26th-meu

For more than 20 years, the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit has served as "America's Force in Readiness" in the Mediterranean region. Established in the early 1970s as the 36th Marine Amphibious Unit, the MEU has deployed 14 times and participated in numerous contingency operations and training exercises.

26th MEU Historical Timeline

1975 -- 36th MAU participates in Exercise Staff Zugel in the Federal Republic of Germany. This marks the first time since World War I that Marines took a combined arms force ashore in Germany.
1982 -- Unit redesigned as 26th Marine Amphibious Unit.
1985 -- Rotation cycle of three MAUs on the East Coast is initiated.
1985 -- 26th MAU becomes first unit to undergo Special Operations Capability training and earn the SOC qualification.
1985 -- 26th MAU becomes first unit to have AV8-B Harriers attached.
1988 -- All Marine Amphibious Units redesigned as Marine Expeditionary Units.
1991 -- 26th MEU supports Operation Desert Shield by providing a "Show of Force" in the Mediterranean, and participates in Operation Sharp Edge, a a non-combatant evacuation operation of Liberia.
1992 -- 26th MEU participates in Operations Provide Promise, Deny Flight and Sharp Guard off the coast of Yugoslavia.
1994 -- 26th MEU participates in ceremonies marking the 50th Anniversary of the D-Day invasion of Normandy, France.
1994 -- 26th MEU supports Operation Restore Hope off the coast of Somalia and participates in continuing operations in Bosnia.
1995 -- 26th MEU becomes the first MEU to deploy with M-1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tanks.
1996 -- 26th MEU becomes the first MEU to deploy with the Joint Task Force Enabler communications package.
1997 -- 26th MEU launches Operation Silver Wake, evacuating American citizens and Third Country Nationals from Albania.
1997 -- 26th MEU participates in Operation Guardian Retrieval, the staging of forces in Congo for a possible evacuation of Zaire.
1998 -- 26th MEU serves as the Headquarters for the Strategic Reserve Force during Exercise Dynamic Response in Bosnia. The SRF is a multinational force made up of forces from the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Romania, Poland and the United States.
1998 -- 26th MEU participates in Determined Falcon, the one-day NATO aerial show-of-force in Kosovo.
April - May 1999 -- 26th MEU participates in Operations Noble Anvil and Shining Hope. While supporting Noble Anvil, the NATO bombing Campaign in Kosovo with AV-8B Harrier Attack Aircraft, the MEU also provided security for Kosovar Refugees at Camps Hope and Eagle in Albania.
June - July 1999 -- 26th MEU participates in Operation Joint Guardian, as the first U.S. Peacekeepers in Kosovo the Marines and the Sailors of the MEU provided stability to the embattled region.
August 1999 -- 26th MEU participates in Operation Avid Response, providing Humanitarian Assistance to the people of Western Turkey left homeless by a devastating earthquake.
September 1999 -- The 26th MEU participates in Exercises Atlas Hinge in Tunisia and Northern Approach in Turkey.
September 2000 -- The 26th MEU conducted Adriatic presence operations during the election crisis in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The MEU also participated in exercises Atlas Hinge in Tunisia and Croatian Phibex 2000, the first ever bi-lateral exercise between the Marine Corps and the Croatian Armed Forces.
October 2000 -- The 26th MEU supported diplomatic initiatives during unrest in Israel while simultaneous taking part in the NATO exercise Destined Glory 2000.
November 2000 -- The 26th MEU continued to break new ground by the second ever bi-lateral exercise between the Marine Corps and the Croatian Armed Forces, exercise Slunj 2000. During this exercise the 26th MEU's Battalion Landing Team, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment launched the first ever Javelin anti-tank missile fired by a deployed MEU.

Command Element

	Col A. P. Frick
	Commanding Officer
LtCol John A. DelColliano		SgtMaj Frank J. Knox
Executive Officer		Sergeant Major

Battalion Landing Team 1/8
LtCol David K. Hough	Maj James E. Donnellan	SgtMaj Jessie J. Cordes
Commanding Officer	Executive Officer	Sergeant Major

Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 264
LtCol William J. Wainwright	LtCol Greg F. Kleine	SgtMaj Hayward Williams
Commanding Officer	Executive Officer	Sergeant Major

MEU Service Support Group 26
LtCol John R. Hahn	Maj David G. Loyack	1stSgt Mark S. Harrell
Commanding Officer	Executive Officer	Sergeant Major Billet

Organization

The 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit is a scalable, cohesive and task-oriented force comprised of more than 2,100 Marines and Sailors who undertake a rigorous 180-day pre-deployment training program prior to their six-month deployment to the Mediterranean Sea.

Marine Expeditionary Units, built on the concept of a Marine Air-Ground Task Force, are much like an athletic team whose coaching and training staffs remain permanently intact and receive athletes only for the season. The command element serves as the "coaching staff" for the combat and combat service support units under its command. These units are referred to as Major Subordinate Elements or MSEs. They serve on this "team" for one year.

The 26th MEU MSEs are Battalion Landing Team 1/8 (a reinforced infantry battalion with light armored vehicles, artillery and amphibious assault vehicles), which forms the ground combat element; Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron-264 (Rein), a composite helicopter squadron (with air traffic control, crash, fire and rescue units, and AV-8B Harriers) that forms the aviation combat element; MEU Service Support Group-26, a combat service support element that provides logistical support; and the Command Element.

Once formed and special operations qualified, this forward-deployed and self-sustaining Marine Air-Ground Task Force offers a robust combat unit for any theater commander.

Training

Stand-down/Stand-up Periods: Upon completion of a deployment, the Marine Expeditionary Unit's command element maintains operational control of its major subordinate commands (MSEs) and remains "Special Operations Capable" for approximately one month. During the month, the MEU is on stand-by to respond to events around the world. Following this period, the MEU "stands down," releasing its MSEs and retaining only its command element. During the stand-down period, the command element receives incoming personnel and prepares for the upcoming training cycle. Following the stand-down, the MEU acquires new MSEs and begins the "work-up" process all over again.
There are seven MEU's in the Marine Corps, three on each coast of the United States and one in Okinawa, Japan. The East Coast MEUs maintain a near-constant presence in the Mediterranean. Each MEU follows a similar work-up/deployment cycle.

Work-Up Period: The MSEs are assigned to the MEU's command approximately six months prior to the scheduled Mediterranean deployment. During this six-month "work-up" period, referred to as a "crawl, walk, run period," intensive training in individual, small unit, and unit training progresses to complete integrated training for the MSEs. This training is accomplished through completing a number of courses and work-up exercises. Some courses conducted include: Urban Sniper, Mechanical and Boat Raids, Noncombatant Evacuation Operations, Humanitarian Assistance, Mass Casualty, Scout Swimmer and Mountain Warfare. Exercises conducted during the work-up include: Phibron/MEU Integration Training (PMINT), Training in an Urban Environment Exercise (TRUEX), Amphibious Ready Group Exercise (ARGEX), Joint Task Force Exercise (JTFEX), and the Special Operations Capable Exercise (SOCEX).

The Deployment: Following the work-up, the MEU deploys for six months to the Mediterranean Sea. During this time, the MEU is a forward-deployed, self-sustaining force that the European Command can direct to accomplish a variety of special operations and conventional missions in 82 countries throughout its area of responsibility. This includes most of Europe and Africa. The missions may include:

Conventional Operations (Amphibious Assaults and Raids)
Tactical Recovery of Aircraft and Personnel (TRAP)
Humanitarian Assistance (HA)
Non-Combatant Evacuation Operations (NEO)
Security Operations