VMM-363 return to Australia for MRF-D 25-3.
Marine Tilt Rotor Squadron 363 (Reinforced) return to Darwin as the Air Combat Element for this years Marine Rotational Force-Darwin.
Article: Jaryd Stock
Images: Ryan Imeson, MRF-D
Video: VMM-363 training onboard Landing Helicopter Dock, HMAS Canberra.
Marine Rotational Force – Darwin (MRF-D) 25.3 has commenced its 14th iteration, projecting its operational reach well beyond northern Australia. While most of the force has successfully closed in on Darwin and operating from RAAF Base Darwin and Australian Army’s Robertson Barracks, a portion of the ground combat element have deployed directly from Camp Pendleton, California, to the Philippines to train with the Philippine Marine Corps’ (PMC) 1st Marine Brigade in Mindanao.
This staggered deployment demonstrates MRF-D’s ability as a forward-deployed Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) to rapidly manoeuvre and execute operations across the Indo-Pacific region with key allies and partners.
With forces operating in both Australia and the Philippines, the MAGTF maintains command and control over multiple training events across thousands of miles of ocean, strengthening alliances and enhancing collective regional security.
“Our ability to deploy and integrate forces to multiple locations at once is a testament to the flexibility and adaptability of the MAGTF,” said Col. Jason C. Armas, commanding officer of the MRF-D 25.3 MAGTF. “We are simultaneously enhancing capabilities with our allies and partners while demonstrating our unwavering commitment to regional stability and security.”
Approximately 2,500 U.S. Marines and Sailors will be based for six months in Australia to train and operate alongside the Australian Defence Force. Together, they will conduct various exercises to enhance cooperation, readiness and regional security. The MAGTF’s arrival is assisted by a standing MRF-D Coordination Element in Darwin, part of the MRF-D program, to facilitate a smooth transition into training.
Video: Sister squadron to VMM-363, VMM-268 ACE for MRF-D 22, participates in AWIC 2022.
Last week MRF-D Marines offload MV-22B Ospreys assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 363 Reinforced (VMM-363), at Port Darwin, in the Northern Territory, Australia on April 7, 2025. 
VMM-363 are nicknamed the “Lucky Red Lions” and are home based at Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii and will make up the umbrella squadron for this years Air Combat Element or ACE.
The Osprey’s were transported by ship to Darwin which makes the deployment easier than to conduct a ferry flight assisted with air to air refuelling from U.S. Marine KC-130J’s or U.S. Air Force tankers.
It’s expected that other elements from 1st Marine Air Wing headquartered in Japan will also add to the MRF-D ACE for 2025 with VMGR-152 “Sumo’s” from MCAS Iwakuni which operate the KC-130J Hercules will also send a detachment of aircraft and personnel to Darwin to provide logistical support for the full MAGTF.
At time of writing article, It’s not known at this stage if USMC F-35B Lightning’s will also deploy to Australia for this years MRF-D ACE. If a Detachment do come to the Top End they will most likely deploy to Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Base Tindal to train along side RAAF No.75 Squadron based there, and with Tindal being a logistical hub and supply chain network for the F-35.
Back in the Phillipines, U.S. Marines with 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, MRF-D 25.3, commenced Marine Exercise Philippines (MAREX) 25, a bilateral exercise designed to further improve small unit tactics and combined arms capabilities in a realistic jungle training environment.
MAREX 25 is just the beginning of a series of planned training between MRF-D 25.3 Marines, PMC and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), all happening simultaneously with major training events in Australia, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea and Malaysia.
“It has been a great experience building upon the already close relationship we have with the Philippine Marine Corps,” said Capt. Carter Collins, a company commander with 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment. “We cherish every opportunity to train with our PMC partners, and being able to do so in this environment with the people who know it best makes us all more capable moving forward.”
MAREX 25 includes subject matter expert exchanges, combat marksmanship training, jungle survival instruction and opportunities for U.S. and Philippine Marines to engage with local communities in Mindanao.
The exercise will culminate in the execution of a full mission profile- a realistic, end-to-end training scenario replicating all phases of a military operation. It is designed to closely simulate the conditions Marines might face in real world combat environments. Successfully completing this full mission profile alongside the PMC will ensure combined readiness across a broad range of future potential missions.
VMM-363 on display at the 2022 Pacific Airshow Gold Coast.
Meanwhile in Darwin, the remainder of the MAGTF is preparing for a series of multinational exercises across the Pacific. At the forefront is Balikatan 25, where MRF-D Marines and Sailors will train alongside joint U.S. military forces, the Australian Defence Force, AFP and Japan Ground Self Defense Force. At the joint level, the MRF-D MAGTF will train alongside the U.S. Army’s 1st Multi-Domain Task Force during a counter-landing live fire event at Palawan, Philippines.
Concurrently with Balikatan, members of Combat Logistics Battalion 1, the MAGTF’s logistics combat element, will rehearse humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR) operations in New Caledonia and Wallis and Fortuna alongside the 9th Mission Support Command, U.S. Army Pacific, and the Armed Forces in New Caledonia.
Around 2,250 kilometres to the north east, CLB-1 will also conduct a technical reconnaissance operation in Papa New Guinea with the Australian Defence Force and other regional partners to locate and mark unexploded ordnance in the region for safe disposal while engaging with the local community.
The MRF-D 25.3 MAGTF command element is postured to command and control the force across the Indo-Pacific. With expanded operational reach and the ability to seamlessly transition the MAGTF between exercises with allies and partners, the MRF-D 25.3 MAGTF’s force closure marks the critical first step to a successful deployment in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific.
Jaryd Stock is based in Sydney Australia. He has been a die-hard aviation enthusiast from a young age when he was chauffeured around by his father to various airshows and airports around Australia. At his first Airshow he witnessed the awesomeness of a General Dynamics F-111C and immediately fell in love with aviation.
Jaryd picked up a camera at a young age and has never looked back. He now combines photography and writing to highlight “Downunder” aviation; especially U.S. DoD units. Jaryd uses Nikon cameras and lenses.