During our visit to II MEF last summer, the CG of II MEF, LtGen Beaudreault highlighted the importance of agreements between 2nd ESG and II MEF to work more closely together.
Recently, the two commands held a joint war-fighting symposium to do precisely that.
According to a USMC press release from November 15, 2021, this effort was highlighted.
U.S. Marines with 2d Marine Expeditionary Brigade , II Marine Expeditionary Force, hosted a Naval Warfighting Symposium for Expeditionary Strike Group Two , U.S. 2nd Fleet, on Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, Nov. 3, 2021. This exchange was an opportunity enhance joint capabilities between services.
During the symposium, Marines and sailors conducted joint briefings on their capabilities as an integrated team and collaborate on further integration.
“Each staff member brings different capabilities to the fight, and being able to highlight those key points between each speaker shows their value,” said U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Eric Fleegle, a future operations planner with G-4, 2d MEB.
The symposium not only promotes integration between Navy and Marine Corps, but also contributes toward mission accomplishment with partners and allies.
“I put on my NATO hat and looked at the talks from that outside perspective,” said Dutch Lt. Cmdr. Dirk De Beurs, an exchange officer from the Netherlands with ESG-2. “Whenever U.S. Forces are in Europe, they have NATO partners and countries that can also support them.”
U.S. Navy Rear. Adm. John Meloni, the commander of ESG-2, said one of his guiding points was understanding culture.
“You can’t have a truly integrated force without having a culture that values the input of others and understands there is a chain of command, but treat everyone appropriately so that they can do their jobs,” said Meloni.
The integration between the Navy and Marine Corps has never been more critical for success in the littorals, coast and by the sea.
Featured Photo: U.S. Marines with 2d Marine Expeditionary Brigade, II Marine Expeditionary Force, pose for a group picture with Sailors with Expeditionary Strike Group Two, U.S. 2nd Fleet, after a Naval Warfighting Symposium on Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, Nov. 5, 2021.
This event was an opportunity to bring together both 1-star commands and provide a venue to gain a better understanding of one another’s capabilities. During the symposium, Marines and Sailors conducted integrated briefings relating to their roles in an integrated environment or on how they could move towards that common ground. To go further in immersing the service members, discussion groups were held after the briefing to have a more personal conversation amongst peers from their respective operational areas.
(U.S. Marine Corps photo illustration by Sgt. Jesus Sepulveda Torres/Automation)