12th Marine Regiment.The 12th Marine Regiment, the Marine Corps' forward-deployed artillery regiment, is headquartered on Okinawa Okinawa (ō'kĭnä`wä), island (1990 pop. 1,222,458), 454 sq mi (1,176 sq km), W Pacific Ocean, SW of Kyushu; a part of Okinawa prefecture, Japan. It is the largest of the Okinawa Islands in the Ryukyu Islands archipelago. Naha is the largest city and chief port., Japan, with one battalion in Okinawa and one in Hawaii. This year, elements of the 12th Marines marines, troops that serve on board ships of war or in conjunction with naval operation. A British marine corps was established in 1664, and the need for skilled riflemen aboard military vessels brought about intermittent renewal of this organization. In 1775 the Continental Congress established the Continental Marines in the American Revolution, and after this organization had disappeared with the end of the war, the U.S. trained on mainland Japan, 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 (COC) 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 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 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 TPQ - Target Pre-Fetch Queue TPQ - Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico (Airport Code) TPQ - Terminus Post Quem (archaeology) TPQ - Threshold Planning Quantity-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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