 through May 8. The exercise provided the final operational environment for MRF-D 26.3 to complete its SPMAGTF certification.

At the same time, Marines deployed to New Caledonia for Exercise Tagata Toa, a multinational combined-arms exercise hosted by the French Armed Forces from April 27 through May 10.

During Balikatan, Marines and Sailors validated their ability to recover aircraft and personnel, conduct aviation external lift, deliver supplies by air to a notional civilian population and establish expeditionary advanced bases in austere, dispersed locations.

In Aporawan, Palawan, Marines with 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, MRF-D’s ground combat element, trained alongside the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Australian Defence Force, New Zealand Defence Force and U.S. joint forces during a counter-landing live-fire exercise. The combined force synchronized Philippine Marine Corps artillery, High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, mortars, crew-served weapons, anti-armor systems and air-defense capabilities against simulated amphibious threats.

Balikatan culminated May 3 on Balabac Island, where multinational reconnaissance teams from the Philippine Marine Corps, Australian Army and 1st Reconnaissance Battalion shaped the operational environment before U.S., Philippine and Australian forces conducted an air assault to secure Balabac Airfield.

“Under the cover of darkness, multi-national reconnaissance teams from the PMC, Royal Australian Army, and Force Reconnaissance Company, 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, inserted onto Balabac Island,” said Gunnery Sgt. Ramsey Crow, a platoon sergeant with 1st Reconnaissance Battalion. “These elite elements reconnoitered key terrain to support maritime security operations and fed the targeting cycle with critical intelligence from deep within the battlespace.”

Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 268 (Reinforced) transported personnel and equipment from Antonio Bautista Air Base, while U.S. Army watercraft moved HIMARS into the austere maritime environment. The combined force then integrated air mobility, reconnaissance, ground maneuver and fires during a live-fire demonstration against simulated maritime targets.

The certification carried significance beyond the individual training events. It showed MRF-D 26.3 SPMAGTF could combine its aviation, ground, logistics and command-and-control capabilities with allied and partner forces to respond across maritime terrain without building a force from scratch.

The result was a more capable combined force that could sense, decide, move and sustain operations across multiple locations. Early May also demonstrated the importance of partner-enabled mobility. The Royal New Zealand Air Force provided a Boeing 757 and two C-130 Hercules aircraft to move Marines and equipment between Darwin, New Caledonia and Townsville.

The effort enabled SPMAGTF participation in regional training and required close coordination among MRF-D, the Australian Defence Force and Royal New Zealand Air Force for aircraft scheduling, customs, agricultural clearances, hazardous-material procedures and diplomatic approvals.

The airlift also demonstrated the value of human interoperability: direct professional relationships that allow allies and partners to overcome friction and move quickly when requirements change.

“I would definitely say it’s important, and it’s a good way to demonstrate to adversaries that we are capable of working abroad as if we are home,” said Sgt. Timothy Miller, a platoon sergeant with Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines.

By drawing on allied capacity, access and professional relationships, MRF-D moved personnel and equipment across international boundaries faster than it could have through unilateral means. That ability to leverage partner capabilities expanded the combined force’s reach and resilience across the Indo-Pacific.

The SPMAGTF returned its focus to northern Australia on May 18 with Exercise Predators Walk, the force’s first major Australia-based field exercise. The training continued through June 12 and built tactical familiarity between Marines and Australian counterparts before the force expanded into additional bilateral and multinational training.

That momentum continued in Townsville, where Marines trained alongside Australian and Japanese forces during Exercise Southern Jackaroo, held May 29 through July 3. The trilateral exercise included joint operations and live-fire training designed to strengthen combined readiness and interoperability in complex terrain.

While Southern Jackaroo continued in Australia, Marines and Sailors joined Philippine counterparts for Exercise KAMANDAG 10, held June 15 through July 1. During the exercise, Marines and Sailors visited the Bataan World War II Museum and Capas National Shrine to reflect on the shared history of U.S. and Philippine service members.

The visit reinforced that the U.S.-Philippine alliance remains rooted in shared sacrifice, enduring relationships and a continuing commitment to peace and security.

June also gave MRF-D Marines and Sailors opportunities to support Northern Territory communities.

Approximately 30 Marines and Sailors volunteered for six days at the Barunga Festival, helping community organizers set up and recover festival infrastructure, support event operations and connect with community members through sports, cultural activities and service.

During the festival, Esther Bulumbara, known as “Auntie Esther” and the senior traditional owner of the Bagala clan lands, and Flynn exchanged gifts as a symbol of the ongoing relationship between MRF-D and Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory. July brought simultaneous training, community engagement and multinational operations.

In Papua New Guinea, Marines assigned to the MRF-D 26.3 explosive ordnance disposal element supported Operation Render Safe 2026 from July 1 through 31. The multinational effort removed World War II-era unexploded ordnance and reduced risks to communities in East New Britain.

The Marine element disposed of 732 munitions totaling 16,041 pounds of net explosive weight. Multinational teams from Papua New Guinea, Australia, the United States, New Zealand, Canada, France, the United Kingdom and Japan disposed of 2,387 munitions totaling 68,029 pounds of net explosive weight, said Gunnery Sgt. Jeremiah Rogers, Marine element commander for Operation Render Safe 2026.

