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15th Marine Expeditionary Unit

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Military History and War

                      15th Marine Expeditionary Unit
   15th Marine Expeditionary Unit Insignia
      Active    July 1, 1987 - present
     Country    United States
      Branch    USMC
       Type     Special Operations Capable - Marine Air Ground Task Force
       Role     Forward-deployed, rapid-response force
       Size     2,200
     Part of    I Marine Expeditionary Force
   Garrison/HQ  Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton
   Battles/wars Operation Restore Hope
                Operation Enduring Freedom
                Operation Iraqi Freedom
                                Commanders
     Current
   commander    Colonel Brian D. Beaudreault

   The 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (15th MEU) is one of seven Marine
   Expeditionary Units currently in existence in the United States Marine
   Corps. The Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) is a Marine Air Ground Task
   Force (MAGTF) with a strength of about 2,200 personnel. The MEU
   consists of a command element, a reinforced infantry battalion, a
   composite helicopter squadron and a MEU service support group.The 15th
   MEU is currently based out of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton,
   California.

Mission

   The mission of the MEU is to provide geographic combatant commanders
   with a forward-deployed, rapid-response force capable of conducting
   conventional amphibious and selected maritime special operations at
   night or under adverse weather conditions from the sea, by surface
   and/or by air while under communications and electronics restrictions.

History

Early years

   In April 1983, the Commandant of the Marine Corps approved the original
   Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) Headquarters concept, providing
   for the sourcing of two Marine Amphibious Unit (MAU) headquarters from
   each Marine Amphibious Brigade headquarters. The Commandant directed
   the establishment of two additional MAU headquarters in November 1985.
   As a result, the Headquarters, 15th Marine Amphibious Unit was
   activated July 1, 1987 at Camp Pendleton.

   The Commandant directed the replacement of the title "Headquarters"
   with "Command Element" in the titles of the MAGTFs in August of 1987.
   The 15th MAU’s designation was further changed in February 1988 to the
   15th Marine Expeditionary Unit. Both changes were made to more
   accurately reflect the operational and expeditionary nature of the
   MAGTF. Prior to World War II, and in the period between the war and the
   Vietnam Conflict, Marine units dispatched for overseas service were
   generally designated as “expeditionary brigades."

   Since its activation in July 1987, the 15th MEU has trained to meet its
   mission in the rotation with the 11th and 13th MEUs to provide a
   continuous presence in the Western Pacific, Indian Ocean, and Persian
   Gulf and as a ready MAGTF in the continental United States.

   In October 1989, the MEU assisted in relief efforts following the San
   Francisco earthquake, performing their assigned missions and also
   taking on several volunteer projects to help the victims of the
   disaster.

1990s

   Marines of the 15th MEU evacuated the Republic of the Philippines in
   June 1991 after the eruption of Mount Pinatubo. Assistance lasted over
   amonth as the Marines distributed food and medical supplies, evacuated
   stranded villagers and provided security to other rescue personnel.

   The MEU spearheaded Operation Restore Hope on December 9, 1992, to
   provide humanitarian assistance to the civil war torn and famine
   stricken country of Somalia. After a predawn landing, the Marines
   secured the capital city of Mogadishu, the international airport and
   maritime shipping port facilities, as well as the American Embassy, and
   quickly moved into other inland areas to protect food distribution
   convoys and patrol the streets to restore order. The MEU pushed into
   and secured the inland cities of Baidoa, Balidogle and the coastal town
   of Kismayo in order to establish relief efforts and maintain security.
   The span of operations for the Battalion Landing Team was over 150
   miles.

   During its deployment in 1994, the MEU provided a detachment of CH-53Es
   to assist in the Rwanda Relief Effort. . The detachment, based in
   Entebbe, Uganda, provided the only heavy lift capability to the joint
   task force commander. A few weeks later the MEU assisted in the
   relocation of the United States Liaison Office from Mogadishu, Somalia
   to Nairobi, Kenya.

   In October 1994, the MEU was called on again to provide a quick
   reaction force to counter any possible Iraqi aggression against Kuwait.
   Within 48 hours, the MEU sent Marines ashore in Kuwait City to
   demonstrate U.S. resolve in maintaining peace and security in the area.

