Stories

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (September 13, 2016) – Marines and sailors with Combat Logistics Detachment 113, Combat Logistics Battalion 11, 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, carry boxes of food for a Foreign Humanitarian Assistance training mission during the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group/11th MEU’s Certification Exercise Sept. 13, 2016. An FHA can include provision of food water, clothing, beds and bedding, temporary shelter and housing, medical material, medical and technical services, and essential service restoration. CERTEX is the last exercise in the MEU’s six-month pre-deployment training cycle in which the ARG/MEU team will be tested then certified as deployable prior to their WestPac 16-2 deployment to the Western Pacific and Central commands’ areas of operations. (US Marine Corps photo by Cpl. April L. Price/Released) - CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (September 13, 2016) – Marines and sailors with Combat Logistics Detachment 113, Combat Logistics Battalion 11, 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, carry boxes of food for a Foreign Humanitarian Assistance training mission during the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group/11th MEU’s Certification Exercise Sept. 13, 2016. An FHA can include provision of food water, clothing, beds and bedding, temporary shelter and housing, medical material, medical and technical services, and essential service restoration. CERTEX is the last exercise in the MEU’s six-month pre-deployment training cycle in which the ARG/MEU team will be tested then certified as deployable prior to their WestPac 16-2 deployment to the Western Pacific and Central commands’ areas of operations. (US Marine Corps photo by Cpl. April L. Price/Released)

11th MEU COMPTUEX: Helping Hands with Humanitarian Assistance

The evacuation of American citizens and U.S. embassy personnel was conducted as a precautionary measure to ensure their safety in the midst of a heated border dispute between Eritrea and Ethiopia. All total, 172 persons were safely evacuated to Amman, Jordan, via KC-130 Hercules aerial transport.While the NEO portion of military operations tends to

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USS COMSTOCK, at sea – Marines and sailors use a 60- ton crane to hoist the cover for an engine of an Amphibious Assault Vehicle aboard the USS Comstock during Amphibious Squadron (PHIBRON 5) – Marine Expeditionary Unit Integration (PMINT), July 13, 2016. After a piston within the engine broke during training, the AAV was recovered from sea and repaired within 48 hours. The vehicle was fixed just in time to begin the next training event. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. April L. Price/Released) - USS COMSTOCK, at sea – Marines and sailors use a 60- ton crane to hoist the cover for an engine of an Amphibious Assault Vehicle aboard the USS Comstock during Amphibious Squadron (PHIBRON 5) – Marine Expeditionary Unit Integration (PMINT), July 13, 2016. After a piston within the engine broke during training, the AAV was recovered from sea and repaired within 48 hours. The vehicle was fixed just in time to begin the next training event. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. April L. Price/Released)

I’m down they fix me I’m up!

USS COMSTOCK, At Sea – Practice, execution, rinse and repeat. A continuous cycle of training allows practical application while performing repetitions builds muscle memory and a solid base of experience to draw upon; but what happens when training becomes a real scenario?During the first iteration of at-sea training, Amphibious Squadron (PHIBRON) –

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Reconnaissance Marines with Maritime Raid Force, 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, prepare to aerially insert from a C-130 Hercules aircraft onto a specified objective area located in Southern Calif., June 13, 2016, as part of a reconnaissance and surveillance mission. The mission was conducted during the MEU’s Realistic Urban Training exercise, which is held in preparation for the MEU’s upcoming Western Pacific 16-2 deployment to the Pacific and Central Commands’ areas of operation. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Devan K. Gowans) - Reconnaissance Marines with Maritime Raid Force, 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, prepare to aerially insert from a C-130 Hercules aircraft onto a specified objective area located in Southern Calif., June 13, 2016, as part of a reconnaissance and surveillance mission. The mission was conducted during the MEU’s Realistic Urban Training exercise, which is held in preparation for the MEU’s upcoming Western Pacific 16-2 deployment to the Pacific and Central Commands’ areas of operation. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Devan K. Gowans)

