26th MEU PMINT, US Marine Corps Photo

Marines and Sailors assigned to the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) load gear onto buses aboard Camp Lejeune, N.C., to travel to the USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) aboard Naval Station Norfolk, Va., Jan. 22, 2013. The MEU and Amphibious Squadron (PHIBRON) 4 are conducting PHIBRON-MEU Integration in preparation for their Composite Training Unit Exercise, the final phase of a six-month pre-deployment training program. The 26th MEU operates continuously across the globe, providing the president and unified combatant commanders with a forward-deployed, sea-based quick reaction force. The MEU is a Marine Air-Ground Task Force capable of conducting amphibious operations, crisis response and limited contingency operations. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Christopher Q. Stone/Released)