MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. -- U.S. Marines with 2d Marine Expeditionary Brigade , II Marine Expeditionary Force, hosted a Naval Warfighting Symposium for Expeditionary Strike Group Two , U.S. 2nd Fleet, on Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, Nov. 3, 2021. This exchange was an opportunity enhance joint capabilities between services.
During the symposium, Marines and sailors conducted joint briefings on their capabilities as an integrated team and collaborate on further integration.
“Each staff member brings different capabilities to the fight, and being able to highlight those key points between each speaker shows their value,” said U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Eric Fleegle, a future operations planner with G-4, 2d MEB.
The symposium not only promotes integration between Navy and Marine Corps, but also contributes toward mission accomplishment with partners and allies.
“I put on my NATO hat and looked at the talks from that outside perspective,” said Dutch Lt. Cmdr. Dirk De Beurs, an exchange officer from the Netherlands with ESG-2. “Whenever U.S. Forces are in Europe, they have NATO partners and countries that can also support them.”
U.S. Navy Rear. Adm. John Meloni, the commander of ESG-2, said one of his guiding points was understanding culture.
“You can’t have a truly integrated force without having a culture that values the input of others and understands there is a chain of command, but treat everyone appropriately so that they can do their jobs,” said Meloni.
The integration between the Navy and Marine Corps has never been more critical for success in the littorals, coast and by the sea.