News Releases

U.S. Marines with II Marine Expeditionary Force conduct a training press conference with Communication Strategy and Operations Marines during Marine Expeditionary Force Exercise-23, Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, Feb. 16, 2023. MEFEX is an exercise that develops command and control capabilities and warfighting functions of the MEF staff as an operational command in preparation for crisis across the spectrum of conflict. In the scenario, MEF staff developed the ability to coordinate with non-governmental organizations, U. S. Agency for International Development, and other agencies in response to a foreign humanitarian crisis. - U.S. Marines with II Marine Expeditionary Force conduct a training press conference with Communication Strategy and Operations Marines during Marine Expeditionary Force Exercise-23, Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, Feb. 16, 2023. MEFEX is an exercise that develops command and control capabilities and warfighting functions of the MEF staff as an operational command in preparation for crisis across the spectrum of conflict. In the scenario, MEF staff developed the ability to coordinate with non-governmental organizations, U. S. Agency for International Development, and other agencies in response to a foreign humanitarian crisis.

II MEF Prepares for Humanitarian Assistance as Deployed Marines Conduct the Aid Mission

As Marines and sailors provide earthquake relief in Türkiye, 1,200 II Marine Expeditionary Force Marines and sailors simultaneously trained in Marine Expeditionary Force Exercise 23, on Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C., Feb. 8-17, 2023. “The planning for this exercise began about six weeks ago,” said Maj. Scott Flurry, a future operations planner with II MEF...

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U.S. Army CH-47F Chinook assigned to 3rd Battalion, 501st Aviation Regiment, Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Armored Division (1AD CAB), delivers relief supplies to AFAD, the Turkish relief authority, in Göksun, Türkiye, Feb. 16, 2023. The 1AD CAB provides dynamic lift capability in direct support of USAID and Turkish relief efforts, to those affected by the earthquakes in Türkiye. 1AD CAB is one of several U.S. military units supporting Task Force 61/2 (TF 61/2), operating under U.S. Sixth Fleet, U.S. Naval Forces Europe (NAVEUR), and U.S. European Command as part of the International Turkish disaster relief efforts. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. William Thompson) - U.S. Army CH-47F Chinook assigned to 3rd Battalion, 501st Aviation Regiment, Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Armored Division (1AD CAB), delivers relief supplies to AFAD, the Turkish relief authority, in Göksun, Türkiye, Feb. 16, 2023. The 1AD CAB provides dynamic lift capability in direct support of USAID and Turkish relief efforts, to those affected by the earthquakes in Türkiye. 1AD CAB is one of several U.S. military units supporting Task Force 61/2 (TF 61/2), operating under U.S. Sixth Fleet, U.S. Naval Forces Europe (NAVEUR), and U.S. European Command as part of the International Turkish disaster relief efforts. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. William Thompson)

Allied Assistance

GÖKSUN, Türkiye- U.S. military aircraft are now transporting tents, cots, food, and other humanitarian aid throughout Türkiye after receiving requests from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and Ministry of Interior Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD). Early Thursday morning, U.S. helicopters, flying out of Incirlik Air Base, arrived in the snow-covered mountains of Göksun, less than 80 miles away from the epicenter of the earthquake. As the aircraft hovered for landing, volunteers stood just beyond the landing zone along a basketball court, waiting to offload equipment and supplies.

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U.S. Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Andrew Priddy, commanding general of 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade and deputy commanding general of II Marine Expeditionary Force, left, walks with Col. Calvin Powell, 39th Air Base Wing commander, right, after arriving at Incirlik Air Base, Türkiye, Feb 9, 2023. The U.S. Marines and U.S. Navy personnel were tasked to assist with leading the response force following a series of earthquakes that struck central-southern Türkiye on Feb 6, 2023. As a fellow NATO ally, the U.S. Government mobilized personnel to assist in Türkiye in their response efforts. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman David D. McLoney) - U.S. Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Andrew Priddy, commanding general of 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade and deputy commanding general of II Marine Expeditionary Force, left, walks with Col. Calvin Powell, 39th Air Base Wing commander, right, after arriving at Incirlik Air Base, Türkiye, Feb 9, 2023. The U.S. Marines and U.S. Navy personnel were tasked to assist with leading the response force following a series of earthquakes that struck central-southern Türkiye on Feb 6, 2023. As a fellow NATO ally, the U.S. Government mobilized personnel to assist in Türkiye in their response efforts. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman David D. McLoney)

