How Marines Took an Airfield in the Philippines in a Show Against China
Military.com | By Drew F. Lawrence
Published May 15, 2024 at 4:05 pm
The Marines were just over a hundred miles away from the southern tip of Taiwan when they seized the airstrip. They were operating in Northern Luzon and the Batanes Islands, Philippine territory north of the mainland -- key terrain for a potential conflict with China.
The mission, known as maritime key terrain security operations, or MKTSO, was practice for that conflict, but had real-world implications. It was a show of force headed by elements of the Marine Corps' newest Pacific-oriented unit: the Marine littoral regiment, or MLR.
On April 30, three combined littoral reconnaissance teams made up of roughly 30 U.S. and Philippine Marines each, flown by Army Chinooks and Black Hawk helicopters, departed a naval base off the northern coast of the mainland to insert into the remote islands.
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2024/05/15/how-marines-took-airfield-philippines-show-against-china.html
