II MEF News

U.S. Marine Sgt. Mitch Nordskog, a Reconnaissance Marine with Force Reconnaissance Company, 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, and the American instructor for the Norwegian Military’s Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol course, instructs Marines during the LRRP in Norway, Feb. 22, 2020. The Marines are conducting the LRRP to strengthen the interoperability, mobility, expeditionary readiness and warfighting excellence of FORECON and the Norwegian Military. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Aaron Douds) - U.S. Marine Sgt. Mitch Nordskog, a Reconnaissance Marine with Force Reconnaissance Company, 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, and the American instructor for the Norwegian Military’s Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol course, instructs Marines during the LRRP in Norway, Feb. 22, 2020. The Marines are conducting the LRRP to strengthen the interoperability, mobility, expeditionary readiness and warfighting excellence of FORECON and the Norwegian Military. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Aaron Douds)

Recon Marine Instructs Norwegian Army LRRP Course

Sgt. Mitch Nordskog found himself above the Arctic Circle in Norway once again. Although this time he was personally invited by members of the Norwegian Army to instruct alongside them.

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U.S. Marines with Force Reconnaissance Company, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force, 2nd Marine Division, conduct a movement on skis during the Norwegian Military’s Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol course in Norway, Feb. 17, 2020. The Marines are conducting the LRRP to strengthen the interoperability, mobility, expeditionary readiness and warfighting excellence of FORECON and the Norwegian Military. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Aaron Douds) - U.S. Marines with Force Reconnaissance Company, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force, 2nd Marine Division, conduct a movement on skis during the Norwegian Military’s Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol course in Norway, Feb. 17, 2020. The Marines are conducting the LRRP to strengthen the interoperability, mobility, expeditionary readiness and warfighting excellence of FORECON and the Norwegian Military. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Aaron Douds)

FORECON and Norwegian Military Integrate during Detachment 20.1

To die side by side with a friend or live side by side with an ally, that is the question. U.S. Marines with 1st Platoon, Force Reconnaissance Company, 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division integrated with the Norwegian military during Force Detachment 20.1 from Oct. 2019 through April 2020.

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26th MEU conducts live-fire training in Kuwait

U.S. Marines and Sailors assigned to Battalion Landing Team, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, conducted routine sustainment training ashore at Camp Buehring, Kuwait.

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U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Richard Feldman, a machine gunner with India Company, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2Nd Marine Division, sights in with an M240B machine gun at Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center, Bridgeport, Calif., Feb. 2, 2020. V36 conducted company and platoon attack training scenarios during Mountain Exercise 2-20 at MCMWTC to further their familiarization and warfighting capabilities in cold, mountainous terrain. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Jacqueline Parsons - U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Richard Feldman, a machine gunner with India Company, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2Nd Marine Division, sights in with an M240B machine gun at Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center, Bridgeport, Calif., Feb. 2, 2020. V36 conducted company and platoon attack training scenarios during Mountain Exercise 2-20 at MCMWTC to further their familiarization and warfighting capabilities in cold, mountainous terrain. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Jacqueline Parsons)

The Sounds of the Hell Hounds at MTX 2-20

It was a cloudy afternoon, but the sun still reflected off the snow-capped mountains giving 1st Lt. Elaine Lewis, battalion adjutant with Headquarters and Service Company, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment (V36), 2d Marine Division (2d MARDIV), light to check her roster for accountability. Personnel, packs, weapons, and motor transportation assets all had to be verified and transmitted back to the command and control center. At this point, V36 had been at the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center (MCMWTC) in Bridgeport, California for almost a month. They grew used to the thick, bright snow, bone-chilling wind, and constant need to change socks. One constant they could not become complacent with was the radio static. Radios must be watched nonstop; communication must stay consistent and fluid up and down the mountain.

