Sailors and Marines Team Up for Integrated Advance 2025
13 March 2025
NAVAL STATION MAYPORT, Fla. - Sailors from U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet (NAVSOUTH/FOURTHFLT) and Marines from U.S. Marine Corps Forces, South (MARFORSOUTH) are serving together on the Joint Force Maritime Component Commander (JFMCC) staff during Exercise Integrated Advance 2025.
Sponsored by U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM), Integrated Advance 2025 is a computer-aided exercise that allows participants to work through a contingency scenario in the USSOUTHCOM Area of Responsibility (AOR) to validate warfighting functions, resolve friction points and clarify phase transitions at the operational level of war.
The MARFORSOUTH Marines brought their subject matter expertise to several warfighting functions and have provided participants an improved understanding of Marine Corps’ contributions to the Joint Force.
“Exercise Integrated Advanced 2025 is one exercise among many supported by Marine Forces South that integrates our Marines into NAVSOUTH/FOURTHFLT as part of a JFMCC,” said Brig. Gen. Omar Randall, Marine Forces South deputy commander. “Our Marines provided intelligence, maneuver, fires and information warfighting function capabilities in the Maritime Operations Center and throughout the JFMCC. These events are extremely valuable for the naval expeditionary force and provide another opportunity to increase our readiness for warfighting at the operational level.”
Integrated Advance 2025 is also providing members of the Navy Maritime Operations Center (MOC) Training Team an opportunity to observe fleet-level warfare and determine proper personnel manning for all U.S. Navy numbered-fleet MOCs to win the future fight.
“The Navy and the Marine Corps are a unified maritime service trained to work and fight together” said Rear Adm. Carlos Sardiello, commander, U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet. “We know that to fight and win from the MOC, we will need Marines and Sailors to serve seamlessly together just like we do at sea all over the globe on a daily basis.”
U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet serves as a trusted maritime partner for Caribbean, Central and South American maritime forces, promoting unity, security and stability in the region.
U.S. Marine Corps Forces, South is the U.S. Marine Corps component of U.S. Southern Command, responsible for building and maintaining relationships with Allies and partner nations in Central America, South America and the Caribbean. MARFORSOUTH builds capabilities and capacity with like-minded democratic nations through a range of military engagements and other security cooperation events to demonstrate the value and utility of the Navy and Marine Corps team through joint and mutually supporting operations and engagements.