12th Marine Regiment.The 12th Marine Regiment, the Marine Corps' forward-deployed artillery regiment, is headquartered on Okinawa, Japan, with one battalion in Okinawa and one in Hawaii. This year, elements of the 12th Marines trained on mainland Japan Mainland Japan (Japanese: 内地 naichi, lit. "inner lands") is an uncommon term to distinguish the area of Japan from Okinawa and Hokkaidō and the colonies that Japan used to possess in East Asia. , in Okinawa, Hawaii, South Korea and Thailand. In January, the 12th Marines participated in Pacific Impact 2000, a division-level command post field exercise in Okinawa's Central Training Area. During this exercise, the 12th Marines' combat operations center The facility or location on an installation, base, or facility used by the commander to command, control, and coordinate all crisis activities. See also base defense operations center; command center. (COC See chip on chip. ) practiced its role as the alternate division command post. Both 1/12 and 3/12 were found to be mission capable and combat ready as each battalion underwent a Marine Corps combat readiness Synonymous with operational readiness, with respect to missions or functions performed in combat. evaluation (MCCRE MCCRE Marine Corps Combat Readiness Evaluation ). In addition to the MCCRE, 1/12 participated in two battalion-level operations in Hawaii as part of the 3d Marines during combined arms operations in January and October. The battalion also conducted a DESFIREX DESFIREX Desert Firing Exercise at Twentynine Palms in April. The 12th Marines' COC, 1/12's FDC FDC - Floppy Disk Controller and 3/12 deployed to the Fuji Maneuver Area in September for an artillery live-fire exercise, and 3/12 deployed earlier to Camp Fuji in April as part of a combined live-fire exercise in support of the 4th Marines. In 1997, all artillery live-fire training was relocated from Okinawa to mainland Japan. The Government of Japan finances four annual artillery relocation exercises. The 3d Marine Division pays for additional training. This year, Okinawa-based batteries assigned to the 12th Marines deployed to mainland Japan eight times for live-fire training, and a battery deployed to Thailand to participate in exercise Cobra Gold 2000. This was the second time that Marine artillery fired in Thailand in several years. All counterbattery radars are now consolidated with the regimental headquarters on Okinawa. AN/TPQ-46 Fire-finder Version 8 was fielded throughout the regiment to enhance its counterfire capability. At least one radar section is deployed in every mainland Japan live-fire exercise. Forward deployed and on the go in the Pacific Theater, the 12th Marines remain America's Thunder and Steel! |
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