Marines with Weapons Company, Battalion Landing Team, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, sit on a Light Armored Vehicle atop the flight deck aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) during a defense of the amphibious task force drill, underway in the South China Sea, Sept. 27, 2018. During the training, Marines with BLT 2/5 and crewmen with the Wasp rehearsed ship security using a variety of mounted and dismounted small-arms and heavy weapons. As part of the DATF-D, the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group and 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit team assumed a security posture to simulate travelling through potentially dangerous waters. Wasp, flagship of the Wasp ARG, with embarked 31st MEU, is operating in the Indo-Pacific region to enhance interoperability with partners and serve as a ready-response force for any type of contingency. BLT 2/5 is the Ground Combat Element for the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, currently underway aboard the Wasp during a regularly-scheduled patrol of the Indo-Pacific region. The 31st MEU, the Marine Corps’ only continuously forward-deployed MEU, provides a flexible force ready to perform a wide-range of military operations across the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Kealii De Los Santos/Released)

U.S. Marines and Sailors with Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force-Crisis Response-Africa and U.S. Airmen with the 82nd Expeditionary Rescue Squadron participate in a joint service training exercise at Vizzini training area, Sicily, July 26-27, 2018. SPMAGTF-CR-AF deployed to conduct crisis-response and theater-security operations in Europe and North Africa. (U.S. Marine Corps video by Corporal Taylor W. Cooper and Staff Sgt. Britni M. Garcia Green/Released)

The 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit was originally established as the 13th Amphibious Unit, Feb. 1, 1985 before being redesignated on Feb. 5, 1988. For more than 30 years of amphibious operations and exercises, the Marines and Sailors of the "Fighting Thirteenth" have continued to provide expeditionary relief and combat power from ship to shore all over the world. (Marine Corps motion media by Gunnery Sgt. Jon Spencer)

This is a video production breaking down all of the elements of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF). The MAGTF is comprised of four deployable elements, the Command Element, Ground Combat Element, Aviation Combat Element and the Logistics Combat Element. (U.S. Marine Corps video by Sgt. James R. Skelton)