2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade

U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Christian Randell, a firepower control team 6 communications chief with 2nd Air-Naval Gunfire Liaison Company, Marine Rotational Forces Europe, under the command and control of Task Force 61/2, observes the impact area after a live-fire naval surface fire support mission during Finnish Readiness Exercise on Camp Dragsvik, Finland, Aug. 6, 2024. Finnish Readiness Exercise exemplifies the strong defense partnership between Finland and the United States through combined training activities while enhancing operational readiness and effectiveness. Task Force 61/2 commands and controls fleet Marine forces in support of the U.S. Sixth Fleet commander while synchronizing Navy and Marine Corps units and capabilities in the U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command area of operations. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. Josue Marquez)

Photo by Staff Sgt. Josue Marquez

U.S. Marines Corps Cpl. Jose Medina, a combat engineer with Combat Logistics Battalion 24, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) Special Operations Capable (SOC), conduct a small arms qualification range aboard the Harpers Ferry-class dock landing ship USS Oak Hill (LSD 51), while underway in the Mediterranean Sea, Aug. 10, 2024. The Wasp Amphibious Ready Group-24th MEU (SOC) is on a scheduled deployment to U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa area of operations to support U.S., Allied and partner interests in the region, including in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, and to continue promoting regional stability and deterring aggression. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Jacqueline Peguero-Montes)

Photo by Sgt. Jacqueline Peguero-Montes

U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Elena M. Rodriguez, center-left, the first official sergeant major of the 2d Marine Expeditionary Brigade (2d MEB), Brig. Gen. Samuel L. Meyer, center-right, the commanding general of 2d MEB, and Sailors assigned to the Blue Ridge-class command and control ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC), pose for a photo after an appointment ceremony aboard the ship in Gaeta, Italy, Aug. 28, 2024. This historic appointment not only highlights Rodriguez's distinguished career and leadership, but also underscores the critical role of the 2d MEB as Task Force 61/2 (TF 61/2) in supporting U.S. interests in the U.S. European Command (EUCOM) area of responsibility. TF 61/2 is a forward-deployed command element in support of U.S. Sixth Fleet operations in the EUCOM and U.S. Africa Command, and is deployed in the U.S. Naval Forces Europe area of operations, employed by U.S. Sixth Fleet to support U.S. allied and partner interests. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. Josue Marquez)

Photo by Staff Sgt. Josue Marquez

The 37th Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. Christopher J. Mahoney, addresses Marines and Sailors with Task Force 61/2 (TF 61/2) during a town hall meeting at Naval Support Activity Naples, Italy, Aug. 20, 2024. The town hall meeting was held to discuss the future of naval expeditionary warfare and other Marine Corps-wide modernization topics such as Force Design, talent management, retention, training, and education. TF 61/2 is a forward-deployed command element in support of U.S. Sixth Fleet operations in the U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command, and is deployed in the U.S. Naval Forces Europe area of operations, employed by U.S. Sixth Fleet to support U.S. allied and partner interests. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. Josue Marquez)

Photo by Staff Sgt. Josue Marquez

U.S. Marines with Maritime Special Purpose Force, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) Special Operations Capable (SOC), board a CH-53E Super Stallion aboard the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS New York (LPD 21) while underway in the Mediterranean Sea, August 4, 2024. The Wasp (WSP) Amphibious Ready Group and embarked 24th MEU (SOC) are conducting operations in the U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa area of operations on a scheduled deployment. The WSP ARG-24th MEU (SOC) is supporting U.S., Allied and partner interests in the region, including in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, to continue promoting regional stability and deterring aggression. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Ryan Ramsammy)

Photo by Cpl. Ryan Ramsammy

U.S. Marines with Maritime Special Purpose Force, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) Special Operations Capable (SOC), and British Royal Marines with Royal Marine Boarding Team, 42 Commando, conduct a simulated combined clear of the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS New York (LPD 21) during a bilateral exchange while underway in the Mediterranean Sea, July 30, 2024. The Wasp (WSP) Amphibious Ready Group and embarked 24th MEU (SOC) are conducting operations in the U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa area of operations on a scheduled deployment. The WSP ARG-24th MEU (SOC) is supporting U.S., Allied and partner interests in the region, including in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, to continue promoting regional stability and deterring aggression. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Ryan Ramsammy)

