NEWS

Marines with Battalion Landing Team, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, ride ashore in a Combat Rubber Raiding Craft during a boat raid exercise in the Coral Sea, July 3, 2019. The Marines launched from the amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD 48), part of the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group, with embarked 31st MEU, while operating in the Indo-Pacific region to enhance interoperability with partners and serve as a ready-response force for any type of contingency, while simultaneously providing a flexible and lethal crisis response force ready to perform a wide range of military operations. (Official U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Brennan Priest) - Marines with Battalion Landing Team, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, ride ashore in a Combat Rubber Raiding Craft during a boat raid exercise in the Coral Sea, July 3, 2019. The Marines launched from the amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD 48), part of the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group, with embarked 31st MEU, while operating in the Indo-Pacific region to enhance interoperability with partners and serve as a ready-response force for any type of contingency, while simultaneously providing a flexible and lethal crisis response force ready to perform a wide range of military operations. (Official U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Brennan Priest)

U.S. Navy Lt. Hal Jones prays at the base of Mt. Suribachi, Japan, July 2, 2019. Jones, the Navy Chaplain of 7th Communication Battalion, spoke with the Marines and Sailors and did a moment of silence to honor the service members that died in the Battle of Iwo Jima. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Brienna Tuck) - U.S. Navy Lt. Hal Jones prays at the base of Mt. Suribachi, Japan, July 2, 2019. Jones, the Navy Chaplain of 7th Communication Battalion, spoke with the Marines and Sailors and did a moment of silence to honor the service members that died in the Battle of Iwo Jima. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Brienna Tuck)

An Assault Amphibious Vehicle with Battalion Landing Team, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, patrols the coast after a simulated raid on Townshend Island, Queensland Australia, July 1, 2019. 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 premier crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Kyle P. Bunyi) - An Assault Amphibious Vehicle with Battalion Landing Team, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, patrols the coast after a simulated raid on Townshend Island, Queensland Australia, July 1, 2019. 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 premier crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Kyle P. Bunyi)

Sgt. Arielle Lahtinen, noncommissioned officer in charge with the 31st MEU's Law Enforcement detachment, tases a Marine with a Conducted Energy Weapon, or TASER, during a non-lethal weapons course aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1), underway in the Coral Sea, June 30, 2019. (Official Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Cameron Parks) - Sgt. Arielle Lahtinen, noncommissioned officer in charge with the 31st MEU's Law Enforcement detachment, tases a Marine with a Conducted Energy Weapon, or TASER, during a non-lethal weapons course aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1), underway in the Coral Sea, June 30, 2019. (Official Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Cameron Parks)

Staff Sgt. Ismael Esconde, the substance abuse control officer with Headquarters and Service Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, holds a crane he folded at building 267 aboard Marine Corps Base Hawaii April 19, 2017. Esconde uses origami as a way to make a positive impact in his local community. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Brittney Vella) - Staff Sgt. Ismael Esconde, the substance abuse control officer with Headquarters and Service Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, holds a crane he folded at building 267 aboard Marine Corps Base Hawaii April 19, 2017. Esconde uses origami as a way to make a positive impact in his local community. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Brittney Vella)

Lt. Gen. H. Stacy Clardy, III, answers questions during a press conference following the III Marine Expeditionary Force change of command ceremony at Camp Courtney, Okinawa, Japan, May 31, 2019. - Lt. Gen. H. Stacy Clardy, III, answers questions during a press conference following the III Marine Expeditionary Force change of command ceremony at Camp Courtney, Okinawa, Japan, May 31, 2019. Lt. Gen. Eric M. Smith passed his duties as the commanding general of III MEF onto Lt. Gen. H. Stacy Clardy, III. Clardy arrived from the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness where he served as the Military Deputy.

On April 8, 2019 U.S. Marine Cpl. Kyle M. LeClair, Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 24, Marine Aircraft Group 24, was awarded the Marine Corps Aviation Association’s Paul G. Vess Award for Avionics Marine of the Year. - On April 8, 2019 U.S. Marine Cpl. Kyle M. LeClair, Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 24, Marine Aircraft Group 24, was awarded the Marine Corps Aviation Association’s Paul G. Vess Award for Avionics Marine of the Year.

III Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group graphic depicting units within III MIG. - III Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group graphic depicting units within III MIG.

. - Lance Cpl. Allen Yang, a radio operator with Combat Logistics Battalion 31, assembles communications equipment during a simulated Humanitarian Assistance-Disaster Relief mission at White Beach Naval Facility, Okinawa, Japan, Feb. 1, 2019. Yang, a native of Riverside, California, graduated from Martin Luther King Jr. High School in June 2017 before enlisting December 2017. CLB-31 provides security, logistics, transportation, and HADR support as the Logistics Combat Element for the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit. The 31st MEU, the Marine Corps’ only continuously forward-deployed MEU partnering with the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group, provides a flexible and lethal force ready to perform a wide range of military operations as the premier crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific region. (Official Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Harrison C. Rakhshani/Released)

9 mm ammunition sits inside an ammunition canister during a live fire range at Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, Jan. 10, 2019. - 9 mm ammunition sits inside an ammunition canister during a live fire range at Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, Jan. 10, 2019. S-4 logisticians with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit ensure the proper caliber and quantity of ammunition is available for Marines to effectively train. 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 premier crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Tanner D. Lambert)