A RUT Above the Rest; 11th MEU MRF Conducts Urban Raid and Reconnaissance Training

RUT is the first training exercise in the MEU’s deployment work-up cycle where the command element, air combat element, and MRF of the 11th MEU harnesses their collective capabilities during a scenario-based training exercise in field and urban environments.One of the MRF’s core identities is that it’s a raid and reconnaissance force. During RUT

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Marines with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit fly to their objective in an MV-22B Osprey with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 163 (Reinforced) on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., May 17. Marines with VMM-163 (Rein) supplied four MV-22B Ospreys, two AH-1W Cobras, two UH-1Y Hueys and one CH-53E Super Stallion to support a simulated raid. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Harley Robinson/Released) - Marines with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit fly to their objective in an MV-22B Osprey with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 163 (Reinforced) on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., May 17. Marines with VMM-163 (Rein) supplied four MV-22B Ospreys, two AH-1W Cobras, two UH-1Y Hueys and one CH-53E Super Stallion to support a simulated raid. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Harley Robinson/Released)

VMM-163 (Rein) prepares for deployment with 11th MEU

Marines with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 163 (Reinforced), 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, its ground combat element, Battalion Landing Team, 1st Bn., 4th Marines, during a simulated raid on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, May 17. As the aviation element, VMM-163 (Rein) provided transportation for the ground Marines with

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Marines fuel an MV-22 Osprey at a Forward Armament and Refueling Point during an 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit field exercise aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., May 11, 2016. The mission of a FARP mission is to provide fuel and ordnance necessary for highly mobile and flexible helicopter and fixed-wing operations. The Marines are bulk fuel specialists and Osprey crew chiefs with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 163 (reinforced), 11th MEU. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Gunnery Sgt. Robert Brown/Released) - Marines fuel an MV-22 Osprey at a Forward Armament and Refueling Point during an 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit field exercise aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., May 11, 2016. The mission of a FARP mission is to provide fuel and ordnance necessary for highly mobile and flexible helicopter and fixed-wing operations. The Marines are bulk fuel specialists and Osprey crew chiefs with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 163 (reinforced), 11th MEU. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Gunnery Sgt. Robert Brown/Released)

MEUEX - The Journey of a Thousand Miles Begins with a Single Step

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - For the first major training exercise of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit’s pre-deployment training regimen, Marines and Sailors with the MEU honed their warfighting capabilities and polished their standing operating procedures during a field training exercise aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton,

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The graphic depicts the Rapid Response Planning Process, which is a time-constrained version of of the Marine Corps Planning Process. The R2P2 enables the MEU to plan and begin execution of certain tasks within six hours and is highly dependent on the use of standing operating procedures. Leaders from the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit and Amphibious Squadron Five attended the Expeditionary Warfare Staff Planners course (R2P2) aboard Naval Amphibious Base Coronado and aboard the USS Makin Island (LHD8) while in port at Naval Base San Diego, Calif., April 12-22, 2016.(U.S. Marine Corps graphic illustration by GySgt. Rome Lazarus) - The graphic depicts the Rapid Response Planning Process, which is a time-constrained version of of the Marine Corps Planning Process. The R2P2 enables the MEU to plan and begin execution of certain tasks within six hours and is highly dependent on the use of standing operating procedures. Leaders from the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit and Amphibious Squadron Five attended the Expeditionary Warfare Staff Planners course (R2P2) aboard Naval Amphibious Base Coronado and aboard the USS Makin Island (LHD8) while in port at Naval Base San Diego, Calif., April 12-22, 2016. (U.S. Marine Corps graphic illustration by GySgt. Rome Lazarus)

Fail to Plan - Plan to Fail

The United States Marine Corps – any mission, any place, any time. It's a bold statement, but it is backed with more than 240 years of success, hard work and self-refinement. The Rapid Response Planning Process, or R2P2, is just one war-fighting capability among many that has evolved over these many years of refinement within the Corps. It gives a

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Marines gather for the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit’s composite ceremony at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, April 8, 2016. The ceremony marked the joining of the ground combat element, air combat element and logistics combat element into the MEU’s Marine Air-Ground Task Force before the MEU begins its intensive six-month training and certification period prior to their upcoming Western Pacific 16-2 deployment. - Marines gather for the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit’s composite ceremony at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, April 8, 2016. The ceremony marked the joining of the ground combat element, air combat element and logistics combat element into the MEU’s Marine Air-Ground Task Force before the MEU begins its intensive six-month training and certification period prior to their upcoming Western Pacific 16-2 deployment.