Photo by Cpl. Ryan Ramsammy

U.S. Marines and Sailors with Task Force 61/2 pose for a group photo at Naval Support Activity, Naples, Italy, July 18, 2024. Task Force 61/2's synchronized command and control of assigned forces and seamless integration with U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet directly supports regional readiness, crisis response, and deterrence in the EUCOM and AFRICOM area of operations. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Marc Imprevert)

Photo by Cpl. Marc Imprevert

U.S. Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Samuel L. Meyer, the commanding general of Task Force 61/2 (TF 61/2), Brig. Gen. Andrew Priddy, the Chief of Staff for Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO, and Rear Adm. David Walt, the prospective commander of Expeditionary Strike Group 2, assess the capabilities and weapon systems aboard the multi-purpose amphibious assault ship-aircraft carrier Juan Carlos I with members of the Spanish Navy during Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) 24 in the Baltic Sea, June 11, 2024. NATO Allies actively work together to defend against peer adversaries in contested environments through integrated exercises and operations that enhance their ability to operate as a cohesive team to ensure appropriate collective posture of deterrence and defense. Exercises like BALTOPS demonstrate that the maritime partnerships of the NATO Alliance, now operating in its seventh decade, remain as robust and relevant as ever. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. Josue Marquez)

Photo by Staff Sgt. Josue Marquez

Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. Eric M. Smith speaks to Marines and sailors with Task Force 61/2 during a town hall meeting at Naval Support Activity Naples, Italy, May 29, 2024. The town hall meeting was held to discuss the future of naval expeditionary warfare and other Marine Corps-wide moderniazationmodernization such as Force Design, talent management, retention, training and education. TF 61/2 is a forward-deployed command element in support of U.S. Sixth Fleet operations in the U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command, and is deployed in the U.S. Naval Forces Europe area of operations, employed by U.S. Sixth Fleet to support U.S. allied and partner interests. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Marc Imprevert)

Photo by Cpl. Marc Imprevert

A U.S. Marine Corps CH-53E Super Stallion with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 365 (Reinforced), 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) Special Operations Capable (SOC), flies during deck landing qualifications over the Mediterranean Sea, August 3, 2024. The Wasp (WSP) Amphibious Ready Group and embarked 24th MEU (SOC) is conducting operations in the U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa area of operations on a scheduled deployment. The WSP ARG-24th MEU (SOC) is supporting U.S., Allied and partner interests in the region, including in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, to continue promoting regional stability and deterring aggression. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Ryan Ramsammy)

Photo by Cpl. Ryan Ramsammy

U.S. service members and families of 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade (2d MEB), converse during a dining out service at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, April 3, 2024. The 2d MEB dining out was a family event to increase esprit de corps and unit morale. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Marc Imprevert)

Photo by Cpl. Marc Imprevert

U.S. Marines from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) execute a small-scale amphibious assault alongside Greek Marines with 32nd Hellenic Marine Brigade during a bilateral exercise near Skyros, Greece, Dec. 2, 2023. U.S. Marines and Sailors of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable), embarked on the ships of the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group, are on a scheduled deployment as the Tri-Geographic Combatant Command crisis response force with elements deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet and U.S. 6th Fleet areas of operation to increase maritime security and stability, and to defend U.S., Allied, and Partner interests. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. Jesus Sepulveda Torres)

Photo by Staff Sgt. Jesus Sepulveda Torre

U.S. Marines with the 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, detonate breaching chord deployed by a Medium-Range Intercept Capability (MRIC) missile during exercise Agile Spirit 23 in Vaziani Training Area, Georgia on Sep. 1, 2023. Exercise Agile Spirit 23 is designed to support theater security cooperation and interoperability among NATO Allies and partners to improve joint and multinational readiness, scale, and capabilities by exercising rapid mobility and posture combat credible forces across the European theater to the country of Georgia to bolster their defense efforts and deter aggression in the Black Sea region while exercising the enduring U.S. State Partnership Program with the Georgia Army National Guard. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Christopher Doughty)

