Australian Army soldiers carry their gear off a landing zone during exercise Crocodile Response at Point Fawcett, NT, Australia, May 24, 2021. Exercise Crocodile Response tested the ability of MRF-D and the Australian Defence Force to provide disaster relief in the Indo-Pacific region. The rotational deployment of U.S. Marines affords a combined training opportunity with Australia and improves cooperation and integration between the two country’s forces. - Australian Army soldiers carry their gear off a landing zone during exercise Crocodile Response at Point Fawcett, NT, Australia, May 24, 2021. Exercise Crocodile Response tested the ability of MRF-D and the Australian Defence Force to provide disaster relief in the Indo-Pacific region. The rotational deployment of U.S. Marines affords a combined training opportunity with Australia and improves cooperation and integration between the two country’s forces.

Lance Cpl. Nathan M. Sorenson, a data systems administrator with Command Element, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, and a native of Ubly, Michigan, tests the connectivity of the Networking On-the-Move Airborne communications system during flight operations from the amphibious assault ship, USS America (LHA 6), Sept. 22, 2020. The NOTM-A provides the mission commander the ability to command and control forces on the ground while flying above the battlefield. America, flagship of Expeditionary Strike Group 7, along with the 31st MEU, is operating in the 7th fleet area of operations to enhance interoperability with allies and partners and serve as a ready response force to defend peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. - Lance Cpl. Nathan M. Sorenson, a data systems administrator with Command Element, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, and a native of Ubly, Michigan, tests the connectivity of the Networking On-the-Move Airborne communications system during flight operations from the amphibious assault ship, USS America (LHA 6), Sept. 22, 2020. The NOTM-A provides the mission commander the ability to command and control forces on the ground while flying above the battlefield. America, flagship of Expeditionary Strike Group 7, along with the 31st MEU, is operating in the 7th fleet area of operations to enhance interoperability with allies and partners and serve as a ready response force to defend peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

U.S. Marine Staff Sgt. Alexander Teegarden, a platoon commander with Alpha Company, Infantry Training Battalion, School of Infantry - West, gives a safety brief to students before a fire and movement exercise on Range 215A as part of the sixth week of the Infantry Marine Course on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., March 3, 2021. IMC is a 14-week pilot course designed to create better trained and more lethal entry-level infantry Marines prepared for near-peer conflicts. The course uses a redesigned learning model for students intended to develop their capabilities for independent and adaptive thought and action. The program of instruction for IMC has been in development for a year and follows guidance from the 2019 Commandant's Planning Guidance and Force Design 2030. - U.S. Marine Staff Sgt. Alexander Teegarden, a platoon commander with Alpha Company, Infantry Training Battalion, School of Infantry - West, gives a safety brief to students before a fire and movement exercise on Range 215A as part of the sixth week of the Infantry Marine Course on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., March 3, 2021. IMC is a 14-week pilot course designed to create better trained and more lethal entry-level infantry Marines prepared for near-peer conflicts. The course uses a redesigned learning model for students intended to develop their capabilities for independent and adaptive thought and action. The program of instruction for IMC has been in development for a year and follows guidance from the 2019 Commandant's Planning Guidance and Force Design 2030.

The Honorable James F. Geurts, acting Under Secretary of the Navy, visited Camp Lejeune, N.C., on April 9 to observe emerging technologies being demonstrated at the Naval Integration in Contested Environments Advanced Naval Technology Exercise 2021. Lt. Gen. Eric Smith, U.S. Marine Corps deputy commandant for Combat Development and Integration, and Vice Adm. James Kilby, deputy chief of naval operations for Warfighting Requirements and Capabilities accompanied Geurts during the visit. NICE ANTX 2021, which runs through April 15, brings together private industry, academia and government labs to showcase technologies that incorporate new concepts in naval warfare, such as Distributed Maritime Operations and Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations. The exercise also provides an avenue for the military to assess capabilities and technology owners to receive feedback on their product’s efficacy. - The Honorable James F. Geurts, acting Under Secretary of the Navy, visited Camp Lejeune, N.C., on April 9 to observe emerging technologies being demonstrated at the Naval Integration in Contested Environments Advanced Naval Technology Exercise 2021. Lt. Gen. Eric Smith, U.S. Marine Corps deputy commandant for Combat Development and Integration, and Vice Adm. James Kilby, deputy chief of naval operations for Warfighting Requirements and Capabilities accompanied Geurts during the visit. NICE ANTX 2021, which runs through April 15, brings together private industry, academia and government labs to showcase technologies that incorporate new concepts in naval warfare, such as Distributed Maritime Operations and Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations. The exercise also provides an avenue for the military to assess capabilities and technology owners to receive feedback on their product’s efficacy.