Media are invited to cover the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit and their Navy counterparts of Amphibious Squadron 8 this week as they test their ability to rapidly plan and respond to a variety of crises in order to be prepared for an upcoming deployment this spring.
The 24th MEU/PHIBRON 8 team will conduct training missions in North Carolina and Virginia in the coming days, which will include a Tactical Recovery of Aircraft and Personnel (TRAP), mechanized raids, long-range aviation raids, and a response to a multiple casualty situation. A unique addition to this final exercise will be the integration of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), which will deploy with the 24th MEU. This will be the first East Coast MEU to deploy with a UAV, which they will use to gather aerial imagery.
This training evolution is also being included in the scenario driving Bold Alligator, the largest amphibious exercise conducted off the East Coast in ten years. If media are interested in obtaining more information or would like to join 24th MEU during one of these exercises
please contact Capt. Robert Shuford at robert.shuford@IWO-JIMA.usmc.mil