Photo by Cpl. Christopher Doughty

A Swedish Marine burns the Torleif, the Swedish Marines’ Regimental symbol, during a ceremonial Viking night as a part of Exercise Archipelago Endeavor 23 in Sweden on Sept. 13, 2023. Exercise Archipelago Endeavor is an integrated, Swedish Armed Forces-led exercise that increases operational capability and enhances strategic cooperation between the U.S. Marines and Swedish forces. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Emma Gray)

Photo by Lance Cpl. Emma Gray

U.S. Marines with Hotel Battery, 2nd Battalion, 10th Marines, 2d Marine Division, poses for a photo after executing a HIMARS Rapid Insertion (HIRAIN), in San Javier, Spain on June 9, 2023. HIRAIN operations provide lethal and accurate fire to targets all across the globe. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Eric Dmochowski)

Photo by Lance Cpl. Eric Dmochowski

U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Austin Bradley, a motor transport operator assigned to Combat Logistics Battalion 22, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable), receives a piece of cake from Gunnery Sgt. Jeremy Meierotto, during a cake cutting ceremony celebrating the Marine Corps Birthday aboard the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS Mesa Verde (LPD 19), Mediterranean Sea, Nov. 10, 2023. A key ritual of the cake-cutting ceremony is the passing of the cake from the oldest Marine present to the youngest, symbolizing generations of knowledge being shared to the future of the Corps, and the youngest Marine in the event was Bradley, at 19 years old. The USS Mesa Verde, assigned to the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group and embarked 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) under the command and control of Task Force 61/2, is on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. Naval Forces Europe area of operations, employed by U.S. Sixth Fleet to defend U.S., Allied, and partner interests. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Aziza Kamuhanda)

Photo by Cpl. Aziza Kamuhanda

U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Gary Gonzalez, an infantry rifleman with Fleet Anti-Terrorism Security Team Company, Europe (FASTEUR) and native of Victoria, Texas, fires an M240 machine gun over a hill during a live-fire shoot at a firing range in Lielvārde Airfield, Latvia, Oct. 5, 2023. Task Force 61/2.3 (FASTEUR), under the tactical command and control of Task Force 61/2, provides capabilities such as rapid response expeditionary anti-terrorism and security operations in support of Commanders, United States European Command (COMESEUCOM) and as directed by Commander, U.S. 6th Fleet (C6F) in order to protect vital naval and national assets. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Jack Labrador)

Photo by Lance Cpl. Jack Labrador

U.S. Marines with Charlie Company, Battalion Landing Team 1/6, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) (26MEU(SOC)), conduct a dry fire rehearsal on the flight deck of the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS Mesa Verde (LPD 19) in the Mediterranean Sea, Nov. 3, 2023. The San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS Mesa Verde, assigned to the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group and embarked 26th MEU(SOC), under the command and control of Task Force 61/2, is on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. Naval Forces Europe area of operations, employed by U.S. Sixth Fleet to defend U.S., allied and partner interests. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Aziza Kamuhanda)

Photo by Cpl. Aziza Kamuhanda

U.S. Marines with Fleet Anti-Terrorism Security Team Company, Europe (FASTEUR) crawl up a hill while carrying M240 machine guns during a live-fire shoot at a firing range in Lielvārde Airfield, Latvia, Oct. 5, 2023. Task Force 61/2.3 (FASTEUR), under the tactical command and control of Task Force 61/2, provides capabilities such as rapid response expeditionary anti-terrorism and security operations in support of Commanders, United States European Command (COMESEUCOM) and as directed by Commander, U.S. 6th Fleet (C6F) in order to protect vital naval and national assets. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Jack Labrador)

Photo by Lance Cpl. Jack Labrador

U.S. Marines with Task Force 61/2 pose for a group photo at Naval Support Activity Naples, Italy, Nov. 16, 2023. TF 61/2 is deployed in the U.S. Naval Forces Europe areas of operation, employed by U.S. Sixth Fleet to defend U.S., allied and partner interests. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Jack Labrador)

Photo by Lance Cpl. Jack Labrador

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