OKINAWA, Japan - U.S. Marines with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 265 (Rein.) and Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, executed a long-range helicopter insert exercise to Combined Arms Training Center Camp Fuji, Japan, Sep. 23, 2025, where they conducted combined arms live-fire training to maintain operational readiness, tactical proficiency, and enhance lethality while operating within the Indo-Pacific. In less than 36-hours, two waves encompassing nearly 400 Marines assigned to BLT 1/7, were transported non-stop over 1,000 miles with eight MV-22Bs and four CH-53Es to CATC Camp Fuji, Japan from Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Okinawa, Japan. The movement demonstrated the MEU’s ability to rapidly deploy a BLT from Okinawa to a forward deployed location utilizing only military aircraft, according to Maj. James Hurton, the operations officer for BLT 1/7. “This movement allowed the BLT to mass credible combat power at a location of our choosing along a very short timeline,” said Hurton. “This capability can be used to preposition forces within the Indo-Pacific Command area of responsibility should the need arise.” Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 265 (Rein.), the Marine Air Element attached to the 31st MEU, supported the movement by providing long-range logistical capabilities via MV-22B Ospreys and CH-53E Super Stallions.

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Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan – In October 2025, for the first time since the USS Tripoli (LHA 7) sailed to the Indo-Pacific, the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) Command Element embarked the USS Tripoli, marking a pivotal shift in the unit’s operational posture and amphibious capabilities. This integration signals the beginning of a new chapter for the 31st MEU as it begins long-term operations with the Tripoli, marking the transition from USS America (LHA 6), which served as the MEU’s primary aviation platform in the Indo-Pacific for the past six years. The staff's arrival aboard Tripoli establishes the relationships needed to execute a forward, sea-based command and control node capable of directing complex expeditionary military operations across the Indo-Pacific. This integration allows the 31st MEU to have long-distance force projection from a mobile, self-sustained platform and rapidly respond to contingencies throughout the region.

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CAMP HANSEN, Okinawa – The 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) conducted training to prepare the unit for future warfighting capabilities. Immersive, scenario-based evolutions focused on lethality, readiness, and interoperability for an upcoming deployment in the Indo-Pacific Region during a MEU Exercise (MEUEX) in Okinawa, from Apr. 28 to May 9, 2025. Over two weeks of training, MEUEX prepared approximately 2,400 Marines and sailors in strategies and procedures, as well as lethal and nonlethal operations by simulating a wide range of contingencies.

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ABOARD USS AMERICA – The America Amphibious Ready Group (AMAARG) and 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (31st MEU) hosted the commanding officers of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Amphibious Rapid Deployment Regiments of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force from Feb. 3-6 in a demonstration of the wholesale effort to combine efforts of deterrence in the first island chain.

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CAMP HANSEN, Okinawa – U.S. Marines and Sailors with Combat Logistics Battalion (CLB) 31, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), conduct helicopter support team operations with members of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) during Iron Fist (IF) 25, at Kin Blue Beach Training Area, Okinawa, Japan, from Feb. 22-23.

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WHITE BEACH NAVAL FACILITY, Okinawa – U.S. Marines with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) embarked aboard ships of the America Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), Jan. 28, campaigning and competing in the Indo-Pacific region.

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