F-35B Lightning II stealth fighters with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 214 taxi after arriving at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, March 8, 2025. (Samantha Rodriguez/U.S. Marine Corps)
A third Marine Corps squadron of F-35B Lightning II fighters arrived in Japan over the weekend, marking the latest step in the service’s efforts to modernize its deployed forces in the Indo-Pacific.
The squadron — Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 214, also known as the Black Sheep — arrived Friday from Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Ariz., according to the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing. The deployment is the first rotational assignment for the F-35B under the Marines’ Unit Deployment Program, which cycles units through the region to bolster readiness.
The aircraft will temporarily support flight operations at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni under Marine Aircraft Group 12, the wing said in a statement Monday. The group includes two permanently based Marine F-35B squadrons, an aerial refueling squadron, and logistics and support squadrons.
The base also hosts Carrier Air Wing 5, the Navy’s air component for the aircraft carrier USS George Washington, homeported at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan.
The Unit Deployment Program has historically been supported by fixed-wing aircraft groups operating F/A-18 Hornets and AV-8B Harriers. The Black Sheep squadron transitioned to the F-35B in March 2022 and is now the first F-35 unit to deploy to the Indo-Pacific under the program, according to the wing.
“Our focus during this deployment is threefold,” Lt. Col. Robert Guyette, the squadron’s commander, said in the release. “To seamlessly integrate within Marine forces, joint forces, and regional allies and improve warfighting readiness as a combined force, refine our ability to operate from austere locations, and align with key Marine Corps concepts like Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations to maximize survivability and airpower projection.”
Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations emphasize mobility, allowing forces to disperse to smaller, harder-to-target locations. The strategy has become central to Marine Corps planning as the Pentagon seeks to counter China’s growing military presence in the region.
“The F-35B’s ability to operate from austere locations, integrate with joint networks, and provide enhanced battlespace awareness makes it a force multiplier,” Col. Kyle Shoop, commander of Marine Aircraft Group 12, said in the release.
Maj. Gen. Marcus Annibale, commander of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, said the Marines would continue to expand their F-35B deployments.
“Munitions with greater capabilities will become available, the platform’s support systems will strengthen, and the F-35’s technology suite will continue to evolve,” he said in the release. “As more F-35 squadrons deploy to the remote and contested environments of the Indo-Pacific, Marine Aviation’s readiness will grow, and our capabilities as a combined force in this region will become even more lethal.”
Retired Marine Col. Grant Newsham, a senior researcher with the Japan Forum for Strategic Studies, said the F-35B is more survivable than the aircraft it is replacing and could serve as a deterrent.
“With more American stealth fighters in the region, you can see the difficulties for a Chinese force assaulting Taiwan across the strait, or trying to operate north and east of Taiwan,” he said by email Monday.
At the same time, the aircraft’s reliance on established bases could pose challenges in a conflict, Newsham added.
“The Chinese know where most, maybe all, of these bases are and just might hit them,” he wrote. “I expect they would, especially if they started taking losses.”
The United States and its allies are working to address those concerns through a combination of airfield defense measures, decoys, rapid runway repairs, and dispersal to civilian airfields in Japan and the Philippines, Newsham said.
Because the F-35B is designed for short takeoffs and vertical landings, it can also operate from amphibious assault ships and smaller airstrips, offering additional flexibility, he added.
However, Newsham noted that aerial refueling remains a challenge, given the aircraft’s limited range.
