CAMP LEJUENE, N.C. -- The 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit will depart for its Expeditionary Strike Group Integration Training here, May 8. The training, part of the 26th MEU’s six month predeployment training cycle, will be the first time the elements of the MEU will load their equipment and personnel aboard the ships that will make up the USS Iwo Jima ESG.
The MEU will practice and refine its rapid response planning process, plan and conduct multiple raids, and practice beachhead onload and offload procedures. In addition, the MEU will adjust to conducting operations aboard the ships of the ESG.
The time aboard ship will allow the MEU to identify and troubleshoot any issues within areas such as communication, administration, and command and control.
The ESGINT is an escalation of the training the MEU’s elements began at Fort Pickett, Va., and will involve over 2,200 Marines and sailors from the MEU.
The 26th MEU is approximately halfway through its pre-deployment period designed to facilitate the merger of the disparate elements of the MEU into a cohesive, rapid-reaction force. The 26th MEU will continue to prepare for a scheduled fall 2008 deployment in support of the Global War on Terror.
For more information on the 26th MEU, go to
www.26meu/usmc.mil.