Working across a 7,380-square-kilometer area in northern East New Britain, Marines operated alongside Australian, U.S. Army and New Zealand teams. The Marine element conducted the first Render Safe procedure using a .50-caliber de-armer on a U.S. 5-inch naval round equipped with a mechanical time fuse.

Marines also supported the identification, evacuation planning and disposal of a 1,000-pound U.S. bomb located near Rabaul Market, a heavily traveled public area.

Operation Render Safe demonstrated that forward presence provides value beyond combat training. By working with multinational teams and local communities to remove unexploded ordnance, MRF-D 26 strengthened relationships, improved community safety and showed how combined forces can apply their capabilities to practical regional challenges.

Meanwhile, MRF-D 26 joined the Australian Army’s 1st Brigade and the Philippine Army’s 1st Brigade Combat Team for Exercise Predators Run 26, held July 20 through Aug. 7 in the Townsville Field Training Area. The trilateral exercise integrated U.S., Australian and Philippine forces under a unified command structure for platoon-level training, force-on-force maneuvers and a combined defensive live-fire scenario.

During Predators Run, Marines employed multiple organic unmanned aircraft systems to expand logistics, medical support and ground-combat capabilities. Marines with Combat Logistics Battalion 5 used a tactical resupply unmanned aircraft system to transport temperature-controlled simulated blood more than 2 kilometers to the task force’s primary medical facility while working alongside Australian Army medical personnel.

The task force also employed first-person-view drones during a simulated platoon attack, demonstrating how it can integrate emerging capabilities into distributed operations.

The unmanned aircraft systems showed how a stand-in force can sustain and protect itself while operating across dispersed terrain. Delivering simulated blood by unmanned aircraft reduced the burden on ground convoys and extended medical support, while the ground-combat employment of unmanned systems gave Marines another tool for reconnaissance and precision effects.

In early August, Marines and Australian Sailors conducted Exercise Capital Reach during a combined maritime transit from Townsville to Darwin aboard the Royal Australian Navy flagship HMAS Canberra. Marines and Sailors lived, planned and operated side by side aboard the landing helicopter dock.

VMM-268 (Rein.) conducted MV-22B Osprey deck landing qualifications, while Royal Australian Navy mechanized landing craft transported Marine Corps Joint Light Tactical Vehicles and Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacements from Canberra’s well deck to shore.

“Australia’s alliance with the United States is our most important defence relationship, underpinned by deep levels of cooperation through training, exercises and operations. By operating together, we strengthen our ability to respond,” said Capt. David McPherson, commanding officer of HMAS Canberra. “This exercise demonstrates the high level of trust and interoperability between our two nations.”

Capital Reach showed how the Australia-U.S. alliance can turn maritime access into operational advantage. By operating from an Australian amphibious ship and moving Marine aviation, personnel and ground equipment from sea to shore, the combined force demonstrated another option for distributing forces, sustaining them in austere locations and responding where land-based infrastructure may be limited or unavailable.

The rotation shifted to Indonesia in mid-August. Marines with Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, conducted an annual platoon exchange with Indonesian marines from 7th Infantry Battalion, 4th Brigade, near Lampung from Aug. 12 through 28.

Marines from both nations trained in tactical combat casualty care, jungle and urban operations, marksmanship and communications before integrated squads applied their shared procedures during a two-day full-mission-profile exercise.

That foundation carried into Exercise Super Garuda Shield 26, which ran Aug. 31 through Sept. 11 across Sumatra and Java. Approximately 230 Marines and Sailors joined Indonesian and multinational partners for combined-arms live fire, jungle operations, small-unit tactics, force-on-force training and subject-matter expert exchanges.

Logistics Marines also conducted water-purification and engineering civic-action projects.

The rotation concluded its major public engagements in Melbourne from Sept. 6 through 11, when MRF-D SPMAGTF and the Australian Defence Force participated in community and ceremonial events surrounding the first regular-season National Football League game played in Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Marines supported a youth flag football and science, technology, engineering and mathematics clinic; participated in a joint Taps ceremony at the Shrine of Remembrance; and joined Australian counterparts for a combined color guard, 75-flag-holder detail and aviation flyover during the game’s opening ceremony.

MRF-D 26 SPMAGTF leaves the Indo-Pacific with a stronger network of allies, partners and communities connected by shared experience, proven procedures and mutual trust.

As the first MRF-D certified as an SPMAGTF, MRF-D 26 demonstrated the value of a forward-postured stand-in force. Marines and Sailors integrated with allied and partner formations at every level, leveraged shared maritime, airlift, logistics and medical capabilities, and remained prepared to respond to crisis across the region.

The MRF-D 26 SPMAGTF demonstrated the ability inherent in any USMC MAGTF to response rapidly, communicate effectively, sustain operations in austere locations and do so as the best of teammates alongside allies and partners.

For more information, contact Marine Rotational Force-Darwin Communication Strategy and Operations at MRFDmedia@usmc.mil.

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