The 2014 Miramar Air Show: The End of the CH-46 Era and the Beginning of the F-35B Transformation

10/15/2014
10/12/2014: F-35 Lightning II with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 121 performing at the 2014 Miramar Air Show aboard Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif., Oct. 4. The show was noteworthy for marking both the end of an era and a beginning. The CH-46 flew at the air show at…

Defense of the Expeditionary Airfield: A Core USMC Competence

10/13/2014
10/13/2014: U.S. Marines attending Weapons and Tactics Instructor (WTI) Course 1-15 conduct a Defense of the Expeditionary Airfield Two (DEAF-2) exercise which involves defending a forward arming refueling point site against simulated attackers at Bull Attack, Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range, Calif., Oct. 03, 2014. The DEAF-2 exercise supported WTI…

The Commissioning of the USS America, October 11, 2014

10/13/2014
10/13/2014: Second Line of Defense has followed the USS America in detail since it christening event. Now the ship has been commissioned and will prepare for its active duty role.  It will do so in a troubled world, where the Marines and sailors are likely to see difficult duty in…

Conclusion of Valiant Shield 2014

09/25/2014
09/24/2014: The fifth iteration of Valiant Shield came to a close Sept. 23 after nine days of joint air, land and sea interoperability training between the Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Army. “Overall, Valiant Shield 2014 was a very successful exercise,” said Rear Adm. Russell Allen, Valiant Shield exercise…