Welcome: 12 MLR

[daftandbarmy]

The new-ish kids on the Littoral block...

The #MarineCorps will redesignate the 12th Marine Regiment as the 12th Marine Littoral Regiment (MLR) on Nov. 15, 2023.

The redesignation marks the next historic chapter in the Corps’ commitment to designing a force that can respond effectively to the challenges of the contemporary global security environment and serves as a testament to the regiment's role in the Corps' global employment.

The Marines and Sailors of 12th MLR will bolster deterrence and provide a stand-in force that is able to defend Japan and quickly respond to contingencies.

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[ArmyRick]

Cool. Anybody here got more ingo about what a Marine Littoral Regiment is? Wikipedia is limited.

 

[Kirkhill]

If you haven't seen this it is a handy place to start.

Marine Littoral Regiment (MLR)

A Marine Littoral Regiment will be a self-deployable, multi-domain force optimized for the contact and blunt layers. It will persistently operate across the competition continuum to support the Joint

www.marines.mil

I continue to see the MLR structure as a useful alternate construct for the Canadian Forces - both domestically and for expeditions.

The MLR will employ three subordinate elements:

• a Littoral Combat Team

• a Littoral Anti-Air Battalion

• a Combat Logistics Battalion

The LCT will be task organized around an infantry battalion along with an anti-ship missile battery. It is designed to provide the basis for employing multiple platoon-reinforced-size expeditionary advanced base sites that can host and enable a variety of missions such as long-range anti-ship fires, forward arming and refueling of aircraft, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance of key maritime terrain, and air-defense and early warning.

The Littoral Anti-Air Battalion is designed to provide air defense, air surveillance and early warning, air control, and forward rearming and refueling capabilities.

The Combat Logistics Battalion provides tactical logistics support to the MLR by resupplying expeditionary advanced base sites, managing cache sites, and connecting to higher-level logistics providers. It provides expanded purchasing authorities, limited Role II medical forces, distribution of ammunition and fuel, and field level maintenance.

The MLR commands and controls these subordinate organizations via a robust regimental headquarters with enhanced signals and human intelligence, reconnaissance, communications, logistics planning, civil affairs, cyber, and information operations capabilities.

The final design of the MLR is still being developed and thus the specific number and Marines and Sailors has not been determined. The approximate size of the MLR is anticipated to be between 1,800 – 2,000 Marines and Sailors. By comparison, 3rd Marines (with three infantry battalions, a Combat Assault Company, and regimental headquarters) has approximately 3,400 Marine and Sailors.

 

[Kirkhill]

Cool. Anybody here got more ingo about what a Marine Littoral Regiment is? Wikipedia is limited.

Further to:

New in 2024: Marines build 3rd Littoral Regiment to fight peer threats

 

[GR66]

If you haven't seen this it is a handy place to start.

Marine Littoral Regiment (MLR)

A Marine Littoral Regiment will be a self-deployable, multi-domain force optimized for the contact and blunt layers. It will persistently operate across the competition continuum to support the Joint

www.marines.mil

I continue to see the MLR structure as a useful alternate construct for the Canadian Forces - both domestically and for expeditions.

I'd argue that an MLR-like structure would be well suited for Arctic operations. Designed for dispersed operations. Robust logistics support including air control and refuelling capabilities. Both AD and SSM capabilities. Strong Recce element, etc. All the things you'd need for deploying to the far North. Same structure would be useful for areas like the Nordic coastal areas, Svalbard, Iceland, Greenland or the Pacific Islands.

 

[Kirkhill]

And - apparently the NMESIS Battery incorporated in the MLR's Littoral Combat Team with the infantry battalion comprises 18 launcher vehicles, each unmanned and each loaded with 2 NSM missiles.

US Marines Conduct First NMESIS Launch in Two Years - Naval News

US Marines from the 2nd Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment carried out the first test firing of NMESIS in two years from Point Mugu.

www.navalnews.com

NMESIS batteries are composed of 18 launchers which are separated into two platoons of nine launchers each. The platoons are further subdivided into three sections of three launchers each. The USMC plans to field 14 batteries of which three batteries will be deployed to MLRs while 11 will be deployed to the CONUS in support of rotational MEU deployments.

 

[GR66]

And - apparently the NMESIS Battery incorporated in the MLR's Littoral Combat Team with the infantry battalion comprises 18 launcher vehicles, each unmanned and each loaded with 2 NSM missiles.

View attachment 82796

US Marines Conduct First NMESIS Launch in Two Years - Naval News

US Marines from the 2nd Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment carried out the first test firing of NMESIS in two years from Point Mugu.

www.navalnews.com

Mount it on a BvS10?

 

[Kirkhill]

Curiosity about the 3rd Light Anti Aircraft Battalion yielded this:

DVIDS - Graphics

3rd LAAB HQ

H&S Battery

GBAD Battery with
4x GBAD Platoons

AC (Air Control?) Battery with
2x AC Platoons
1x FAD Platoon
1x Sensor Platoon

What is an FAD Platoon?

There was some references to Reapers.

This video seems to show elements of the MADIS system being delivered along with some Stinger ManPADS.

DVIDS - Video - What is 3d Laab?

MADIS

 

[Kirkhill]

The Reapers are separate from the LAAB?