Unified DoD Efforts Supporting Türkiye

INCIRLIK, Türkiye -- Marines and Sailors from Task Force 61/2 (TF 61/2), commanded by Brig. Gen. Andrew Priddy, operating under U.S. Naval Forces Europe (NAVEUR) and U.S. Sixth Fleet arrived at Incirlik Air Base in support of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts, Feb. 9. The U.S. Department of Defense established a Command and Control Center, commanded by Priddy, to support requirements from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and to coordinate all U.S. military operations, following a 7.8-magnititude earthquake that tragically struck Türkiye on Feb. 6.

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U.S. Marines assigned to Task Force 61 pose for a group photo at Naval Support Activity, Naples, Italy - U.S. Marines assigned to Task Force 61 pose for a group photo at Naval Support Activity, Naples, Italy, January 27, 2023. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Kaila V. Rasmussen)

Task Force 61, U.S. Sixth Fleet Naval Amphibious Forces Europe Supporting Fully Integrated Navy-Marine Operations

NAPLES, Italy — Marines and Sailors from II Marine Expeditionary Force (II MEF), led by Col. Ryan Hoyle, commanding officer of 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (24th MEU), arrived in Naples, Italy as the third iteration of II MEF’s support to Task Force 61 Naval Amphibious Force Europe (TF-61), Jan. 23, 2023.

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U.S. Marine Corps Capt Westley, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade stands next to Italian San Marco marine LT Niccolo Sammartino pose for a photo during exercise Cold Response '22 on March 31, 2022 in the Norwegian Sea. Exercise Cold Response '22 is a biennial Norwegian national readiness and defense exercise that takes place across Norway, with participation from each of its military services, as well as from 26 additional North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allied nations and regional partners. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt Shawn P. Coover) - U.S. Marine Corps Capt Westley, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade stands next to Italian San Marco marine LT Niccolo Sammartino pose for a photo during exercise Cold Response '22 on March 31, 2022 in the Norwegian Sea. Exercise Cold Response '22 is a biennial Norwegian national readiness and defense exercise that takes place across Norway, with participation from each of its military services, as well as from 26 additional North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allied nations and regional partners. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt Shawn P. Coover)

Classmates reunite in the Arctic Circle

During a routine exercise in Norway, turned reunion, two friends that were separated by years and countries were brought back together on a ship in the Arctic Circle. This friendship began when U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Nicholas Westley attended The Basic School (TBS) back in spring of 2016, where he met Italian Lt. Niccolo Sammartino.

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Kearsarge ARG and 22nd MEU participate in Northern Viking 2022

