Fleet Marine Force Pacific's major formation tasked with Korean contingencies is III Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF), headquartered on Okinawa. III MEF controls the 3rd Marine Division, 1st Marine Air Wing (discussed in the Air Picture segment of this article), and 3rd Force Service Support Group. The division's main strength is in two infantry regiments (4th and 9th Marines) with three rifle battalions each (although two battalions of the 4th are reduced to cadre), and an artillery regiment (12th Marines). The 12th has two battalions of 24 x 155mm towed howitzers each: 2/12, which supports the 9th Marines, and 3/12, which supports the 4th Marines. These battalions also have 105mm howitzers available for optional use. The regiment also has a general support battalion with 18 x 155mm towed howitzers (4/ 12).
Divisional troops include the 1st Armored Assault Battalion with about 100 x LVTP-7 armored amphibians 28 x MlAl tanks and a LAV company, 3rd Engineer Battalion, and 3rd Recon Battalion. On Okinawa, the headquarters for deployments involving less than the full division is 9th Marine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB).
Also part of the division is the 1st MEB, stationed at Kaneohe, Hawaii. Ground elements of the 1st MEB include the 3rd Marine Regiment (infantry), the 1st Battalion/12th Marines (24 x 155mm), a recon company, and a couple of LVTP-7 platoons. The 1st MEB has a full set of equipment prepositioned. in ships which are stationed around Guam in peace time.
During a crisis, the preposition ships sail to a port near an airfield while the brigade personnel fly in to rendezvous with the equipment. The procedure is fast, but requires a secure link-up location. The remainder of the division must use amphibious shipping to deploy, which means that one MEB can move out with normally available assets , but delays would be involved to gather up the ships for a larger effort.
The division also has elements based at Twenty-nine Palms, California, including the 3rd Tank Battalion with 44xM-1A1 tanks, and the 3rd Light Armored Infantry Battalion (LAI). The 3rd LAI Battalion uses 8-wheeled APCs in several variants, including: 56 x squad carriers with 25mm chain gun, 16 x logistics vehicles, 8 x command versions, 16 x TOW-armed anti-tank models, 6 x recovery vehicles, and 8 x 81mm mortar carriers. All of these LAVs are transportable by CH-53E helicopter. In the future, air defense vehicles will be added.
Marines are habitually organized for operations with combined arms and aviation assets in Marine Air-Ground Task Forces. The largest of these is the Marine Expeditionary Force, which is a division/wing team. The Marine Expeditionary Brigade is built around a regimental landing team with supporting arms and a composite air group. The Marine Expeditionary Unit is formed from a battalion landing team with supporting arms and a composite air squadron.
The basic combat unit, the Marine infantry battalion, holds 24 x Dragon ATGM launchers, 8 x 81mm mortars, 8 x 40mm Mk-19 auto grenade launchers, 8 x.50 cal. machineguns, 18 x SMAW assault weapons ("bunker busters"), 9 x 60mm mortars, 35 x 7.62mm M-60 machineguns, 81 x M-249 squad automatic weapons, 216 x M-16 assault rifles (in the hands of riflemen) and a further 81 x M-16s with M- 203 grenade launchers. About 27 of the riflemen would be assigned AT- 4 antitank launchers. One battalion each in the 4th and 9th Marines has been reinforced with a fourth rifle company. In each regiment there are 24 TOW ATGMs at regimental HQ.
The Marine Corps' formidable array of air and ground weapons is matched by the superb training and motivation of its personnel. Its high state of readiness and strategic mobility make it a valuable "fire brigade", and its new developments in amphibious warfare (air cushion vehicles and the tilt-rotor aircraft) will keep it a viable intervention force for decades to come.
The Units of Korea'95 The Next War in Korea
- South Korean Organization
North Korean Organization
US Army
US Marines
The Air Picture (North and South)
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