The Marine Corps' newly announced Okinawa-based Marine Littoral Regiment is not the only MLR the service plans to stand up in the region, according to senior Pentagon policy officials who underscored the importance of forward-deployed forces to deter an increasingly aggressive Chinese military. Ely Ratner, assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs, said the fiscal year 2024 budget will contain “major investments” in capabilities relevant to the Pacific theater, building upon prior initiatives like the creation of MLRs. Speaking...
