11th Marine Expeditionary Unit
| 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit | |
|---|---|
11th Marine Expeditionary Unit insignia
|
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| Active | 13 April 1979 – present |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | USMC |
| Type | Special Operations Capable – Marine Air Ground Task Force |
| Role | Forward-deployed, rapid-response force |
| Size | 2,200 |
| Part of | I Marine Expeditionary Force |
| Garrison/HQ | Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton |
| Nickname(s) | "Pride of the Pacific" |
| Engagements | |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander |
Colonel Clay C. Tipton |
Operation Stabilise
War on Terror
The 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (11th MEU) is one of seven Marine Expeditionary Units currently in existence in the United States Marine Corps. The Marine Expeditionary Unit is a Marine Air Ground Task Force with a strength of about 2,200 personnel. The MEU consists of a command element, a reinforced infantry battalion, a composite helicopter squadron and a logistics combat element. The 11th MEU is currently based out of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California with headquarters in Camp Del Mar.
The mission of the MEU is to provide geographic combatant commanders with a forward-deployed, rapid-response force capable of conducting conventional amphibious and selected maritime special operations at night or under adverse weather conditions from the sea, by surface and/or by air while under communications and electronics restrictions.
The 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), originally designated the 17th Marine Amphibious Unit (MAU), formed at Camp Pendleton, California on 13 April 1979.
The MAU was created to plan and participate in large-scale amphibious training exercises. In its early days, the unit also fulfilled requirements for a west coast based MAU to respond to contingencies, but was normally activated and deactivated based largely upon scheduled amphibious landing exercises directed by the Commander, Third Fleet. During this time, the billet of MAU Commanding Officer alternated between Regimental and Aircraft Group Commanders who filled the billet in six-month increments as a secondary duty during their tenures in command.
In 1983, the Marine Corps directed a change that resulted in the first renaming of the 17th MAU. The decision was made to "source" the continuously deployed Western Pacific (WESTPAC) MAUs from I Marine Amphibious Force units in Southern California. Previously, their units came from the 1st Marine Brigade in Hawaii. This resulted in the renaming of the 17th MAU to the 11th MAU on 20 July 1984.
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