First Marine Corps MQ-9A Reaper Squadron Now Operational - USNI News

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Sounds like they are a protection force for the anti-shipping missiles and sensors. Designed to grab surface terrain in the form of island hopping and denying the adjacent seas to any enemy shipping?

 

[KevinB]

I have not seen an updated version

https://www.marines.mil/portals/1/Publications/MCTP%203-20C%20GN.pdf?ver=2019-01-31-114859-677

@Kirkhill I think that is forward air defense platoon

 

[Kirkhill]

Sounds like they are a protection force for the anti-shipping missiles and sensors. Designed to grab surface terrain in the form of island hopping and denying the adjacent seas to any enemy shipping?

Find a rock. Describe a 250 km circle around it. Hang on.

 

[brihard]

Sounds like they are a protection force for the anti-shipping missiles and sensors. Designed to grab surface terrain in the form of island hopping and denying the adjacent seas to any enemy shipping?

Yeah, that’s the sense I got too. Missile bubbles with organic force protection.

 

[Kirkhill]

Further to... per December 2022 staff proposal

It Will Take More Than an MLR to Fight a Maritime Insurgency | Proceedings - December 2022 Vol. 148/12/1,438

Integral to the MLR - LRUSV (Long Range Uncrewed Surface Vessel - fitted with 8x Hero-120 LAMs (Loitering Attack Munitions)

The U.S. Marine Corps demonstrated the LRUSV unmanned surface vessel for the first time - Militarnyi

(HERO-120) has a maximum range of 37 miles (60 kilometers) and can stay aloft for around 60 minutes and can attack land and sea targets with its 10 pounds (4.5 kilogram) warhead.

 

[Kirkhill]

And still more...

Given the date of this publication (May 2022 - 3 months into the Ukraine war and 21 months ago) it is likely that a lot of the blanks have been filled in since the report was published.

https://www.marines.mil/Portals/1/Docs/Force_Design_2030_Annual_Update_May_2022.pdf

Re MLR

Working on it....




Re fire support

7x Cannon Batteries (155mm M777s?)
7x Rocket Batteries (HIMARS)
14x Missile Batteries (Tomahawk-SM6-NSM?)



Commentary - The problem with retaining only 5 (or possibly 7) active Marine Corps cannon artillery batteries

Re Infantry



Re Logistics



Re Mortars

 

[Kirkhill]

From the June 2023 update

https://www.marines.mil/Portals/1/Docs/Force_Design_2030_Annual_Update_June_2023.pdf

811 Marines per battalion
Moving too slow on Organic Precision Fires - Especially LAMs.





Robotics



Go faster...



Max Flex

 

[FJAG]

Here's an article providing a bit more info on the 811-man battalion. Note:

• Removal of the assistant squad leader and one rifleman from each squad. The squad now contains 13 Marines instead of the previously configured 15 Marines.

 

[Kirkhill]

Here's an article providing a bit more info on the 811-man battalion. Note:

That was a long way round for a short-cut.

 

[Kirkhill]

Here's an article providing a bit more info on the 811-man battalion. Note:

From the above Sept 2023 article....

This combination gives the company a 50 km reach for organic fires. Previously that range stood at 3.4 km with the 60 mm mortar. And the 60 mm mortars remain in the company, spokesman Maj. Eric Flanagan told Marine Corps Times.

A 50 km company.....

 

[daftandbarmy]

From the above Sept 2023 article....



A 50 km company.....

With some cool new radios...

Marine Corps plans to upgrade 50,000 radios across the force​

The Marine Corps intends to upgrade 50,000 radios with new multi-channel, software-defined models that will be more resistant to adversary threats.

The capabilities are being modernized with NSA cryptographic standards, which the agency is mandating across the Department of Defense.

Marine Corps System Command has already fielded over 4,000 of the platforms since October 2023, with tentative plans to complete fielding of new radios and upgrading existing systems in fiscal 2025, according to a spokesperson.

The tools will be issued to units throughout the Marine Air Ground Task Force and supporting organizations. The spokesperson said the technologies will initially be fielded according to current tables of equipment reflected in the Total Force Structure Management System. Replacement is being prioritized for units that possess radios that can’t accommodate required updates.

Software-defined capabilities allow for them to be rapidly updated, enabling forces to keep pace with current threats.

“The closest analogy to our current transition in radio technology is akin to moving from the era of flip phones to the advanced world of smartphones,” Richard Sessions, program manager for Communications Systems, said in a statement. “In the past, we were limited to purchasing radios with fixed capabilities and had to replace them with newer models as technology evolved. Now, we’re shifting towards acquiring highly adaptable hardware radios that are not just modular but also capable of supporting new waveforms, marking a significant milestone in our communication capabilities.”

Moreover, the Marines say that not making these updates would result in the systems becoming obsolete in the future.

“These systems offer upgrades to current tactical radios operating in a broad range of the ground and air communication spectrum,” the spokesperson said. “The flexibility offered by software defined radios allow easier upgrades through product improvements and hosting of a wider range of capabilities. These radios now offer enhanced situational awareness, communications network resiliency, improved size, weight, and power attributes, and increase overall effectiveness.”

According to the Corps, these upgrades are also in accordance with Force Design, the service’s broad modernization effort to ensure it stays ahead of rapidly evolving threats.

Marine Corps plans to upgrade 50,000 radios across the force | DefenseScoop