| II Marine Expeditionary Force | |
|---|---|
II MEF insignia |
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| Active | |
| Country | United States |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Branch | United States Marine Corps |
| Type | Marine Air-Ground Task Force |
| Role | Expeditionary combat forces |
| Part of | United States Marine Corps Forces Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune |
| Engagements | Operation Desert Storm Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Iraqi Freedom |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander |
Lt. Gen. John M. Paxton, Jr. |
The II Marine Expeditionary Force (II MEF) is a Marine Air-Ground Task Force consisting of ground, air and logistics forces capable of projecting offensive combat power ashore while sustaining itself in combat without external assistance for a period of 60 days. The II Marine Expeditionary Force is commanded by a lieutenant general, who serves under Commander, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Command, providing Marine fighting formations and units to European Command, Central Command and Southern Command.
Contents |
United States Marine Corps Forces, South (MARFORSOUTH), headquartered in Miami, Florida, is the U.S. Marine Corps component of the United States Southern Command. Forces are provided by II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. In addition, the Marine provides an immediate reaction riverine capable forces ready to conduct training for allied forces; and support to other Marine forces in USSOUTHCOM’s area of operational responsibility.
While II MEF is included within the operational force structure of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Command (MARFORCOM) and engages in operations and exercises throughout the U.S. European and U.S. Southern Command areas, it routinely commits operating forces in support of other U.S. unified and NATO commands. II MEF is, in fact, available for and prepared to respond to contingency requirements worldwide.
In addition to the option of being employed in its entirety as a MEF-sized unit, II MEF has the capability of forming task-organized Marine Air-Ground Task Forces (MAGTF) of lesser size such as a MEF (Forward), a brigade-sized MAGTF (Marine Expeditionary Brigade or "MEB") about one-third the size of a MEF or a Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), about one-third the size of a MEB. The size and composition of any MAGTF will be dependent upon the mission assigned. One mission that could be assigned to the MEB would be assignment for planning, deployment and utilization of equipment stored aboard Maritime Prepositioning Ships (MPS). The MPS program involves the forward deployment of the MPS Squadron of four or five ships loaded with a brigade's worth of combat equipment and supplies and the airlifting of the MEB to the designated objective area to link up with the MPS Squadron. At the same time, tactical aircraft of the MEB are flight ferried to an airfield in or near the area of operation. The MEB can be sustained for 30 days by the supplies aboard the ships.
The only routinely deployed MAGTFs, the 22d, 24th and 26th MEUs deploy on a rotating basis to the Mediterranean Sea area to serve as the landing force for the Commander, 6th Fleet. The MEU consists of approximately 2,200 Marines and Sailors, is capable of rapid response in a variety of possible contingencies, and if the situation requires, can serve as the forward element of a larger MAGTF.
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