SUWON AIR BASE, 41, SOUTH KOREA -- SUWON, REPUBLIC OF KOREA—U.S. Marines with Marine Aircraft Group (MAG) 12 deployed from Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Iwakuni, Japan, to Suwon Air Base, Republic of Korea, established command and control of aviation operations supporting exercise Warrior Shield 24 from Feb. 29 to March 22, 2024.
During the three-week exercise, MAG-12 Marines established the tactical air command center (TACC) as part of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) aviation combat element (ACE) to provide command and control capabilities to the aviation elements of the exercise. Those forces included CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters from Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 466, AH-1Z Viper helicopters and a UH-1Y Venom utility helicopters from Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 369, and F-35B Lightning II aircraft from Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121 during the exercise.
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Photo by Cpl. Tyler Harmon
U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Andrew Kim, an AH-1Z Viper helicopter pilot with Medium Light Attack Squadron 369 and California native, left, directs Capt. George Williams, a communications officer with Marine Aircraft Group (MAG) 12 and Virginia native, during command and control operations at Suwon Air Base, South Korea, March 8, 2024. Marines with MAG-12 deployed from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, to Suwon Air Base, South Korea as an aviation command and control node during Warrior Shield 24. Warrior Shield 24 is an annual joint, combined exercise held on the Korean Peninsula that seeks to strengthen the combined defensive capabilities of Republic of Korea and U.S. forces. This routine, regularly scheduled, field training exercise provides the ROK and U.S. Marines the opportunity to rehearse combined operations, exchange knowledge, and demonstrate the strength and capabilities of the ROK-U.S. alliance. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Tyler Harmon)
“Our job as the TACC is to exercise command and control of the entire aviation picture for the Marine Air-Ground Task Force. There's a tracking element and an information element,” said Maj. Trevor Sewell, MAG-12 detachment officer-in-charge. “We not only have aviation forces stationed in multiple different locations across the Korean Peninsula, but also back in Japan that are supporting [Exercise] Freedom Shield that we’re keeping track of.”
By positioning a MAG-12 headquarters elements on the Korean Peninsula as part of the ACE, Marine Corps aviation assets are clearly tracked and tasked during the exercise, expanding the Marine Corps command and control capabilities at the lowest possible level. This deployment also further solidifies the longstanding partnership between the United States and Korea, highlighting the commitment to regional stability and security.
“In preparation for contingency, Korea and the U.S. must maintain the alliance,” said Republic of Korea Air Force Maj. Sul Young Jang, a planning officer with the 10th Fighter Wing. “When the situation occurs, we can cooperate without confusion since we have had this kind of exercise before. By supporting and cooperating with each other, we can also build mutual respect.”
Another first was the landing of F-35B Lightning II aircraft to Suwon Air Base from 18 to 22 March. While on the ground, the Marines conducted expedient refueling and the aircraft were back in the air providing close air support to the ground elements of exercise Warrior Shield 24. The aircraft are part of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121, based out of MCAS Iwakuni.
“MAG-12 is showing a variety of things by operating here in the Korean Peninsula,” Sewell said. “Among those would be simply our ability to project forces beyond Iwakuni. If for whatever reason, MAG-12 needs to operate outside of Iwakuni, we absolutely can do that. This shows not only to our allies, but also any adversaries, that we have the ability to project forward and do what needs to be done.”