3rd Marine Logistics Group

3d Marine Logistics Group
3d Marine Logistics Group insignia
Active	28 October 2005–present
Country	United States
Allegiance	United States of America
Branch	United States Marine Corps
Type	Logistics
Role	Multi-faceted combat service support
Part of	III Marine Expeditionary Force
Garrison/HQ	Camp Smedley Butler, Okinawa, Japan
Engagements	Vietnam War Operation Desert Storm Operation Enduring Freedom
Commanders
Current commander	Brigadier General Tracy W. King
Notable commanders	BGen Niel "Rick" Nelson, Major General Peter J. Talleri

The 3d Marine Logistics Group (3d MLG) is a logistics unit of the United States Marine Corps and is headquartered at Camp Smedley Butler, Okinawa, Japan. 3d MLG was formerly the 3rd Force Service Support Group (3d FSSG), with official redesignation on 28 October 2005. They are the logistics combat element of III Marine Expeditionary Force.

The Group's mission is defined as:

• Provide responsive, quality logistics support to III MEF, other Marine, joint, and combined forces and federal agencies, as directed, through expeditionary means, forward basing, and global sourcing. A team with professional Marines, Sailors, and civilians committed to quality of life and stewardship of resources, fully mission-capable of providing quality logistics in the Western Pacific and responding to global sourcing requirements.

History

On 6 March 1976, the 3rd Force Service Support Regiment was redesignated 3rd Force Service Support Group (3d FSSG) as part of the implementation of new doctrine, organization and structure for combat service support in the Marine Corps. The Command consisted of Headquarters and Service Battalion, 3rd Materiel Readiness Battalion, headquartered at Camp Kinser; 3rd Dental Battalion and 3rd Transportation Support Battalion located at Camp Foster; 3rd Medical Battalion, 9th Engineer Support Battalion at Camp Hansen, Electronics Maintenance Company (ELMACO) located at Camp Kinser, with a detachment platoon at Camp Hansen; Combat Service Support Detachment 76 located at Camp Fuji, Japan; Combat Service Support Detachment 36 located at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan; and Combat Service Support Group 3, located at Marine Corps Base Hawaii.

In early-January 2005, elements of 3d FSSG rapidly deployed to Sri Lanka and Indonesia to support Operation Unified Assistance, the tsunami relief efforts. This was followed up with a deployment to Pakistan to aid in the relief efforts after the 2005 Kashmir earthquake that shook the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan on 8 October 2005, leaving almost 100,000 dead and nearly 3 million Pakistanis homeless. As the Pakistanis braced for the impending annual Himalayan winter, III Marine Expeditionary Force deployed elements of 3D MLG to form a humanitarian relief team, later named Combined Medical Relief Team-3 (CMRT-3) in support of Operation Lifeline, Pakistan.

CMRT-3, composed of more than 200 Marines and Sailors, set up a surgical hospital at the foothills of the Himalayan mountains of Pakistan and worked side-by-side with Pakistani military forces, NGOs, governmental agencies, and the UN to help save lives and assist in the recovery efforts. More than 25,000 Pakistanis were treated by CMRT-3 for medical emergencies through March 2006 when CMRT-3 redeployed back to Okinawa, Japan.

On 28 October 2005, the 3rd Force Service Support Group was officially redesignated the 3d Marine Logistics Group. The new designation is meant to signify enhanced logistical support capabilities across the Marine Air Ground Task Force.

Subordinate units today include:

• Headquarters Regiment
• Combat Logistics Regiment 3
• Combat Logistics Regiment 35
• 3rd Medical Battalion
• 3rd Dental Battalion
• 9th Engineer Support Battalion

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Marine Corps.

Notes

Web

• 3d MLG's official website
• 3rd Force Service Support Group at globalsecurity.org.