Pendleton’s Pride of the Pacific Composites

The subordinate elements, consisting of Battalion Landing Team 1st Bn., 4th Marines; Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 163 (Reinforced); and Combat Logistics Battalion 11, will embark three U.S. Navy vessels from Amphibious Squadron Five, and deploy to the U.S. Pacific and Central Commands’ areas of operations in late 2016. The ceremony officially

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Matt Macon, a satellite communications operator contractor, shows field radio operators with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit how to use a satellite communications dish during a communications exercise (COMMEX) aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., March 23, 2016. The COMMEX familiarizes Marines with the 11th MEU’s standing operating procedures regarding communications as they prepare to begin training or “work-ups” leading to the upcoming deployment. - Matt Macon, a satellite communications operator contractor, shows field radio operators with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit how to use a satellite communications dish during a communications exercise (COMMEX) aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., March 23, 2016. The COMMEX familiarizes Marines with the 11th MEU’s standing operating procedures regarding communications as they prepare to begin training or “work-ups” leading to the upcoming deployment.

Wired Up; 11th MEU Marines Hone their Networking Skills

During the COMMEX, Marines learned to quickly build an operations center, which acts as a link between the command element and subordinate command operations centers, allowing for the passing of information and orders once a communications network is established. Setting up reliable field communications is vital to the smooth functionality of any

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U.S. Marines and Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force soldiers dine together during the closing ceremony of exercise Iron Fist 2016 at Camp Pendleton, March 1, 2016. Exercise Iron Fist brought together Marines and JGSDF soldiers to hone their ability to conduct combined amphibious operations to help preserve peace and prevent conflict in the Asia-Pacific Region. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. April Price) - U.S. Marines and Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force soldiers dine together during the closing ceremony of exercise Iron Fist 2016 at Camp Pendleton, March 1, 2016. Exercise Iron Fist brought together Marines and JGSDF soldiers to hone their ability to conduct combined amphibious operations to help preserve peace and prevent conflict in the Asia-Pacific Region. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. April Price)

Exercise Iron Fist 2016: Two Cultures, One Warrior Spirit

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. – Forged in the wake of World War II, the U.S.-Japan security alliance has served as one of the Asia-Pacific Region's most important military relationships and as an anchor of U.S. engagement in the Pacific. Revised in 1960, the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security grants the United States the rights to

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United States Marines and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force soldiers stand together in formation for the opening ceremony of exercise Iron Fist 2016 on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., Jan. 22, 2016. Iron Fist is and annual, bilateral amphibious training exercise held in Southern California between the United States Marine Corps and the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force. The Marines taking part in the exercise are from I Marine Expeditionary Force on Camp Pendleton. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Timothy Valero/ Released) - United States Marines and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force soldiers stand together in formation for the opening ceremony of exercise Iron Fist 2016 on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., Jan. 22, 2016. Iron Fist is and annual, bilateral amphibious training exercise held in Southern California between the United States Marine Corps and the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force. The Marines taking part in the exercise are from I Marine Expeditionary Force on Camp Pendleton. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Timothy Valero/ Released)

Exercise Iron Fist 2016

For more than 55 years, the United States and Japan have been security treaty allies. For years, the U.S. Marine Corps and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force have been training together across the Pacific in support of the security treaty for the defense of Japan.Exercise Iron Fist 2016 is one such opportunity, allowing Japanese soldiers to train with

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