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| Battalion Landing Team 2/28 | |
|---|---|
| Unit name | Battalion Landing Team 2/28 |
| Country | United States |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch | United States Marine Corps |
| Type | Infantry battalion |
| Role | Amphibious assault, expeditionary operations |
| Size | ~800 personnel |
| Command structure | 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force |
| Garrison | Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune |
Battalion Landing Team 2/28 is an infantry battalion-sized unit of the United States Marine Corps configured as a landing team for amphibious operations with a reinforced organization for expeditionary deployments. The unit has operated as a core maneuver element in combined-arms formations alongside units from the United States Navy, United States Army, United States Air Force, and allied forces such as the Royal Marines and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force. Its missions have ranged from amphibious assaults associated with Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom to humanitarian assistance in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and multinational exercises like RIMPAC.
Formed under the structure of the 2nd Marine Division, the battalion traces lineage through designations tied to the 28th Marine Regiment and elements that participated in Pacific Theater operations during World War II, including campaigns that invoked coordination with the United States Pacific Fleet and planning bodies like Joint Chiefs of Staff. During the Cold War era the unit maintained forward presence with deployments to Guantanamo Bay Naval Base and training exchanges with the Royal Australian Navy and the Philippine Marine Corps. In the post-9/11 period the battalion operated within the II Marine Expeditionary Force framework for stability operations in Iraq and counterinsurgency campaigns in Afghanistan alongside coalition partners including the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia.
As a battalion landing team, the unit is organized around a headquarters element, multiple rifle companies, a weapons company, and attached logistic and reconnaissance detachments drawn from Combat Logistics Regiment 2 and 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion. Command relationships frequently shift under task-organized formations such as Marine Expeditionary Units and Task Force 58 (I MEF), integrating fire support coordination with assets from the 1st Battalion, 10th Marines and aviation support from Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron 1. The battalion leverages combined arms doctrine consistent with Fleet Marine Force doctrine and coordinates with naval platforms including Wasp-class amphibious assault ships and San Antonio-class amphibious transport docks.
The battalion has deployed aboard amphibious ready groups to conduct littoral operations in the Persian Gulf, Horn of Africa, and the Western Pacific. It participated in combat operations during Operation Iraqi Freedom—conducting urban operations in coordination with 1st Marine Division and partnered Iraqi Security Forces—and in counterinsurgency operations aligned with Operation Enduring Freedom in Helmand Province. The unit also executed noncombatant evacuation operations alongside the United States Embassy network, humanitarian assistance following Indian Ocean tsunami (2004) responses and domestic support during Hurricane Katrina in coordination with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and United States Northern Command.
Equipped to perform mechanized and dismounted operations, the battalion fields platforms such as the M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle, M4 carbine, M38A1 legacy vehicles and modernized variants including the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle when mission sets require high mobility. Heavy weapons and support include the Mk 153 Shoulder-launched Multipurpose Assault Weapon, M252 81mm mortar, and anti-armor systems like the BGM-71 TOW when integrated with company-level weapons platoons. For amphibious insertion and ship-to-shore movement the battalion routinely embarks on LCAC and Landing Craft Utility assets and receives aviation support from rotary-wing platforms such as the CH-53E Super Stallion and tiltrotor MV-22 Osprey.
Elements of the battalion have been recognized with unit-level commendations and campaign streamers tied to participation in major operations and joint campaigns, reflecting citations from authorities including the Secretary of the Navy and Department of Defense for meritorious unit commendations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The unit's historical predecessors earned battle honors during World War II Pacific campaigns and received decorations associated with amphibious assaults commemorated by the Navy Unit Commendation and campaign medals issued under Title 10 of the United States Code authority.
Personnel assigned or formerly attached include battalion commanders and company leaders who later served in senior roles within the II Marine Expeditionary Force, staff officers who attended United States Naval War College and Marine Corps University, and enlisted leaders who advanced to sergeant major billets across the 2nd Marine Division. Several members have received individual awards such as the Navy Cross and Silver Star for actions while embedded with combined-arms task forces partnering with coalition elements from United Kingdom and Australia.
The battalion's lineage contributes to the institutional history of the 28th Marine Regiment and the 2nd Marine Division, informing amphibious doctrine adopted by the United States Fleet Forces Command and allied maritime forces. Its operational experience influenced revisions to expeditionary concepts in publications from Marine Corps Combat Development Command and interoperability standards promulgated during exercises like Talisman Sabre and Cobra Gold. The unit's legacy is preserved in regimental histories, museum collections at National Museum of the Marine Corps, and alumni associations that maintain links with current force modernization efforts such as the Marine Littoral Regiment concept.
Category:United States Marine Corps units and formations