MRF-SEA and MRF-D communicators demonstrate long-range high-frequency connectivity across the Indo-Pacific

Communications Marines with Marine Rotational Force – Southeast Asia, I MEF, and Marine Rotational Force – Darwin, I MEF, linked Manila, Philippines, and Darwin, Australia, with long-range high frequency radio on July 23, 2026, covering roughly 2,000 miles.

Using a TRC-209 amplifier paired with an AN/PRC-160 radio, the units conducted two-way voice communications to validate command-and-control reach across the Indo-Pacific using expeditionary capabilities. “Being able to communicate across 2,000 miles gives us another way to relay information throughout the Pacific Command area of responsibility,” said U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Ulises Garcia-Saucedo, a transmissions system operator with MRF-SEA, I MEF. “It demonstrates our ability to maintain communications from austere locations anywhere in the Philippine archipelago.”

Marines emphasized that similar distances can be achieved with man-portable AN/PRC-160 radios and field-expedient antennas, with the TRC-209 providing added power for fixed sites such as command posts and combat operations centers. “A sloping V antenna would allow us to direct our signal toward Darwin using only a man-portable radio,” said Cpl. Spencer Hozman, a transmissions system operator with MRF-SEA, I MEF. “We’re not dependent on larger equipment like the TRC-209. Communication is an art. Every environment requires a different antenna solution. A sloping V may work in one location, while somewhere else a horizontal dipole is the better choice.”

The effort underscores how forward-deployed Marines maintain command and control over vast distances. “The ability to communicate across extended distances using different waveforms is fundamental to how we operate in the Indo-Pacific,” said Col. Robert S. Bunn, commanding officer of MRF-SEA, I MEF. “Capabilities like this allow commanders to maintain command and control under varying conditions while enabling Marines to operate from distributed locations. That flexibility is essential to expeditionary operations.”

Sustaining that connectivity relies on both equipment and Marines trained to employ it in challenging environments, with ongoing training and experimentation refining high frequency practices. “High frequency is one of the most resilient long-haul communication pathways available because it is difficult to detect, locate, and jam,” said Master Sgt. Coty Roberts, communications chief for MRF-SEA, I MEF. “Communicators have relied on HF for decades, and we continue to refine the skills required to employ high frequency communications.”

As operations continue across the Indo-Pacific, leaders highlighted long-range HF as a secure, expeditionary option for maintaining connectivity across extensive distances and from austere locations, reinforced by routine refinement of these skills to remain connected, adaptable, and ready.