Okinawa, Japan. (February 9, 2023): In this photo by Corporal Cesar Alarcon, Marines with the III Marine Expeditionary Force board a C-130J Super Hercules transport plane at Kadena Air Force base during Bushido Strike 23, an annual exercise to test combat readiness. The Marines and sailors participated in a series of training events including cold weather training, marksmanship at pistol and rifle ranges, mounted live-fire convoys, a combat lifesaver course, and professional military education.

The harsh winter conditions and challenging terrain in South Korea adds a higher level of complexity and difficulty to the exercise.  In Korea, the temperatures average 30 degrees in February and are expected to be as low as 8 degrees with a windchill factor of 1 degree below zero at the start of Bushido Strike 23. The exercise is a critical evaluation of the combat readiness of Marine infantry regiments, battalions, and aviation squadrons that occurs every 2 years for active component and once every 5 years for the reserve component.

The III Marine Expeditionary Force is a formation of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force that is forward-deployed and able to rapidly respond to humanitarian crises and is prepared for high-intensity combat.

The group is in Asia to support the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between the United States and Japan (1960) and other alliance relationships. The Marines and sailors of III MEF engage in more than 65 combined training exercises annually in treaty allies Japan, Thailand , South Korea, the Philippines, and Australia.