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“The capabilities and resourcefulness of the Marines in each of the individual platoons have developed and grown,” said 1st Lt. Michael Downing, Light Armored Reconnaissance platoon commander with Weapons Company. “Even in the restricted training environment on ship, seeing their drive to keep up the training in Weapons Company has been a very rewarding experience. We are excited to showcase all of our capabilities during Talisman Sabre and see all of our Marines’ hard work pay off.” - “The capabilities and resourcefulness of the Marines in each of the individual platoons have developed and grown,” said 1st Lt. Michael Downing, Light Armored Reconnaissance platoon commander with Weapons Company. “Even in the restricted training environment on ship, seeing their drive to keep up the training in Weapons Company has been a very rewarding experience. We are excited to showcase all of our capabilities during Talisman Sabre and see all of our Marines’ hard work pay off.”

An F-35B Lightning II fighter aircraft with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 265 (Reinforced), 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, loaded with a Joint Direct Attack Munition and a laser guided bomb, prepares to take off during an aerial gunnery and ordnance hot-reloading exercise aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1), Solomon Sea, August 4, 2019. Wasp, flagship of the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group, with embarked 31st MEU, is operating in the Indo-Pacific region to enhance interoperability with partners and serve as ready-response force for any type of contingency, while simultaneously providing a flexible and lethal crisis response force ready to perform a wide range of military operations. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Dylan Hess) - An F-35B Lightning II fighter aircraft with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 265 (Reinforced), 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, loaded with a Joint Direct Attack Munition and a laser guided bomb, prepares to take off during an aerial gunnery and ordnance hot-reloading exercise aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1), Solomon Sea, August 4, 2019. Wasp, flagship of the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group, with embarked 31st MEU, is operating in the Indo-Pacific region to enhance interoperability with partners and serve as ready-response force for any type of contingency, while simultaneously providing a flexible and lethal crisis response force ready to perform a wide range of military operations. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Dylan Hess)

Ordnance Marines with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 265 (Reinforced), 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, load an AIM- 9X Sidewinder missile onto an F-35B Lightning II fighter aircraft prior to a defensive combat air patrol rehearsal aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1), Pacific Ocean, August 7, 2019. Wasp, flagship of the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group, with embarked 31st MEU, is operating in the Indo-Pacific region to enhance interoperability with partners and serve as ready-response force for any type of contingency, while simultaneously providing a flexible and lethal crisis response force ready to perform a wide range of military operations. (Official U.S Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Luis Velez) - Ordnance Marines with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 265 (Reinforced), 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, load an AIM- 9X Sidewinder missile onto an F-35B Lightning II fighter aircraft prior to a defensive combat air patrol rehearsal aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1), Pacific Ocean, August 7, 2019. Wasp, flagship of the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group, with embarked 31st MEU, is operating in the Indo-Pacific region to enhance interoperability with partners and serve as ready-response force for any type of contingency, while simultaneously providing a flexible and lethal crisis response force ready to perform a wide range of military operations. (Official U.S Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Luis Velez)

Cpl. Joseph Roche, a joint fires observer with Alpha Company, Battalion Landing Team, 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, oversees service members with the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force conducting call-for-fire drills in the Supporting Arms Virtual Trainer on Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, April 9, 2019. - Cpl. Joseph Roche, a joint fires observer with Alpha Company, Battalion Landing Team, 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, oversees service members with the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force conducting call-for-fire drills in the Supporting Arms Virtual Trainer on Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, April 9, 2019. Roche, a native of Franklin, Pennsylvania, graduated from John F. Kennedy High School in May 2011 before enlisting in May 2017. This observation and exchange provided opportunities for the 31st MEU Marines, and JGSDF personnel, to increasing understanding and interoperability. BLT 1/4 is the Ground Combat Element of the 31st MEU. The 31st MEU, the Marine Corps’ only continuously forward-deployed MEU, 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)