U.S. Marine Rotation Force-Darwin achieves first-ever SPMAGTF certification

Published Aug 13, 06:26 PM UTC

The 2026 Marine Rotation Force-Darwin (MRF-D) has become the first in the program's 15-year history to be certified as a Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force (SPMAGTF). Commanded by Col. George Flynn, the force of approximately 2,000 Marines arrived in Darwin in March and has maintained a high operational tempo, operating across six to seven countries including the Philippines, Indonesia, and Tahiti. The certification was completed in early May during an exercise in the Philippines. Flynn highlighted the force's ability to maintain readiness throughout deployment, robust command-and-control capabilities, and experimentation with small UAS and first-person-view drones. The rotation includes California-based 1/5 Marines and MV-22B Ospreys from Hawaii-based VMM-268, and conducts major exercises with Australian Army brigades specializing in littoral warfare.