26th MEU Forms Complete MAGTF Ahead of Kearsarge ARG Deployment > United States Marine Corps Flagship > News Display

The 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit completed its composite Sept. 28, bringing together its command, ground, aviation and logistics combat elements as a Marine Air-Ground Task Force ahead of its upcoming deployment with the Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group.

The composite brings Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, serving as the ground combat element; Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 261 (reinforced), serving as the aviation combat element; and Combat Logistics Battalion 22, serving as the logistics combat element, under the 26th MEU Command Element. Together, the four elements provide the command and control, ground combat, aviation and logistics capabilities that enable the 26th MEU to operate as an integrated MAGTF.

“The 26th MEU, call sign Proteus, grew larger as a family after compositing the command element, ground, aviation and logistics Marines and Sailors as one integrated MAGTF. We look forward to the pre-deployment program, where we will integrate with our naval counterparts at PHIBRON 4 to build warfighting readiness and capabilities to provide combatant commanders an all-domain, adaptable and lethal sea-based force. Team Proteus will come to fight and win and live up to our mantra, ‘A Certain Force in an Uncertain World.’” Col. Michael Stansberry, commanding officer of the 26th MEU

Prior to composite, the MEU’s major subordinate elements conducted individual and unit-level training to build proficiency within their respective mission sets. Now composited, the 26th MEU enters the next phase of its pre-deployment training program, focused on integrating and evaluating the MAGTF as a cohesive force. Marines and Sailors across the MAGTF will train together through progressively complex events designed to build interoperability and prepare the MEU for deployment.

Lt. Gen. Robert C. Fulford, commanding general of II Marine Expeditionary Force, emphasized the MEF’s responsibility to ensure the 26th MEU is properly equipped, trained and prepared for its upcoming deployment. “Our responsibility at the MEF is to ensure the MEU has the right personnel, equipment, capabilities and training to accomplish its mission,” Fulford said. “The pre-deployment training program is a time-tested process. We must trust that process while remaining flexible enough to address emerging opportunities and challenges.”

This iteration of the 26th MEU will also integrate capabilities not previously deployed with the unit. The upcoming deployment will mark the first time the 26th MEU deploys with the Amphibious Combat Vehicle, CH-53K King Stallion and F-35B Lightning II. The MEU will also employ Organic Precision Fires-Light, providing infantry formations with a portable loitering munition capability that combines reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition with precision strike.

With its major subordinate elements now composited, the 26th MEU will continue through its pre-deployment training program and future deployment, increasing naval integration while embarked aboard the USS Kearsarge (LHD 3), USS Arlington (LPD 24) and USS Tortuga (LSD 46). Throughout the workup, Expeditionary Operations Training Group, Expeditionary Warfare Training Group Atlantic and Amphibious Squadron 4 will support the training and evaluation of the MEU through progressively complex events designed to assess its ability to plan, integrate and execute assigned mission essential tasks. These events will provide opportunities to identify and refine processes as the 26th MEU and PHIBRON 4 build proficiency as an integrated ARG/MEU team.

The 26th MEU’s upcoming deployment contributes to the Marine Corps’ goal of restoring a 3.0 ARG/MEU presence, which calls for one MEU forward from the East Coast, one from the West Coast and the 31st MEU deploying from Okinawa. During the 2026 Modern Day Marine Final Keynote Address in Washington, Gen. Eric M. Smith, commandant of the Marine Corps, identified returning to a 3.0 ARG/MEU presence as his “North Star.” Smith also described the ARG/MEU as a “force of choice for Combatant Commanders,” providing a forward-deployed and responsive capability across the competition continuum.

The 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, coupled with the USS Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group, provides geographic combatant commanders with a flexible, sea-based naval expeditionary force capable of conducting amphibious operations, crisis response, maritime interdiction and contingency response operations. The integrated ARG/MEU team combines maritime mobility with aviation, ground combat, logistics and command-and-control capabilities across a range of military operations, in any clime and place.