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U.S. Marines with Combat Logistics Battalion 451, Combat Logistics Regiment 45, 4th Marine Logistics Group, Marine Forces Reserve, pose for a photo before doing a convoy from Marine Corps Prepositioning Program-Norway caves to Værnes Garrison near Trondheim, Norway, Feb. 14, 2020. MCPP-N gear was later transported from Orkanger Port to Bogen Port in preparation for Exercise Cold Response. Cold Response is a Norwegian-led exercise designed to enhance military capabilities and allied cooperation in high-intensity warfighting in a challenging arctic environment. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Devin J. Andrews) - U.S. Marines with Combat Logistics Battalion 451, Combat Logistics Regiment 45, 4th Marine Logistics Group, Marine Forces Reserve, pose for a photo before doing a convoy from Marine Corps Prepositioning Program-Norway caves to Værnes Garrison near Trondheim, Norway, Feb. 14, 2020. MCPP-N gear was later transported from Orkanger Port to Bogen Port in preparation for Exercise Cold Response. Cold Response is a Norwegian-led exercise designed to enhance military capabilities and allied cooperation in high-intensity warfighting in a challenging arctic environment. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Devin J. Andrews)

Logistics across Norway for Cold Response

Cold Response 20 is a Norwegian national defense exercise in conjunction with its NATO allies and partners taking place in an area stretching from the town of Narvik to Finnmark district in northern Norway.

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U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Christian Drumheller, right, a mortarman with 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, loads an M375-series smoke cartridge into an M252 mortar tube during Exercise Fireball Eagle at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C., Feb. 4, 2020. The training consisted of multiple scenarios using aircraft and ground support fire to simulate real warfighting situations. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Brian Bolin Jr.) - U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Christian Drumheller, right, a mortarman with 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, loads an M375-series smoke cartridge into an M252 mortar tube during Exercise Fireball Eagle at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C., Feb. 4, 2020. The training consisted of multiple scenarios using aircraft and ground support fire to simulate real warfighting situations. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Brian Bolin Jr.)

Exercise Fireball Eagle

On June 6, 1944 U.S. Army Soldiers participated in the largest amphibious landing ever conducted. By the end of the battle, allied troop casualties stood at over 200,000. Marines fighting in the Pacific took this as a learning opportunity and adapted a better manual for amphibious fighting. The Marines of the World War II implemented a system of trained pilots and artillerymen to act as the sights and coordinators for supporting fire. Today, the Marine Corps has Tactical Air Control Party (TACP) Marines to guide close air support on target and act as a link between attacks from the air, land, and sea to mitigate risk of friendly fire between supporting elements.

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U.S. Marines and Sailors travel to the USNS Lopez (T-AK 3010) by the ship’s tender boat to begin Maritime Prepositioning Force Exercise 20, in the Atlantic Ocean, Feb. 9, 2020. MPFEX 20 is a military exercise in which Marines and Sailors work together to offload and process military equipment from a single MPF ship, the USNS Lopez (T-AK 3010). The exercise is a rehearsal of the Marines and Sailors’ ability to conduct safe, efficient offloads while in a tactical environment while working in close coordination with their 2nd and 6th Fleet counterparts to enhance the rapid and scalable deployment of naval expeditionary forces in European theater. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Rachel K. Young-Porter) - U.S. Marines and Sailors travel to the USNS Lopez (T-AK 3010) by the ship’s tender boat to begin Maritime Prepositioning Force Exercise 20, in the Atlantic Ocean, Feb. 9, 2020. MPFEX 20 is a military exercise in which Marines and Sailors work together to offload and process military equipment from a single MPF ship, the USNS Lopez (T-AK 3010). The exercise is a rehearsal of the Marines and Sailors’ ability to conduct safe, efficient offloads while in a tactical environment while working in close coordination with their 2nd and 6th Fleet counterparts to enhance the rapid and scalable deployment of naval expeditionary forces in European theater. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Rachel K. Young-Porter)

II MEF rehearses distributed command, control in Naples

From Jan. 29 through March 1, 2020, approximately 575 individuals from II Marine Expeditionary Force (II MEF), in conjunction with Expeditionary Strike Group 2 (ESG-2), are conducting Maritime Preposition Force Exercise (MPFEX) 20 at Marine Corps Support Facility Blount Island and Naval Station Mayport, Florida, to develop, refine and rehearse theater opening and force deployment processes essential to II MEF’s warfighting proficiency and readiness.

