Lance Cpl. Jarod L. Smith, a crew chief with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 365, fires a mounted M2 Browning .50-caliber machine gun from the back of the MV-22B Osprey during a live fire training session off the coast of Marine Corps Air Station New River, N.C., Feb. 10, 2016. Marines with VMM-365 flew to a landing zone, which allowed pilots to practice CALs in their Osprey’s and then flew several miles off the coast to practice their proficiency with the .50-caliber machine gun. - Lance Cpl. Jarod L. Smith, a crew chief with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 365, fires a mounted M2 Browning .50-caliber machine gun from the back of the MV-22B Osprey during a live fire training session off the coast of Marine Corps Air Station New River, N.C., Feb. 10, 2016. Marines with VMM-365 flew to a landing zone, which allowed pilots to practice CALs in their Osprey’s and then flew several miles off the coast to practice their proficiency with the .50-caliber machine gun.
2/17/2026 - https://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/articles/2026/2/13/every-marine-a-rifleman-and-now-a-drone-operator
2/13/2026 - https://news.usni.org/2026/02/11/marines-on-target-to-meet-recruiting-retention-goals
2/10/2026 - https://www.businessinsider.com/marines-still-the-only-military-service-with-clean-books-2026-2
2/06/2026 - https://www.armyrecognition.com/news/navy-news/2026/u-s-marines-conduct-night-amphibious-assaults-using-sea-launched-armored-vehicles
2/04/2026 - https://defence-blog.com/u-s-marines-test-v-bat-operations-on-uss-portland-amphibious-ship/