31st Marine Expeditionary Unit

Naval aviators with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 262 (Reinforced) and Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron (VMGR) 152 conduct aerial refueling off the coast of Japan, Feb. 28, 2019. U.S. Marines with VMGR-152 provide a wide range of capabilities throughout the INDOPACOM area to include aerial refueling, personnel and cargo transportation, and aerial delivery. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Tyler Harmon)

Naval aviators with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 262 (Reinforced) position an MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft during aerial refueling with a KC-130J Super Hercules from Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron (VMGR) 152 off the coast of Japan, Feb. 28, 2019. U.S. Marines with VMGR-152 provide a wide range of capabilities throughout the INDOPACOM area to include aerial refueling, personnel and cargo transportation, and aerial delivery. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Tyler Harmon)

U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Jack Bourgeois, a KC-130J Super Hercules crewmaster with Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron (VMGR) 152, observes an MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft belonging to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 262 (Reinforced) off the coast of Japan, Feb. 28, 2019. U.S. Marines with VMGR-152 provide a wide range of capabilities throughout the INDOPACOM area to include aerial refueling, personnel and cargo transportation, and aerial delivery. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Tyler Harmon)

U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Kyle Johnson, a KC-130J Super Hercules pilot with Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron (VMGR) 152 observes a KC-130J as the two aircraft fly in formation off the coast of Japan, Feb. 28, 2019. U.S. Marines with VMGR-152 provide a wide range of capabilities throughout the INDOPACOM area to include aerial refueling, personnel and cargo transportation, and aerial delivery. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Tyler Harmon)

Marines and Sailors with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit stand in formation after a conditioning hike at Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, Feb. 15, 2019. Marines and Sailors with the 31st MEU’s Command Element, the aptly named command and control element for the Marine Corps’ only continuously forward-deployed MEU, completed a more than five-kilometer hike to build conditioning and prepare its Marines and Sailors for the rigors of amphibious operations. The 31st MEU, partnering with the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group, provides a flexible and lethal force ready to perform a wide range of military operations as the premier crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Gunnery Sgt. T. T. Parish/Released)

Marines and Sailors with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit march in formation during a conditioning hike at Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, Feb. 15, 2019. Marines and Sailors with the 31st MEU’s Command Element, the aptly named command and control element for the Marine Corps’ only continuously forward-deployed MEU, completed a more than five-kilometer hike to build conditioning and prepare its Marines and Sailors for the rigors of amphibious operations. The 31st MEU, partnering with the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group, provides a flexible and lethal force ready to perform a wide range of military operations as the premier crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Gunnery Sgt. T. T. Parish/Released)

Marines and Sailors with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit march in formation during a conditioning hike at Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, Feb. 15, 2019. Marines and Sailors with the 31st MEU’s Command Element, the aptly named command and control element for the Marine Corps’ only continuously forward-deployed MEU, completed a more than five-kilometer hike to build conditioning and prepare its Marines and Sailors for the rigors of amphibious operations. The 31st MEU, partnering with the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group, provides a flexible and lethal force ready to perform a wide range of military operations as the premier crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Gunnery Sgt. T. T. Parish/Released)

Petty Officer 3rd Class Anthony Wood-Casella, a U.S. Navy religious program specialist with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, stands in formation before beginning a conditioning hike at Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, Feb. 15, 2019. Wood-Casella, a 22-year old native of Norwell, Massachusetts, protects the 31st MEU chaplain during amphibious operations; chaplains are classified as noncombatants and do not carry weapons – they rely on their ‘RPs’ for defense during Marine Corps operations. Marines and Sailors with the 31st MEU’s Command Element, the aptly named command and control element for the Marine Corps’ only continuously forward-deployed MEU, completed a more than five-kilometer hike to build conditioning and prepare its Marines and Sailors for the rigors of amphibious operations. The 31st MEU, partnering with the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group, provides a flexible and lethal force ready to perform a wide range of military operations as the premier crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Gunnery Sgt. T. T. Parish/Released)

Cpl. Andre Balseca, a rifleman with Alpha Company, Battalion Landing Team, 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, the “China Marines,” simulates firing an M9A1 9 mm service pistol at a target aboard the dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD 48), East China Sea, Feb. 14, 2019. Balseca, a native of Chicago, Illinois, graduated from East Leyden High School in May 2015 before enlisting in June later that year. Alpha Company Marines are the small boat raid specialists for BLT 1/4, the Ground Combat Element for the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit. The 31st MEU, the Marine Corps’ only continuously forward-deployed MEU partnering with the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group provides a flexible and lethal force ready to perform a wide range of military operations as the premier crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific region. (Official Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Harrison C. Rakhshani/Released)