U.S. Sailors and Marines from the Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group and 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit joined Allied Nations in kicking off the U.S. Sixth Fleet-planned and executed exercise Northern Viking 2022 (NV22) in Keflavik, Iceland, April 2, 2022. NATO Allied Nations participating in NV22 include France, Germany, Iceland, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom and the U.S. These combined forces will bring significant capabilities across the air, land and at-sea domains to a Joint and Coalition live exercise. U.S. Navy and Marine Corps forces include units from the Kearsarge ARG and embarked 22nd MEU under the command and control of Task Force 61/2. The Kearsarge ARG includes the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship and Kearsarge ARG flagship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3), the San-Antonio class amphibious transport dock ship USS Arlington (LPD 24) and the Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship USS Gunston Hall (LSD 44) homeported in the U.S. state of Virginia. “The Kearsarge ARG and 22nd MEU stand together with our NATO partners and Allies committed to a forward naval presence in the Sixth Fleet area of operations,” said Captain David Guluzian, commander of the Keasarge ARG and embarked Amphibious Squadron SIX. “Northern Viking is an opportunity to provide valuable interoperability experience across the NATO Alliance, emphasizing the importance of the Arctic and North Atlantic region through combined training in Iceland, a key NATO Ally critical to collective security.” Embarked commands with the Kearsarge ARG include Amphibious Squadron SIX, Fleet Surgical Team 2, Tactical Air Control Squadron 22, Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 28, Assault Craft Unit 2, Assault Craft Unit 4, Naval Beach Group 2, Beach Master Unit 2 and the 22nd MEU. “This exercise will provide critical training for the MEU and is a good opportunity to demonstrate the interoperability and effectiveness of the United States, Iceland and NATO Allied maritime forces,” said Col. Paul Merida, commanding officer, 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit. Col. Merida and his MEU team serve as a sea-based, expeditionary crisis response force capable of conducting amphibious missions across the full range of military operations. The 22nd MEU is based out of the U.S. state of North Carolina and includes the command element; the aviation combat element, Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron, 263 (Reinforced); the ground combat element, Battalion Landing Team 2/6, and the logistics combat element, Combat Logistics Battalion 26. NV22 seeks to strengthen interoperability and force readiness between the U.S., Iceland and Allied Nations and enables execution of multi-domain command and control of joint and coalition forces in the defense of Iceland and the Sea Lines of Communication in the Greenland-Iceland-United Kingdom Gap. The exercise includes amphibious landings, expeditionary and construction capability, search and rescue, and humanitarian assistance with forces demonstrating skills in events across multiple domains, climates, and vignettes to enhance interchangeability and interoperability. The Kearsarge ARG-MEU team is participating in NV22 in support of global maritime operations and security in support of Allied and partner interests in Europe and Africa. Amphibious ready groups and larger amphibious task forces provide military commanders a wide range of flexible capabilities including maritime security operations, expeditionary power projection, strike operations, forward naval presence, crisis response, sea control, deterrence, counter-terrorism, information operations, security cooperation and counter-proliferation, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. For imagery and other products related to exercise Northern Viking, please visit www.dvidshub.net/feature/northernviking2022. For additional information on the Kearsarge ARG, please visit official websites at Amphibious Squadron SIX www.c2f.usff.navy.mil/cpr6 USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) www.c2f.usff.navy.mil/lhd3 USS Arlington (LPD 24) www.c2f.usff.navy.mil/lpd24 USS Gunston Hall (LSD 44) www.c2f.usff.navy.mil/lsd44 For social media updates from the Kearsarge ARG, please visit Amphibious Squadron SIX www.facebook.com/PHIBRON6/ USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) www.facebook.com/Kearsarge/ USS Arlington (LPD 24) www.facebook.com/USSARLINGTON/ USS Gunston Hall (LSD 44) www.facebook.com/GunstonHall/ For additional information on the 22d MEU, please visit 22d MEU Official Website www.22ndmeu.marines.mil/ 22d MEU Facebook www.facebook.com/22ndMEU/ 22d MEU Twitter www.twitter.com/22nd_MEU/ 22d MEU Instagram www.instagram.com/22MEU/

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U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jared Curtis (left), and Lance Cpl. Dylan Shawver, guard force sentries with 2d Marine Expeditionary Support Battalion, II Marine Expeditionary Force, pose with a portable handset enabled with PacStar Radio over Internet Protocol (RoIP) during Exercise Cold Response 2022, Bodo, Norway, March 9, 2022. PacStar RoIP is a critical communication capability which enables instantaneous and simultaneous two-way radio communication using local and worldwide internet networks. Exercise Cold Response '22 is a biennial Norwegian national readiness and defense exercise that takes place across Norway, with participation from each of its military services, as well as from 26 additional North Atlantic Treaty Organization allied nations and regional partners. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Megan Roses) - U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jared Curtis (left), and Lance Cpl. Dylan Shawver, guard force sentries with 2d Marine Expeditionary Support Battalion, II Marine Expeditionary Force, pose with a portable handset enabled with PacStar Radio over Internet Protocol (RoIP) during Exercise Cold Response 2022, Bodo, Norway, March 9, 2022. PacStar RoIP is a critical communication capability which enables instantaneous and simultaneous two-way radio communication using local and worldwide internet networks. Exercise Cold Response '22 is a biennial Norwegian national readiness and defense exercise that takes place across Norway, with participation from each of its military services, as well as from 26 additional North Atlantic Treaty Organization allied nations and regional partners. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Megan Roses)

II MEF presents secure expeditionary communication capability

U.S. Marines with 8th Communication Battalion, II Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group, which provides assured command and control to II MEF commanders during Exercise Cold Response 2022, introduced PacStar Radio over Internet Protocol (RoIP), a critical communication capability which enables instantaneous and simultaneous two-way radio communication using local and worldwide internet networks.

