News

U.S. Marine Corps Col. Chris Niedziocha, the commanding officer of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, and 31st MEU staff embark the light amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli (LHA 7) at White Beach Naval Facility, Okinawa, Japan, Oct. 26, 2025. The embarkation was an opportunity for the 31st MEU to integrate with their U.S. Navy counterparts aboard the USS Tripoli. 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 premiere crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Lance Cpl. Trevor BishopWilliams) - U.S. Marine Corps Col. Chris Niedziocha, the commanding officer of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, and 31st MEU staff embark the light amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli (LHA 7) at White Beach Naval Facility, Okinawa, Japan, Oct. 26, 2025. The embarkation was an opportunity for the 31st MEU to integrate with their U.S. Navy counterparts aboard the USS Tripoli. 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 premiere crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Lance Cpl. Trevor BishopWilliams)

31st MEU | Integration with USS Tripoli for the First Time

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.

Read More