Marines with Alpha Company, Battalion Landing Team, 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, the “China Marines,” simulate firing M9A1 9 mm service pistols at targets aboard the dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD 48), East China Sea, Feb. 14, 2019. Alpha Company Marines are the small boat raid specialists for BLT 1/4, the Ground Combat Element for the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit. The 31st MEU, the Marine Corps’ only continuously forward-deployed MEU partnering with the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group provides a flexible and lethal force ready to perform a wide range of military operations as the premier crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific region. (Official Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Harrison C. Rakhshani/Released)

Lance Cpl. Andrew Foss, a rifleman with Alpha Company, Battalion Landing Team, 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, the “China Marines,” simulates firing an M9A1 9 mm service pistol under the supervision of Cpl. Austin Pryor, a rifleman, aboard the dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD 48), East China Sea, Feb. 14, 2019. Foss, a native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, graduated from Riverside University in June 2017 before enlisting later that month. Pryor, a native of Greenville, Indiana, graduated from Floyd Central High School in May 2015 before enlisting in June 2015. Alpha Company Marines are the small boat raid specialists for BLT 1/4, the Ground Combat Element for the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit. The 31st MEU, the Marine Corps’ only continuously forward-deployed MEU partnering with the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group provides a flexible and lethal force ready to perform a wide range of military operations as the premier crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific region. (Official Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Harrison C. Rakhshani/Released)

A Military Policeman with Combat Logistics Battalion 31 kicks a door open during Military Operations in Urban Terrain training at Combat town, Okinawa, Japan, Feb. 13, 2019. The 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, the Marine Corps' only continuously forward-deployed MEU partnering with Wasp Amphibious Ready Group, provides a flexible and lethal force ready to perform a wide range of military operations as the premier crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Dylan Hess/Released)

Military Policemen with Combat Logistics Battalion 31 prepare to clear a building during Military Operations in Urban Terrain training at Combat Town, Okinawa, Japan, Feb. 13, 2019. The 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, the Marine Corps' only continuously forward-deployed MEU partnering with Wasp Amphibious Ready Group, provides a flexible and lethal force ready to perform a wide range of military operations as the premier crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Dylan Hess/Released)

Sgt. Jason Stroud, a data system administrator with Combat Logistics Battalion 31 is a simulated causality during a Combat Life Savers Course aboard the dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD 48), East China Sea, Feb. 13, 2019. Stroud, a native of Okeechobee, Florida, graduated from Okeechobee High School in June of 2015. Stroud enlisted in the Marine Corps his junior year of high school in June of 2014. The 31st MEU, the Marine Corps’ only continuously forward-deployed MEU partnering with the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group, provides a flexible and lethal force ready to perform a wide range of military operations as the premier crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific region. (Official Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Mackenzie Carter/Released)

Marines with Alpha Company, Battalion Landing Team, 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, and Combat Logistics Battalion 31 conduct practical application during a Combat Life Savers Course aboard the dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD 48), East China Sea, Feb. 13, 2019. Alpha Company Marines are the small boat raid specialists for BLT 1/4, the Ground Combat Element for the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit. The 31st MEU, the Marine Corps’ only continuously forward-deployed MEU partnering with the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group, provides a flexible and lethal force ready to perform a wide range of military operations as the premier crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific region. (Official Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Mackenzie Carter/Released)

Lance Cpl. David Black and Lance Cpl. Nicholas Ballesteros, both mortarmen with Alpha Company, Battalion Landing Team, 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, the “China Marines,” practice the counter to the front choke aboard the dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD 48), East China Sea, Feb. 8, 2019. Alpha Company Marines are the small boat raid specialists for BLT 1/4, the Ground Combat Element for the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit. The 31st MEU, the Marine Corps’ only continuously forward-deployed MEU partnering with the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group provides a flexible and lethal force ready to perform a wide range of military operations as the premier crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific region. (Official Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Harrison C. Rakhshani/Released)

Lance Cpl. Trevor Sheldon, a mortarman with Alpha Company, Battalion Landing Team, 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, the “China Marines,” executes a rear choke on Cpl. John Robinson, a radio operator with the fire support team, Alpha Company, BLT 1/4, the “China Marines,” aboard the dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD 48), East China Sea, Feb. 8, 2019. Alpha Company Marines are the small boat raid specialists for BLT 1/4, the Ground Combat Element for the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit. The 31st MEU, the Marine Corps’ only continuously forward-deployed MEU partnering with the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group provides a flexible and lethal force ready to perform a wide range of military operations as the premier crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific region. (Official Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Harrison C. Rakhshani/Released)

U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. David Steele, right, a small arms technician with Combat Logistics Battalion 31, teaches the specifications of the M240G/B medium machine gun and the M2 .50-caliber Browning machine gun to Marines of CLB-31 aboard the dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD 48) in the East China Sea, Feb. 6, 2019. Steele, a native of Dallas, graduated from J.J. Pearce High School in May 2010 before enlisting in February 2013. In the near future, CLB-31 plans to incorporate machine gun proficient Marines into fire teams composing vehicle convoys, with medium and heavy machine guns mounted on 7-ton truck turrets. CLB-31 provides security, logistics, and transportation as the Logistics Combat Element for the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit. The 31st MEU, the Marine Corps’ only continuously forward-deployed MEU partnering with the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group, provides a flexible and lethal force ready to perform a wide range of military operations as the premier crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Harrison C. Rakhshani)

