3rd Battalion, 12th Marines

3rd Battalion, 12th Marines
3/12 Insignia
ActiveFebruary 1, 1944 - present
Country United States of America
Branch United States Marine Corps
TypeArtillery
RoleProvide fires in support of 3rd Marine Division
Part of12th Marine Regiment
3rd Marine Division
Garrison/HQCamp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan
Nickname(s)"Warriors of the Pacific"
EngagementsWorld War II
* Battle of Guam
* Battle of Iwo Jima
Vietnam War
Operation Desert Storm
Commanders
Current
commander		LtCol Frank J. Mastromauro
U.S. Marine Corps High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems with 3d Battalion, 12th Marines, 3d Marine Division, and U.S. Army HIMARS with Alpha Battery, 1st Battalion, 94th Field Artillery Regiment, 12th Field Artillery Brigade, fire H185 RRPRS during Exercise Talisman Sabre 21 on Shoalwater Bay Training Area, Queensland, Australia, July 18, 2021. TS21, the ninth iteration and conducted since 2005, occurs biennially across Northern Australia. Australian, U.S. and other multinational partner forces use Talisman Sabre to enhance interoperability by training in complex, multi-domain operations scenarios that address the full range of Indo-Pacific security concerns. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Ujian Gosun)

3rd Battalion, 12th Marines (3/12) is an artillery battalion comprising four firing batteries and a Headquarters Battery. The firing batteries are not permanently assigned to the battalion- they are all on 6-month rotations in Okinawa from the 10th Marine Regiment and the 11th Marine Regiment (known as the Unit Deployment Program (UDP)). The battalion is stationed at Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, and its primary weapon systems are the M777 lightweight howitzer with a maximum effective range of 30 km, along with the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS). The battalion utilizes the Unit Deployment Program to fill its four firing batteries with detachments from artillery units across the Marine Corps.