A specialized Marine unit and its amphibious ready group are wrapping up a longer-than-expected deployment, leaving the Mediterranean on Wednesday after deploying to the area in response to tensions caused by the Israel-Hamas war, a Navy press release announced Wednesday.
The 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, a special operations-capable element, and the Navy's Bataan Amphibious Ready Group originally deployed in July — nearly eight months ago — to deter Iranian aggression against commercial shipping vessels near the Persian Gulf. After Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel, it steamed to the Mediterranean as a deterrent effort.
As of last month, the Bataan ARG's deployment — which also includes the dock landing ship USS Carter Hall and the amphibious transport dock ship USS Mesa Verde — had been extended twice amid questions about the readiness of the Navy's amphibious fleet.
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When Military.com asked the Navy about the timing of another ARG/MEU team deploying from the East Coast, the sea service declined to say and instead replied that “all force posture decisions are made by the Department of Defense.”
Meanwhile, the Marine Corps didn't offer an answer in time for publication about when another ARG/MEU would again find itself in Europe or the Middle East.
Sailors and Marines will return to Norfolk, Virginia, and Camp Lejeune, North Carolina,…
