3rd Battalion, 12th Marines (3/12) is an

artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

battalion comprising four firing batteries and a Headquarters Battery. The firing batteries are not permanently assigned to the battalion- they are all on 6-month rotations in

Okinawa most commonly refers to: * Okinawa Prefecture, Japan's southernmost prefecture * Okinawa Island, the largest island of Okinawa Prefecture * Okinawa Islands, an island group including Okinawa itself * Okinawa (city), the second largest city in th ...

from the 10th Marine Regiment and the 11th Marine Regiment (known as the Unit Deployment Program (UDP)). The battalion is stationed at

Camp Foster Camp Foster (), formerly known as Camp Zukeran, is a United States Marine Corps camp located in Ginowan City with portions overlapping into Okinawa City, Chatan town and Kitanakagusuku village in the Japanese prefecture of Okinawa Island. It ...

, Japan, and its primary weapon systems are the

M777 The M777 howitzer is a British towed artillery, towed 155 mm artillery piece in the howitzer class. It is used by the Australian Army, ground forces of Australia, Canadian Army, Canada, Colombia, Indian Army, India, Saudi Arabian Army, Saudi Ar ...

lightweight howitzer with a maximum effective range of 30 km, along with the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS). The battalion utilizes the

Unit Deployment Program The Unit Deployment Program (UDP) is a system for assigning deployments of the United States Marine Corps. To reduce the number of unaccompanied tours and improve unit continuity, the Commandant of the Marine Corps, (CMC) established it to provide ...

to fill its four firing batteries with detachments from artillery units across the Marine Corps.

Mission

Provide direct support of the

3rd Marine Division The 3rd Marine Division is a division (military), division of the United States Marine Corps based at Camp Courtney, Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler in Okinawa Prefecture, Okinawa, Japan. It is one of three active duty infantry division ...

in time of conflict. That support may come in the traditional fashion of artillery support to maneuver forces, or by providing batteries to serve as provisional rifle companies. They also have the secondary mission of being the primary providers of

civil-military operations Civil-military operations or CMO are activities of a military force to minimize civil interference on and maximize civil support for military operations. CMO is conducted in conjunction with combat operations during wartime and becomes a centr ...

(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.

Current units

* Headquarters Battery * Four firing batteries rotating on unit deployment program (UDP) assignments from the 10th Marines and the 11th Marines.

History

World War II

3rd Battalion 12th Marines was activated on September 16, 1942, at Camp Elliott,

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, as part of the 3rd Marine Division. 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

Reactivation and the Vietnam War

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

1970s - 1990s

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

War on Terror

Artillery battalion returns to roots during Exercise Desert Scimitar 130503-M-PC317-099

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

Notes

References

: ;Web
Official Website

on GlobalSecurity.org {{3rdMarDiv Artillery battalions of the United States Marine Corps