3rd Battalion, 12th Marines

The battalion is stationed at Camp Foster, Okinawa, Japan, and its primary weapon systems are the M777 lightweight howitzer with a maximum effective range of 30 km, along with the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS).

Provide direct support of the 3rd Marine Division in time of conflict.

They also have the secondary mission of being the primary providers of civil-military operations (CMO).

CMO is defined as the activities of the commander that establish, maintain, influence, or exploit relations between military organizations, Government and civilian organizations and the civilian populace.

Deployed during January - February 1943 to Auckland, New Zealand Participated in the following World War II Campaigns Bougainville Northern Solomons Guam Iwo Jima Deactivated 28 December 1945 Reactivated 7 January 1952 at Camp Pendleton, California, as the 3rd Marine Division Redeployed during August 1953 to Camp Gifu, Japan Redeployed during February 1956 to Camp Courtney, Okinawa Redeployed during April - May 1965 to the Republic of Vietnam Participated in the war in Vietnam, April 1965 - November 1969, operating from Quang Tri Province Quang Nam Province Thua Thien Province Redeployed during November 1969 to Camp Courtney, Okinawa Elements participated in evacuation operations in Vietnam and Cambodia, March - May 1975 India Btry 3/12 deployed and placed in reserve during the Mayaguez Incident May '75 Elements participated in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, Southwest Asia, 1990–1991 Elements participated in Operations Sea Angel, Bangladesh, May - June 1991 Elements Participated in Operation Fiery Vigil, Republic of the Philippines, June - July 1991 Elements participated in Operation Enduring Freedom, Afghanistan and Philippines, 2001 into 2009 Elements participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom, Iraq, 2003 into 2007 Elements participated in Operation Unified Assistance, Southeast Asia, December 2004 - February 2005 Elements participated in humanitarian relief efforts, Philippines, February - March 2006 Elements participated in Operation Enduring Freedom, Afghanistan, 2010 [1]

U.S. Marine Corps High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems with 3d Battalion, 12th Marines, 3d Marine Division, and U.S. Army HIMARS with Alpha Battery, 1st Battalion, 94th Field Artillery Regiment, 12th Field Artillery Brigade, fire H185 RRPRS during Exercise Talisman Sabre 21 on Shoalwater Bay Training Area, Queensland, Australia, July 18, 2021. TS21, the ninth iteration and conducted since 2005, occurs biennially across Northern Australia. Australian, U.S. and other multinational partner forces use Talisman Sabre to enhance interoperability by training in complex, multi-domain operations scenarios that address the full range of Indo-Pacific security concerns. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Ujian Gosun)
A 3rd Battalion, 12th Marines gun crew during a training exercise in 2013