Marines with Weapons Company, Battalion Landing Team, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, sit on a Light Armored Vehicle atop the flight deck aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) during a defense of the amphibious task force drill, underway in the South China Sea, Sept. 27, 2018. - Marines with Weapons Company, Battalion Landing Team, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, sit on a Light Armored Vehicle atop the flight deck aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) during a defense of the amphibious task force drill, underway in the South China Sea, Sept. 27, 2018. During the training, Marines with BLT 2/5 and crewmen with the Wasp rehearsed ship security using a variety of mounted and dismounted small-arms and heavy weapons. As part of the DATF-D, the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group and 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit team assumed a security posture to simulate travelling through potentially dangerous waters. Wasp, flagship of the Wasp ARG, with embarked 31st MEU, is operating in the Indo-Pacific region to enhance interoperability with partners and serve as a ready-response force for any type of contingency. BLT 2/5 is the Ground Combat Element for the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, currently underway aboard the Wasp during a regularly-scheduled patrol of the Indo-Pacific region. The 31st MEU, the Marine Corps’ only continuously forward-deployed MEU, provides a flexible force ready to perform a wide-range of military operations across the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Gunnery Sgt. E. V. Hagewood/Released)

Faculty advisors with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit stand at attention for the Marines’ Hymn during a corporal’s course graduation aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1), underway in the South China Sea, Sept. 27, 2018. Corporal’s course, usually a three-week course, is condensed to two weeks while underway. The course helps Marine leaders/Noncommissioned Officers refine their understanding of small unit leadership principles.The 31st MEU, the Marine Corps’ only continuously forward-deployed MEU, provides a flexible force ready to perform a wide-range of military operations. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Hannah Hall/Released) - Faculty advisors with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit stand at attention for the Marines’ Hymn during a corporal’s course graduation aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1), underway in the South China Sea, Sept. 27, 2018. Corporal’s course, usually a three-week course, is condensed to two weeks while underway. The course helps Marine leaders/Noncommissioned Officers refine their understanding of small unit leadership principles.The 31st MEU, the Marine Corps’ only continuously forward-deployed MEU, provides a flexible force ready to perform a wide-range of military operations. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Hannah Hall/Released)

ROTA, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands - Col. Robert Brodie, right, commanding officer of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), shakes hands with Efraim Atalig, left, the mayor of Rota, during a wreath-laying ceremony at the Corporal Joe Junior G. Charfauros Veterans Memorial Park in Rota, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), Sept. 14, 2018. Service members from the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command are providing Department of Defense support to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and working with Guam and CNMI civil and local officials for Typhoon Mangkhut recovery efforts. The 31st MEU, the Marine Corps’ only continuously forward-deployed MEU, provides a flexible force ready to perform a wide-range of military operations. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Hannah Hall/Released) - ROTA, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands - Col. Robert Brodie, right, commanding officer of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), shakes hands with Efraim Atalig, left, the mayor of Rota, during a wreath-laying ceremony at the Corporal Joe Junior G. Charfauros Veterans Memorial Park in Rota, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), Sept. 14, 2018. Service members from the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command are providing Department of Defense support to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and working with Guam and CNMI civil and local officials for Typhoon Mangkhut recovery efforts. The 31st MEU, the Marine Corps’ only continuously forward-deployed MEU, provides a flexible force ready to perform a wide-range of military operations. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Hannah Hall/Released)

Col. Scott Fosdal, Expeditionary Operations Training Group senior evaluator, shakes hands with Marines and Sailors during a celebration honoring his retirement aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1), off the coast of Okinawa, Japan, Sep. 3, 2018. - Col. Scott Fosdal, Expeditionary Operations Training Group senior evaluator, shakes hands with Marines and Sailors during a celebration honoring his retirement aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1), off the coast of Okinawa, Japan, Sep. 3, 2018. Fosdal, a native of Rockdale, Wisconsin, graduated Texas A&M University December 1988; he commissioned that same month. He lived, experienced and participated in the the most recent consequential decades of the Corps’ storied history; Desert Storm, Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom – Fosdal has had a front row view of America’s wars during three decades as a Reconnaissance Marine. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Hannah Hall/Released)