| 12th Littoral Anti-Air Battalion | |
|---|---|
 12th LAAB Insignia | |
| Active |
|
| Country | United States of America |
| Branch |  United States Marine Corps |
| Type | Air Defense / Air Control |
| Part of | 12th Marine Littoral Regiment 3rd Marine Division |
| Motto(s) | "Vigilance Above, Valor Below" |
| Engagements | World War II *Battle of Wake Island Vietnam War |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | LtCol Scott W. Caton |
| Notable commanders | Bertram A. Bone |
12th Marine Littoral Anti-Air Battalion (12th LAAB) is a United States Marine Corps aviation command and control and air defense unit that is optimized for operations in the first island chain. The battalion is based at Camp Hansen in Okinawa, Japan and falls under the command of the 12th Marine Littoral Regiment and the 3rd Marine Division.
The battalion is the lineal descendant of the 1st Defense Battalion which gained fame during World War II for its defense of Wake Island early in the war. The battalion was later commissioned as the 1st Light Antiaircraft Missile Battalion (1st LAAM) equipped with the medium range surface-to-air MIM-23 HAWK Missile System. 1st LAAM deployed to Vietnam in 1965 providing air defense for the Marine Corps in the I Corps sector. 1st LAAM was last based at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona and fell under the command of Marine Air Control Group 38 (MACG-38) and the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (3rd MAW) before being decommissioned in 1997.
The Commandant of the Marine Corps's Force Design 2030 initiative set out a vision for the Corps, which included making it capable of operating inside of the range of China's weapon systems. One of the requirements borne out of this realignment was the need for mobile, air defense and air control units that utilize their sensors and antiaircraft weapons to increase survivability of Marine Corps forces in the first island chain and South China Sea.[1] The 12th Littoral Anti-Air Battalion was reactivated on December 5, 2024 on Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan.[2]
- ^ Cancian, Mark (25 March 2020). "The Marine Corps' Radical Shift toward China". Center for Strategic and International Studies.
- ^ McElhiney, Brian (5 December 2024). "Marines on Okinawa activate anti-air battalion for littoral regiment". Stars & Stripes. United States Department of Defense. Retrieved 7 December 2024.