Looking Back: USMC Ospreys and Harriers Aboard the HMS Illustrious

03/27/2015
03/25/2015: By Robbin Laird In 2007, the HMS Illustrious was the first non-US ship on which an Osprey was to land. I had the opportunity to be aboard one of those Ospreys and land on the ship and observe Marines working with the Royal Navy and operating their Harriers off of the…

Bold Alligator 2014: Long Range Raid to Support Embassy Under Seige

11/07/2014
11/07/2014: Bold Alligator 2014 is a crisis response exercise and continues the work of BA 2012 and BA 2013. It is about calibrating insertion forces against various threats.  The forces are American and coalition with several nations contributing ships, and combat personnel to both the planning and execution of the…

Osprey Working During a Helicopter Support Team Exercise

11/07/2014
11/07/2014: Perhaps the name should change, but one can see the Osprey in its workhouse role in these photos.  [maxgallery id="68972"]  Credit: Ist Marine Logistics Group:8/22/14 An MV-22B Osprey with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 165, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, descends as Marines with Combat Logistics Battalion 13, 1st Marine Logistics…

Bold Alligator 2014: Shaping Insertion Forces for Crisis Response

11/04/2014
11/01/2014: Bold Alligator 2014 is a crisis response exercise and continues the work of Bold Alligator 2012 and Bold Alligator 2013. It is about calibrating insertion forces against various threats.  Insertion Forces Front Line Defence The forces are American and coalition with several nations contributing ships, and combat personnel to…

Bold Alligator 2014: Osprey Insertions

11/02/2014
11/01/2014: U.S. Marines assigned to 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, are seen conducting simulated embassy protective actions in support of exercise Bold Alligator 14 aboard Camp Lejeune, N.C., Oct. 29, 2014. Exercise Bold Alligator 14 is a multi-national, synthetic naval amphibious exercise designed to train across the full range of…

Spanish Soldiers Board LCAC Being Launched by USS Arlington During Bold Alligator 2014

11/02/2014
11/01/2014: Bold Alligator 2014 is a crisis response exercise and continues the work of BA 2012 and BA 2013. It is about calibrating insertion forces against various threats.  The forces are American and coalition with several nations contributing ships, and combat personnel to both the planning and execution of the…

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…