U.S. Marines rehearse distributed, assured command and control across Oahu

MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII – U.S. Marines assigned to 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, successfully concluded a dynamic command and control exercise across Oahu, Hawaii, Nov. 6, 2026. The five-day training event served as a deliberate rehearsal to rapidly deploy, employ and distribute the regimental staff across key maritime terrain, testing their ability to swiftly establish and maintain command and control in support of combined and joint operations in contested littoral environments.

Throughout the exercise, 3rd MLR placed an emphasis on Assured Command and Control – the capacity of a commander and their unit to maintain effective decision-making, direction and synchronization of warfighting functions across multiple distributed, expeditionary nodes.

AC2 enables independent command nodes to direct and plan Force Design driven missions that include securing key maritime terrain; conducting reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance; interdicting air and surface threats; and coordinating joint, allied and partner sea denial operations.

To simulate a modern battlespace, the regiment conducted aggressive displacement drills designed to maximize operational resilience. Regimental command elements used multiple modes of transportation, including ground vehicles and MV-22B Osprey aircraft, to reposition across dispersed locations. The movements simulated the logistical requirements to navigate littoral environments found across the Pacific.

As C2 nodes broke down equipment and relocated, the staff conducted deliberate handoffs to alternate command elements to ensure that operational tempo and combat power were sustained across vast distances without a single pause in the mission.

“The exercise brought our staff out of predictable headquarters settings and required our planners to operate in distributed environments," said U.S. Marine Corps Chief Warrant Officer 2 Cameron Carver, the senior watch officer through the exercise. "Between physically moving, managing rapid battle handovers, and coordinating simultaneous activities across our units, this was a great rep at validating our ability to disperse and still maintain the fight.”

By exercising displacements and decentralized execution in realistic expeditionary conditions, 3rd MLR reaffirmed its role as a resilient Stand-in Force in the Indo-Pacific region. Lessons learned during the exercise will inform future interoperability exercises across the theater with regional allies and partners.

3rd MLR is a subordinate unit of 3rd Marine Division and is purpose-built for operations across complex littoral terrain. Based at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay, 3rd MLR integrates advanced sensing, resilient command and control, littoral maneuver and modern maritime fires alongside combined and joint partners in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific.

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