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U.S. Marines with 2d Marine Expeditionary Brigade, II Marine Expeditionary Force, pose for a group picture with Sailors with Expeditionary Strike Group Two, U.S. 2nd Fleet, after a Naval Warfighting Symposium on Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, Nov. 5, 2021. This event was an opportunity to bring together both 1-star commands and provide a venue to gain a better understanding of one another's capabilities. During the symposium, Marines and Sailors conducted integrated briefings relating to their roles in an integrated environment or on how they could move towards that common ground. To go further in immersing the service members, discussion groups were held after the briefing to have a more personal conversation amongst peers from their respective operational areas. (U.S. Marine Corps photo illustration by Sgt. Jesus Sepulveda Torres/Automation) - U.S. Marines with 2d Marine Expeditionary Brigade, II Marine Expeditionary Force, pose for a group picture with Sailors with Expeditionary Strike Group Two, U.S. 2nd Fleet, after a Naval Warfighting Symposium on Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, Nov. 5, 2021. This event was an opportunity to bring together both 1-star commands and provide a venue to gain a better understanding of one another's capabilities. During the symposium, Marines and Sailors conducted integrated briefings relating to their roles in an integrated environment or on how they could move towards that common ground. To go further in immersing the service members, discussion groups were held after the briefing to have a more personal conversation amongst peers from their respective operational areas. (U.S. Marine Corps photo illustration by Sgt. Jesus Sepulveda Torres/Automation)

Concept to capability: Naval Warfighting Symposium

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.

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Brig. Gen. Anthony Henderson, Deputy Commanding General, II Marine Expeditionary Force, second from left, receives a brief on the design and operation of the ship’s electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS) during a ship tour, Oct. 27, 2021. Henderson visited Ford to gain an understanding about Ford-class capabilities and how the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group would operate in a tactical environment. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Zack Guth) - Brig. Gen. Anthony Henderson, Deputy Commanding General, II Marine Expeditionary Force, second from left, receives a brief on the design and operation of the ship’s electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS) during a ship tour, Oct. 27, 2021. Henderson visited Ford to gain an understanding about Ford-class capabilities and how the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group would operate in a tactical environment. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Zack Guth)

2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade Commanding General Visits Ford

Brig. Gen. Anthony Henderson, Deputy Commanding General, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force (2nd MEF) and Commanding General, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade (2nd MEB), visited the first-in-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) to gain a better understanding of Ford’s tactical capabilities, Oct. 27.

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Exercise BALTOPS 50 kicks off today

The 50th Baltic Operations (BALTOPS 50) exercise, the premier maritime-focused exercise in the Baltic Region, kicks off today, June 6.

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U.S. Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Select Anthony Henderson (Center), the oncoming commander of 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB), II Marine Expeditionary Force, poses for a group photo with his family and friends after a change of command ceremony on Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, May 11, 2021. Brig. Gen. Select Henderson took command over 2nd MEB from the previous commander, Col. David Everly. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Jesus Sepulveda Torres) - U.S. Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Select Anthony Henderson (Center), the oncoming commander of 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB), II Marine Expeditionary Force, poses for a group photo with his family and friends after a change of command ceremony on Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, May 11, 2021. Brig. Gen. Select Henderson took command over 2nd MEB from the previous commander, Col. David Everly. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Jesus Sepulveda Torres)

2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade Change of Command

Col. David R. Everly relinquished his command of 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB) to Brig. Gen. Select Anthony M. Henderson during a change of command ceremony May 11, 2021.

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