   In January 1996, July 1997, and October 1998, AV-8B Harriers from the
   15th MEU (SOC) participated in Operation Southern Watch, patrolling the
   No-fly zone over southern Iraq maintaining continuous surveillance of
   the Kuwait-Iraq border, and to ensure the Iraqi military did not
   violate any United Nations resolutions passed since the Gulf War.

   During its 2000 deployment, the 15th MEU (SOC) also participated in the
   Australian-led Operation Stabilise, providing desperately needed
   assistance to the people of East Timor, and again patrolled the skies
   over Southern Iraq in support of Operation Southern Watch.

Global War on Terror

   Infantrymen from the 15th MEU at Camp Rhino on November 25, 2001
   Enlarge
   Infantrymen from the 15th MEU at Camp Rhino on November 25, 2001

   Following the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Centre and the
   Pentagon, the 15th MEU (SOC) continued their plans of humanitarian
   operations to assist the war-torn country of East Timor, before sailing
   to the North Arabian Sea in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

   On October 7, 2001, the 15th MEU participated in the United States' new
   "War on Terrorism," sending Marines and Sailors into Northern Pakistan
   to establish a forward operating air base and logistical hub.

   On November 25, 2001, the Marines and Sailors of the 15th MEU (SOC)
   conducted an Amphibious assault over 400 miles into the land-locked
   country of Afghanistan. The Marines and Sailors set new standards for
   Marine Corps amphibious doctrine. Landing at a remote airbase, 90 miles
   southwest of Kandahar, the Marines established Camp Rhino, America's
   first Forward Operating Base while maintaining the first significant
   conventional ground presence in Afghanistan. The Marines and coalition
   forces later moved north to Kandahar International Airport securing a
   new forward operating base. With the move, the Marines and coalition
   forces were able to continue with new missions and build a prison camp
   that housed numerous Taliban and Al-Qaeda fighters.

   On January 6, 2003, this time onboard the USS Tarawa ARG, the 15th MEU
   (SOC) departed once again for another deployment. In mid-February,
   elements of the MEU off-loaded and established a training camp in
   Northern Kuwait while other members of the MAGTF — primarily the
   helicopter squadron — remained onboard the Tarawa ARG in the Persian
   Gulf.

   During February and March 2003, the MEU was assigned tactical control
   (TACON) to the United Kingdom's 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines for
   Operation Iraqi Freedom. On March 21, 2003, Marines from the 15th MEU
   crossed the border into Southern Iraq and secured the ports of Umm Qasr
   and Az Zubayr in order to destroy Iraqi resistance and enable follow-on
   humanitarian assistance to begin.

   In late-March 2003, the MEU again became part of the I Marine
   Expeditionary Force and moved to An Nasiriyah, Iraq to relieve the
   Marines of Task Force Tarawa. In An Nasiriyah, the 15th MEU secured the
   remaining sectors of the city, conducted a supporting attack during the
   rescue of American Prisoner of war Jessica Lynch and continued to
   establish security throughout the greater An Nasiriyah area. The MEU
   provided humanitarian assistance to the local population that included
   purifying drinking water, and doctors and corpsmen assisted medical
   care. The MEU began helping establish the local government to include
   police and other local services in addition to continuing to conduct
   airborne surveillance and direct-action raids on the ground to seek out
   and capture any Ba’ath Party or Fedayeen resistance.

   In January 2005, the 15th MEU participated in Operation Unified
   Assistance by providing disaster relief to survivors of the massive
   tsunami in Sumatra, Indonesia and southern Sri Lanka. Immediately after
   wrapping up those operations, the 15th MEU proceeded to Baghdad, Iraq
   to provide security and stability in a rural area of the city.

Current Units

     * Ground Combat Element (GCE) - 2nd Battalion 4th Marine Regiment
     * Air Combat Element (ACE) - HMM-165 [REIN]
     * Combat Service Support Element (CSSE) - Combat Logistics Battalion
       15

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