16 December 2014

1600 - 1700

After departing last February 8 from Norfolk, VA and Camp Lejeune, NC, the BATARG/22nd MEU spent much of their time poised for crisis response in the Mediterranean Sea and the Middle East, which are designated as the 5th and 6th Fleet areas of responsibility. There, the ARG/MEU team participated in five major multinational exercises designed to strengthen coalition partnerships and reinforce regional security and stability as well as conduct combat operations against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

As an expeditionary crisis response force operating from the sea,  MEUs are considered to be America's 911 forces, forward deployed, ready to respond to a variety of crises from full scale combat to humanitarian assistance. Days into an exercise in Jordan, the BATARG/22nd MEU was ordered to the coast of Libya for a possible evacuation of U.S. personnel. Additionally during their deployment, they rescued nearly 300 persons in distress in the Mediterranean Sea and and supported operations against ISIL in Iraq.