Sgt. David Steele, a small arms technician with Combat Logistics Battalion 31, concludes a period of instruction on the M240G/B medium machine gun and the M2 .50-caliber Browning machine gun to Marines of CLB-31 aboard the dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD 48), East China Sea, Feb. 6, 2019. Steele, a native of Dallas, graduated from J.J. Pearce High School in May 2010 before enlisting in February 2013. In the near future, CLB-31 plans to incorporate machine gun proficient Marines into fire teams composing vehicle convoys, with medium and heavy machine guns mounted on 7-ton truck turrets. CLB-31 provides security, logistics, and transportation as the Logistics Combat Element for the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit. The 31st MEU, the Marine Corps’ only continuously forward-deployed MEU partnering with the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group, provides a flexible and lethal force ready to perform a wide range of military operations as the premier crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific region. (Official Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Harrison C. Rakhshani/Released)

Marines with 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit’s Force Reconnaissance Platoon, search for hostiles during a visit, board, search and seizure exercise aboard the USNS Charles Drew (T-AKE 10), Philippine Sea, Feb. 6, 2019. During the simulated VBSS, Marines with FRP rehearsed seizing and securing a simulated hostile vessel using speed and decisive action to gain control of the ship’s bridge, engine room and quarters. The 31st MEU, the Marine Corps’ only continuously forward-deployed MEU partnering with the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group, provides a flexible and lethal force ready to perform a wide range of military operations as the premier crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific region. (Official Marine Corps photos by Lance Cpl. Kyle P. Bunyi / Released)

An MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft belonging to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 262 (Reinforced) prepares to land during a simulated visit, board, search and seizure exercise, Philippine Sea, Feb. 6, 2019. During the simulated VBSS, Marines with FRP rehearsed seizing and securing a simulated hostile vessel using speed and decisive action to gain control of the ship’s bridge, engine room and quarters. The 31st MEU, the Marine Corps’ only continuously forward-deployed MEU partnering with the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group, provides a flexible and lethal force ready to perform a wide range of military operations as the premier crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific region. (Official Marine Corps photos by Lance Cpl. Kyle P. Bunyi / Released)

Marines with 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit’s Force Reconnaissance Platoon, secure the flight deck of the USNS Charles Drew (T-AKE 10) during a visit, board, search and seizure exercise in the Philippine Sea, Feb. 6, 2019. During the simulated VBSS, Marines with FRP rehearsed seizing and securing a simulated hostile vessel using speed and decisive action to gain control of the ship’s bridge, engine room and quarters. The 31st MEU, the Marine Corps’ only continuously forward-deployed MEU partnering with the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group, provides a flexible and lethal force ready to perform a wide range of military operations as the premier crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific region. (Official Marine Corps photos by Lance Cpl. Kyle P. Bunyi / Released)

Cpl. Jack Martin, a squad leader with Charlie Company, Battalion Landing Team, 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, briefs his squad at Aibano Training Area, Kyoto, Japan, Feb. 6, 2019. Forest Light is a semi-annual exercise conducted by U.S. Marines and members of the Japan Self-Defense Force in order to strengthen interoperability and combined capabilities in defense of the U.S.-Japan alliance. The 31st MEU, the Marine Corps’ only continuously forward-deployed MEU partnering with the Wasp ARG, provides a flexible and lethal force ready to perform a wide range of military operations as the premier crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific region. (Official Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Luis Velez/ Released)

LCpl. Jonathan Perez, an automatic rifleman with Charlie Company, Battalion Landing Team, 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, posts security at Aibano Training Area, Kyoto, Japan, Feb. 6, 2019. Forest Light is a semi-annual exercise conducted by U.S. Marines and members of the Japan Self-Defense Force in order to strengthen interoperability and combined capabilities in defense of the U.S.-Japan alliance. The 31st MEU, the Marine Corps’ only continuously forward-deployed MEU partnering with the Wasp ARG, provides a flexible and lethal force ready to perform a wide range of military operations as the premier crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific region. (Official Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Luis Velez/ Released)

Marines with Charlie Company, Battalion Landing Team, 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, and The Japanese Self-Defense Force soldiers, perform on and off drills as well as fast rope capabilities on an MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft at Aibano Training Area, Kyoto, Japan, Feb. 4, 2019. Forest Light is a semi-annual exercise conducted by U.S. Marines and members of the JSDF in order to strengthen interoperability and combined capabilities in defense of the U.S.-Japan alliance. The 31st MEU, the Marine Corps’ only continuously forward-deployed MEU partnering with the Wasp ARG, provides a flexible and lethal force ready to perform a wide range of military operations as the premier crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific region. (Official Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Luis Velez/ Released)