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NEWS | Feb. 4, 2025

3rd MLG CG Completes JGSDF, ROK Visits Ahead of Bilateral Exercises

By Gunnery Sgt. Jonathan Wright, 3rd Marine Logistics Group

Brigadier General Kevin Collins, the commanding general of 3rd Marine Logistics Group, completed today a multinational visit of U.S., Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, and Republic of Korea self-defense and military commands ahead of scheduled bilateral exercises in Japan and Korea, Jan. 27 through Feb. 4, 2025.

With multiple bilateral exercises on the horizon for 3rd MLG, Collins and his command staff visited multiple units to better understand their capabilities and to discuss better integration with the MLG for upcoming bilateral exercises and preparedness training for any humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations. As the logistics arm of III Marine Expeditionary Force, 3rd MLG’s understanding of the housing and distribution of allied forces’ equipment and how to further train the blending of respective countries’ logistics systems is crucial for supporting the Marine Corps mission in the Pacific, in either contested environments or areas impacted by natural disasters.

In Japan, Collins met with the director of logistics for the Western Army at Camp Kengun in Kumamoto, followed by a tour of the Kyushu District Depot and its Western Army Logistics Support Unit, visits timed concurrently with planning conferences about the upcoming exercise Resolute Dragon, a training evolution hosted by III MEF and the Western Army that rehearses operations over maritime terrain to strengthen bilateral command, control, and multi-domain maneuver capabilities. Additionally, he visited 3rd MLG Marines stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni and Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka, as the MLG has personnel dispersed across mainland Japan and Okinawa as logistical liaisons at sister units. Further, he toured U.S. ordnance and other supply facilities at MCAS Iwakuni, the Kure Ammunition Depot, and Yokohama North Dock on CFAY.

In Korea, Collins met with both U.S. and ROK leadership at United States Forces Korea before visiting Marine Corps Forces, Korea, where they discussed the upcoming Korea Theater of Operations training package, which includes exercises Freedom Banner, Freedom Shield, and the Korean Marine Exchange Program. Freedom Banner is the maritime offload, dispersal, and retrograde of equipment in support of follow-on training events; Freedom Shield strengthens the combined defensive capabilities of both countries’ armed forces in a changing security environment; and KMEP focuses on bolstering ROK and U.S. Marine Corps interoperability as a unified, regional littoral force.

With these shared exercises ahead of 3rd MLG, such command visits and planning iterations further codifies the alliances built upon by previous training events. 3rd MLG is focused on enhancing cooperation with partner nations, strengthening partnerships, and demonstrating its role as a critical element in maintaining a ready and capable force to deter adversary actions to support a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

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