U.S. Marine Force Southeast Asia Lingers Longer in the Philippines

The U.S. Marine Corps is extending the deployment of Marine Rotational Force-Southeast Asia (MRF-SEA) to the Philippines to focus on cooperation with the country’s military, according to a Tuesday announcement. The extension departs from the unit’s standard rotational deployment which takes MRF-SEA to Southeast Asia for six months from October to late March. A new command element from I Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) has rotated in to conduct a focused effort in the Philippines, integrating Marine Corps forces in support of Task Force-Philippines, reads the U.S. Marine Corps news release. “This next rotation of MRF-SEA continues at the invitation of