Uncasing the colours of 3rd LAAB during an activation ceremony on Marine Corps Base Hawaii. Credit: U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Melanye Martinez.

The US Marine Corps (USMC) Base Hawaii has held the administrative activation ceremony of its new Littoral Anti-Air Battalion (LAAB).

Called 3rd LAAB, the new unit represents one of the first efforts in the Marine Corps’ Force Design 2030 modernisation plan.

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This unit will become completely operational over next several years. Until then, it will take over the management of current facilities and equipment.

The 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, which was recently deactivated, was overseeing the management.

Activation will support wargaming and experimentation for refining unit requirements and employment concepts to reach the Marine Corps’ Force Design modernisation objectives.

The 3rd LAAB has been designed to function as a subordinate unit to the upcoming third Marine Littoral Regiment (3rd MLR).

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Currently, the details of how the LAAB will run are being developed.

The unit is projected to deliver crucial support and safety for small teams of MLR Marines present across wide zones of the Pacific region.

James Arnold, 3rd LAAB commanding officer lieutenant colonel, said: “Force Design creates advantages by having Marines think, act and organise in new ways.

“The capabilities formerly only found in the Wing that the LAAB will bring to the MLR commander used to require three different units that directly worked for an aviation commander. As envisioned with Force Design, this capability will now be organic to the tactical ground commander.”

In December last year, the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) of the US Marine Corps and some subordinate units finished a training exercise in Okinawa.