U.S. Marine Corps F-35s of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 242

U.S. Marines assigned to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 242 , 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, conduct a fly off aboard the forward-deployed amphibious assault carrier USS Tripoli (LHA 7), flagship of the Tripoli Expeditionary Strike Group, Dec. 17, 2025, while conducting routine operations in the U.S. 7th Fleet Area of Operations. The 31st MEU, the Marine Corps’ only continuously forward-deployed MEU, provides a flexible and lethal force ready to perform a wide range of military operations as the premiere crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific region.