Flood the Zone: III Marine Expeditionary Force’s Mobility Mandate
Brandan R. Schofield and Andrew C. Edwards
October 1, 2025
Flood the Zone: III Marine Expeditionary Force’s Mobility Mandate
“To comprehend something, you must observe it at the extremes.” Col. John Boyd understood that clarity comes when forces are stretched to their limits. In the Western Pacific, where strategic competition is rapidly tilting toward confrontation, the first unit to show up may decide who stays. III Marine Expeditionary Force, the Marine Corps’ only permanently forward-deployed Marine Expeditionary Force, lives daily at that extreme. Headquartered on Okinawa with forces scattered from Guam to Japan to Hawaii, III Marine Expeditionary Force is not only the Marine Corps’ most combat-credible formation in the Indo-Pacific — it is arguably the Joint Force’s best-positioned instrument of deterrence. It is also an organization operating without the mobility resources it needs to meet the demands of modern deterrence.
Without present, positioned, and ready U.S. forces, America cannot deter without fighting. Mobility is the prerequisite. While headlines often celebrate submarines, stealth aircraft, and long-range missiles, presence remains the bedrock of deterrence. Presence implies access, and access demands mobility. III Marine Expeditionary Force’s ability to move tactically and operationally, especially by surface, is not merely a Marine Corps problem — it is a joint challenge with strategic consequences.
III Marine Expeditionary Force operates on the ragged edge. Geography sharpens that edge: thousands of islands, shallow-gradient beaches, and distances that defy the assumption that airpower alone can sustain maneuver.
The strategic window is shrinking. Adversaries are modernizing. Exercises such as Balikatan, the Korea Marine Exercise Program, Iron Fist, and Resolute Dragon expose mobility gaps that risk turning credible deterrent efforts into PowerPoint promises. Fortunately, solutions exist today, and they do not require waiting for moon-shot technology. They require modest investment, decisive choices, and a willingness to embrace the imperfect.
https://warontherocks.com/2025/10/flood-the-zone-iii-marine-expeditionary-forces-mobility-mandate/
