CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- Marines and sailors with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit conducted an amphibious assault and offload from seagoing vessels here Oct. 11, wrapping up a final exercise before deploying in November.
The MEU's major subordinate elements are Battalion Landing Team 3/1, Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 268 (Reinforced) and Combat Logistics Battalion 11, which participated in the training exercise.
USS Makin Island, along with USS New Orleans, USS Pearl Harbor and Amphibious Squadron 5 form the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group, the Navy or "blue-side" partner to the Marines' "green-side."
The unit trained to retake seagoing vessels from pirates and conduct amphibious assaults, helicopter-borne raids, personnel recovery, humanitarian aid and noncombatant evacuations.
The mission of the MEU is to provide a rapid-response force capable of conducting conventional amphibious and selected maritime special operations from the sea, by surface or by air.
The 14-day exercise concludes the unit’s six-month workup cycle before a Western Pacific Deployment.