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U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Iden D. Swartzentruber, engineer equipment operator, 2nd Transportation Support Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, poses for a portrait in the Kalmar Rough Terrain Container Handler following a vehicle offload during Maritime Prepositioning Force Exercise 20, on Blount Island Command, Fla., Feb. 4, 2020. MPFEX 20 is a military exercise in which Marines and Sailors worked together to offload and process military equipment from a single MPF ship, the USNS Lopez (T-AK 3010). The exercise is a rehearsal of the Marines and Sailors’ ability to conduct safe, efficient offloads while in a tactical environment while working in close coordination with their 2nd and 6th Fleet counterparts to enhance the rapid and scalable deployment of naval expeditionary forces in European theaters. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Rachel K. Young-Porter) - U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Iden D. Swartzentruber, engineer equipment operator, 2nd Transportation Support Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, poses for a portrait in the Kalmar Rough Terrain Container Handler following a vehicle offload during Maritime Prepositioning Force Exercise 20, on Blount Island Command, Fla., Feb. 4, 2020. MPFEX 20 is a military exercise in which Marines and Sailors worked together to offload and process military equipment from a single MPF ship, the USNS Lopez (T-AK 3010). The exercise is a rehearsal of the Marines and Sailors’ ability to conduct safe, efficient offloads while in a tactical environment while working in close coordination with their 2nd and 6th Fleet counterparts to enhance the rapid and scalable deployment of naval expeditionary forces in European theaters. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Rachel K. Young-Porter)

Navy, Marine Corps enhance naval integration with simultaneous operations across the globe

Hundreds of Marines and Sailors from II Marine Expeditionary Force and Expeditionary Strike Group 2 kicked off Maritime Prepositioning Force Exercise 20 at several locations across the globe February 7, 2020.

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Marine Sgt. Cesar Garcia performs preventative maintenance on an AV-8B Harrier II during exercise Banzai Badlands in Sioux Falls, S.D., Oct. 11, 2019. Marine Attack Squadron 231 and the 114th Fighter Wing of the South Dakota Air National Guard participated in a three-day exercise consisting of simulated air-to-air combat and air-to-ground strikes. Garcia is an avionic technician with VMA-231, Marine Aircraft Group 14, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Gavin Umboh) - Marine Sgt. Cesar Garcia performs preventative maintenance on an AV-8B Harrier II during exercise Banzai Badlands in Sioux Falls, S.D., Oct. 11, 2019. Marine Attack Squadron 231 and the 114th Fighter Wing of the South Dakota Air National Guard participated in a three-day exercise consisting of simulated air-to-air combat and air-to-ground strikes. Garcia is an avionic technician with VMA-231, Marine Aircraft Group 14, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Gavin Umboh)

Marine Sgt. Cesar Garcia participates in Exercise Banzai Badlands

U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Cesar Garcia, an Avionics Technician with Marine Attack Squadron 231, sits under an open hatch on an AV-8B Harrier II and plugs his laptop in to run tests. Garcia and his Marines work long hours, but come together and enjoy their work.

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Lance Cpl. Fabian Vigil (left) and Lance Cpl. Jacob A. Fox prepare an AV-8B II Harrier attack jet for take-off during a training mission with the 175th Fighter Squadron, 114th Fighter Wing at Joe Foss Field, Sioux Falls, S.D, Oct. 5, 2019. Marine Attack Squadron 231 and 175th FS, 114th FW are participating in force-on-force training consisting of simulated air-to-air combat and air-to-ground strikes to enhance interoperability and readiness. Fabian and Fox are aircraft ordnance technicians with VMA-231. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Gavin Umboh) - Lance Cpl. Fabian Vigil (left) and Lance Cpl. Jacob A. Fox prepare an AV-8B II Harrier attack jet for take-off during a training mission with the 175th Fighter Squadron, 114th Fighter Wing at Joe Foss Field, Sioux Falls, S.D, Oct. 5, 2019. Marine Attack Squadron 231 and 175th FS, 114th FW are participating in force-on-force training consisting of simulated air-to-air combat and air-to-ground strikes to enhance interoperability and readiness. Fabian and Fox are aircraft ordnance technicians with VMA-231. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Gavin Umboh)

U.S. Marines participates in Exercise Banzai Badlands in Sioux Falls, South Dakota

On October 3, 2019, Marine Attack Squadron 231 and the 114th Fighter Wing, South Dakota Air National Guard, started Exercise Banzai Badlands at Joe Foss Field in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The exercise was a three-day, total force readiness exercise for the 114th FW. VMA-231 acted as an opposing force to help provide realistic air-combat scenarios for the 114th FW.

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