5TH FLEET AREA OF OPERATIONS (Jan. 27, 2019) Col. Michael Perez, commanding officer of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, observes a Marine aviator assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 264 conduct pre-flight checks in an AV-8B Harrier on the flight deck of the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3). Kearsarge is the flagship for the Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group and, with the embarked 22nd MEU, is deployed to the 5th Fleet area of operations in support of naval operations to ensure maritime stability and security in the Central Region, connecting the Med

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5TH FLEET AREA OF OPERATIONS (Jan. 27, 2019) Col. Michael Perez, commanding officer of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, observes a Marine aviator assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 264 conduct pre-flight checks in an AV-8B Harrier on the flight deck of the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3). Kearsarge is the flagship for the Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group and, with the embarked 22nd MEU, is deployed to the 5th Fleet area of operations in support of naval operations to ensure maritime stability and security in the Central Region, connecting the Mediterranean and the Pacific through the western Indian Ocean and three strategic choke points.

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Photo credit: © Nelly George / Alamy / Afripics
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Keywords: amphibious, archive, armed, assault, class, defence, forces, kearsar, military, navy, reportage, servicemen, ship, usa, uss, wasp