Commanded by the Deputy MEF Commander, a brigadier general, with its headquarters at Camp Courtney, 3D Marine Expeditionary Brigade is the most flexible of the three Marine Air Ground Task Forces making it the crisis response force of choice in the Asia-Pacific region.
The MEB is a force in readiness able to deploy rapidly and conduct missions across the spectrum of military operations; ranging from humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to a kinetic forcible entry amphibious assault.
3D MEB maintains a forward presence in the Pacific Theater to support contingencies and alliance relationships. 3D MEB also conducts combined operations and training throughout the region in support of the United States national security strategy. While many of the training exercises that the MEB conducts have a bilateral military piece, they also provide medical support and engineering capabilities to the host nation. These services allow the MEB to better hone its wide skill set while strengthening relationships and helping those in need.
The 3D MEB includes a ground combat element consisting of a reinforced infantry regiment, an aviation combat element consisting of a composite aviation group, and a logistics combat element consisting of a combat logistics regiment. The MEB is a scalable force that the commander can adjust to meet the specific needs of the mission. As history has proven countless times in the Pacific, no mission is the same, so it is important to be able to tailor the subordinate commands to achieve maximum efficiency and effectiveness.
The MEB can marry up a maritime prepositioning squadron and facilitate expansion to a larger MEF-size force or form the command element of a joint task force headquarters to support an operation that requires assets that the Marine Corps does not possess. When a mission in the Asia-Pacific region requires a large MAGTF, but doesn’t require the full force of the III Marine Expeditionary Force, 3D MEB gets the call.