The Corps has identified the third group of Marines to head to Australia for a six month deployment.
In mid-April, about 1,170 California- and Hawaii-based Marines will deploy Down Under. They'll form spend six months as Marine Rotational Force-Darwin, and will training alongside the Australian army in the Northern Territory.
Units include 1st Battalion, 4th Marines and and a detachment from Combat Logistics Battalion 1 from Camp Pendleton, California, as well as Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 463 from Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, said 2nd Lt. Natalie Poggemeyer, a spokeswoman for Marine Corps Forces Pacific. It's the second time that HMH-463 will be a part of the rotation — the squadron was the Corps' first aviation unit to deploy to Darwin during last year's rotation.
The makeup of this year's rotation mirrors that of last year, with an infantry battalion accompanied by four CH-53E Super Stallions and a combat logistics battalion. This rotation includes roughly 20 more personnel than the 2014 rotation.
President Barack Obama said in 2013 that he hoped to send 2,500 Marines — a full Marine air-ground task force — to Australia during the 2016-2017 timeframe, according to a Defense Department news release. The rotational deployments are is a part of a larger effort to build better relationships and interoperability with nations in the Asia-Pacific region nations as the military shifts its focus to puts a greater emphasis on that part of the world. Asia-Pacific
Future MRF-Darwin deployments will still be based in Australia, but are expected to train with other militaries in the region.
Col. Brad Bartelt, a spokesman for MARFORPAC, said the timeline for placing a full MAGTF in Australia is still evolving. There is no set date for when a MAGTF will begin deploying to Australia.
"In 2014, after agreement between the governments of Australia and the United States, the MRF-D rotation was increased to approximately 1,150 personnel, and included the deployment of helicopters, giving the rotation a MAGTF capability," Bartelt said. "This year's rotation is approximately the same composition. The Marine Corps continues to work with our Australian hosts on how best to increase the size of the force to an eventually 2,500-strong MAGTF."
Poggemeyer said officials are still finalizing details about the exercises MRF-Darwin will participate in this year. Aside from standard military training, Marines who've deployed to Darwin in the past have participated in Australian army leadership development programs and took part in community outreach efforts.
Last year's rotation ended in October, and when 1st Battalion, 5th Marines returned to Camp Pendleton. Lt. Col. Keven Matthews, the unit's commanding officer, said his his Marines built strong relationships with their Australian counterparts and made good impressions with the locals in Darwin. Their top accomplishment, he said, was laying the groundwork for larger rotations.
As the Corps expands nhances its footprint in Australia, it is also working on a seabasing plan in order to send Darwin Marines to other locations in the region. These operations will could involve an assortment of Navy vessels, including surface combatants and cargo and supply ships.
