From September 2004 to March 2005, the 31st MEU, including Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion 3rd Marines with accompanying Charlie Battery of 1st Battalion 12th Marines, conducted combat actions in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Participation included a major role in Operation Phantom Fury, the clearing of Fallujah in November 2004.
With organization changes to Marine Corps reconnaissance units in 2006, all the MEU’s Special Operations Capable (SOC) designation was removed. The 31st MEU then became titled as a Maritime Contingency Force, although it remains capable of conducting the same wide variety of specialized missions on both sea and land.
In Febuary 2006, the 31st MEU was sent to the Philippines to provide relief assistance during the mudslides in southern Leyte[2].
On 21 September 2007, the 31st MEU Command Element dedicated its headquarters building at Camp Hansen, Okinawa, to Sergeant Rafael Peralta, who died in Iraq during Operation Phantom Fury while with the 31st MEU. Sgt Peralta received the Navy Cross for his actions in Fallujah.
In May and June of 2008, the MEU participated in Operation Caring Response after Cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar.
In Oct 2009 the MEU assisted in humanitarian & disaster relief in Luzon, Philippines after Typhoons Ketsana and Parma hit back to back. Simultaneously, elements of the MEU assisted in Sumatra, Indonesia after earthquakes struck the region.
In October 2010, the 31st MEU conducted humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations in northern Luzon after Super Typhoon Megi hit the Philippines.
In March of 2011 the 31st MEU sailed from Malaysia and Indonesia to mainland Japan to assist in the recovery efforts after the 9.0 Tohoku earthquake and following tsunami. The 31st MEU participated in Operation Tomodachi, delivering more than 164,000 pounds of food, water and relief supplies via helicopter. Elements of the 31st MEU, including the Command Element, Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 262 (Reinforced), Combat Logistics Battalion 31 and 2nd Battalion 5th Marines went ashore on Oshima Island to remove debris, deliver critical supplies to the isolated area, and provide life support.
On November 8, 2013, Super Typhoon Haiyan swept through the central regions of the Republic of the Philippines, ravaging villages and cities. Approximately 6,000 people were killed and more than $700 million worth of damage was incurred as the result of the storm.
The 31st MEU, at the request of the Philippine government, and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) delivered nearly 100,000 pounds of food and supplies via MV-22B Ospreys to isolated villages not accessible by land. In addition to delivering supplies to the villages, hundreds of displaced locals were evacuated to other locations in the Philippines.
On April 16, 2014, the 31st MEU on board the USS Bonhomme Richard, assisted in air-sea search and rescue operations for the Korean ferry Sewol that sank near the island of Jindo, off the southwestern coast of the Republic of Korea.
From Aug. 2-3, 2015, Typhoon Soudelor, devastated the island of Saipan in the Northern Marianas. Approximately 600 Marines and sailors of the 31st MEU responded to assist local and federal agencies with disaster relief efforts.
Over the course of two weeks, the 31st MEU delivered more than 19,000 gallons of packaged water and 47,000 individual meals provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to five distribution sites across the island. The Marines distributed an additional 366,200 gallons of potable water to the people of Saipan, 279,375 gallons of which were purified utilizing a Light Water Purification System and a Tactical Water Purification System. The 31st MEU also distributed more than 10,000 pounds of emergency supplies provided by the Red Cross.
From April 15-17, 2016, a series of earthquakes struck the Japanese prefecture of Kumamoto, causing 48 deaths and displacing some 100,000 people. At the request of the Government of Japan, approximately 130 Marines and Sailors of 31st MEU provided support to operations conducted by Joint Task Force Chinzei, led by the Japanese Self-Defense Force.
From 18-23 April, the 31st MEU MV-22B Ospreys operating out of Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, delivered more than 82,000 pounds of food, water, blankets, toiletries and other items to be distributed to earthquake victims.
The 31st MEU Marine Corps' only permanently forward-deployed MEU, and remains the nation’s expeditionary force in readiness in the Asia-Pacific region.