About 200 Hawaii Marines will leave in several days to be the first to serve on rotational deployments to Australia that were announced by President Barack Obama in November.
That rotational force — to be drawn from across the Marine Corps — is expected to reach 2,500 in Australia in coming years as the U.S. seeks to maintain a forward-based military presence across the Asia-Pacific region.
"As of today’s deal, U.S. Marines will be for the first time conducting exercises by themselves on Australian soil," Obama said Nov. 16.
The six-month deployment by Fox Company of the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment to Robertson Barracks in Darwin, Australia, on the country’s north coast, comes at a time of renewed U.S. emphasis on the Pacific, a realignment of Marine Corps forces in the region, and as a drawdown of troops in Afghanistan is under way.
The 2nd Battalion’s 1,000 Marines were training for what was expected until recently to be a late April/early May deployment to Helmand province in southern Afghanistan, but the bulk of the battalion might go to Okinawa instead.
"I can say that 2/3 (2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment) is still engaged in pre-deployment training, and they are basically preparing for what comes next," said Marine Corps Base Hawaii spokesman Maj. Alan Crouch.
The Marine Corps Times reported that most of the Hawaii-based battalion will deploy to Okinawa as the Corps restarts its Unit Deployment Program, or UDP, to Japan.
Hawaii infantry Marines routinely deployed to Japan for six months before war needs in Iraq and Afghanistan put a stop to the practice.
"All I can confirm right now is that the (approximately 200) Hawaii Marines will go directly to Australia," said Capt. Gregory Wolf, a Marine Corps spokesman at the Pentagon.
"I have to hold off on commenting on UDP as the timing and mechanics are still being worked out," Wolf added.
Kaneohe Bay’s three infantry battalions have been on rotating duty to Afghanistan for several years, with one Hawaii unit usually replacing another in the country.
However, Maj. Gen. John Toolan, who commanded Marines in Helmand province, said earlier this month that the number of Marines was likely to drop by 8,000 to 10,000 from 17,500 by the end of September, The Associated Press reported.
Lt. Col. Curtis Hill, a spokesman for Marine Forces Pacific at Camp Smith, said the Hawaii Marines will leave for the six-month Australia deployment the first week of April as part of what’s being called the Southeast Asia Rotational Force.
"Over time the rotational force will increase in size, and it will increase in the duration that they are there," Hill said.
As the mission increases, it will be "globally sourced" within the Corps, he said.
"It just so happens that the globally sourced unit for Phase 1 is Fox Company, 2/3 out of Hawaii," Hill said. "That doesn’t necessarily mean that future units will come from Hawaii. It doesn’t mean they won’t, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that they will."
The Hawaii Marines are expected to do some individual training, including rifle range practice, when they arrive in Australia.
"Then they are actually going to deploy further," Hill said. "They are going to go out and do some exercises and theater security cooperation-type engagement. We’re still working through the specifics of that."
The Marines will return to Darwin in July and conduct bilateral training with the Australian Defense Force, Hill said.
He added that it may take four to five years to get to the point where 2,500 Marines are on rotational duty in Australia.
The Marine Corps also is looking at moving 8,000 Marines out of Okinawa, with about half going to Guam, some to Australia and 1,000 to Hawaii, said U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii.
