Sergeant Maj. Charles B. Peoples relinquished his role as sergeant major of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit to Sgt. Maj. Julio A. Mercedes, Oct. 31, during a relief and appointment ceremony held on Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan.Peoples served two years as the senior enlisted leader of the 31st MEU, completing four full unit-deployment cycles including training, exercises, and real-world operations throughout the Indo-Pacific region. The 31st MEU operated continuously with combined forces throughout Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and other allied nations with the Navy’s Amphibious Squadron 11 aboard ships of the USS America (LHA 6), USS Tripoli (LHA 7), USS New Orleans
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Combat Logistics Battalion 31, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, hosted representatives from Japan’s Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade, Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force, at Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, July 11 and 12. Their time together included a demonstration of a convoy simulator, CLB-31 helicopter support team procedures and an in-depth look at CLB-31’s intermediate maintenance capabilities.“Visits like this benefit both sides by fostering a culture of collaboration and mutual learning,” said Maj. Joseph Grimison, an operations officer with CLB-31, 31st MEU. “They provide an opportunity to exchange best practices, improve interoperability, and build trust and camaraderie between the units. These interactions ultimately contribute to
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The 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit sank a moving training target vessel during an expeditionary strike exercise in the Philippine Sea, Wednesday 26, June. An AH-1Z Viper, attached to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 262 Reinforced, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, fired a live AGM-179 Joint Air-to-Ground Missile (JAGM), striking a towed moving training vessel during a training mission at sea. A JAGM is a precision-guided munition for use against high value stationary, moving, and relocatable land and maritime targets. The missile can be used to defend key maritime terrain against a wide-range of targets from armored vehicles to maritime patrol craft during conflict. The success of this expeditionary strike demonstrates the 31st MEU’s
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Feb. 05, 2024USS AMERICA – U.S. Marines and Sailors are scheduled to participate in Exercise Iron Fist 2024 alongside members of the Japan Self-Defense Forces.This 18th iteration of the exercise will occur in various locations in Japan, from Kyushu to Okinawa, and at sea in February and March, 2024.Iron Fist is an annual exercise designed to increase interoperability and strengthen the relationships between the U.S. Marine Corps, the U.S. Navy, Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. This iteration of Iron Fist will further develop the combined amphibious capabilities of the U.S. Marine Corps and JGSDF Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade.The U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Navy, JGSDF, and JMSDF will conduct combined
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Today, members of the Japan Self-Defense Force (JSDF) and U.S. Marines with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) completed the first Japan-based Iron Fist exercise. Iron Fist is an annual exercise designed to increase interoperability and strengthen relationships between the U.S. Marine Corps, the U.S. Navy, the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF), and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF). This iteration of Iron Fist included ships from the JMSDF for the first time, which conducted rehearsals and integration with the 31st MEU and 1st Amphibious Rapid Deployment Regiment (ARDR) throughout the exercise.
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U.S. Marines and Sailors are scheduled to participate in Exercise Iron Fist 2023 alongside members of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF).
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