U.S. Navy and Marines Demonstrate Amphibious Warfare Backbone in Pacific Exercise.

The U.S. Navy announced that the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group and the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit завершed an extended integrated training exercise on February 6, 2026, following nearly three weeks at sea off Southern California. The event highlighted how large-deck amphibious ships remain central to Marine Corps expeditionary warfare and rapid crisis response.

According to information released by the U.S. Navy, the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group, operating alongside the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, completed an extended integrated training exercise in the Pacific Ocean on February 6, 2026. Conducted from January 21, 2026, through early February within U.S. 3rd Fleet waters, the at-sea period tested command and control, aviation operations, and ship-to-shore maneuver in a demanding maritime environment. Navy officials described the exercise as more than a certification event, emphasizing its role in validating how amphibious forces are employed in real-world expeditionary scenarios.
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The Boxer Amphibious Ready Group, escorted by the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Princeton (CG-59), executes a simulated strait transit in the Pacific Ocean on January 27, 2026. The maneuver strengthened Navy-Marine Corps integration and force protection procedures as the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit conducted high-end integrated training operations in the U.S. 3rd Fleet area of responsibility. (Picture source: U.S. Department of War)

At the center of the formation was the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4), which functions as a floating airbase and command hub for Marine expeditionary forces. The LHD is essential to Marine Corps operations because it enables the launch and recovery of fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft, including F-35B fighters and MV-22B Ospreys, without reliance on land-based runways. During the exercise, Boxer provided the aviation platform required for sustained air assault operations, aviation strike coordination, and command and control of widely dispersed forces. This capability is fundamental to Marine doctrine, which prioritizes speed, vertical maneuver, and the ability to mass combat power from the sea at a time and place of the U.S. choosing.

Operating in close coordination with Boxer, the San Antonio-class USS Portland (LPD 27) illustrated the complementary role of the amphibious transport dock in modern Marine Corps operations. Unlike the aviation-centric LHD, the LPD is optimized for surface and subsurface movement of troops, vehicles, and equipment. Its well deck supports landing craft and amphibious combat vehicles, while its internal spaces are configured to embark a reinforced infantry battalion with organic logistics and command elements. For the 11th MEU, Portland served as a maneuver and sustainment platform, enabling ship-to-shore movements critical to seizing and holding terrain in contested littoral environments.

The Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship USS Comstock (LSD 45) further expanded the ARG’s surface assault capacity, particularly for heavy equipment and vehicle transport. Together, the LHD, LPD, and LSD formed a layered amphibious system that allowed Marine commanders to choose between vertical assault, surface assault, or a combination of both. This flexibility is a defining strength of U.S. amphibious forces and was deliberately stressed during the exercise through rapid transitions between aviation raids, amphibious vehicle assaults, and distributed maritime security operations.

For the U.S. Marine Corps, conducting this type of integrated exercise is essential, not optional. Amphibious operations are among the most complex missions in military warfare, requiring precise synchronization between naval fires, aviation, surface connectors, logistics, and ground maneuver. The company-sized helicopter raids conducted in Barstow, California, and Yuma, Arizona, as well as the amphibious combat vehicle raid at Camp Pendleton, were designed to validate the Marines’ ability to project power far inland while remaining supported from the sea. These scenarios directly reflect real-world contingencies in which Marines may be required to rapidly seize key terrain, evacuate civilians, or disrupt adversary operations before heavier joint forces arrive.

The exercise also reinforced why the LHD and LPD combination remains strategically significant as the Marine Corps adapts to concepts such as Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations and distributed maritime operations. While future doctrine emphasizes smaller, more dispersed units, those forces still depend on large amphibious ships for initial entry, sustainment, aviation support, and medical care. Without LHDs and LPDs, the Marine Corps would lose its ability to deploy a self-contained, scalable combat force capable of immediate action worldwide.

From an operational readiness standpoint, the Boxer ARG and 11th MEU used this at-sea period to apply lessons learned from previous deployments while introducing more complex and demanding mission sets. According to Navy and Marine Corps officers involved, the focus was on decision-making under pressure, degraded communications, and rapid re-tasking of forces, all conditions expected in high-end conflict. The exercise confirmed that the ARG-MEU team remains the nation’s only standing forcible-entry capability, a role that is increasingly significant as access to overseas bases becomes more limited.

Homeported at Naval Base San Diego and assigned to Amphibious Squadron 1, the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group now moves forward with a refined and validated operational framework. By fully integrating the unique strengths of the LHD and LPD into Marine air-ground task force operations, the 11th MEU demonstrated why amphibious forces remain a cornerstone of U.S. military power, providing decision-makers with credible options in crises, competitions, and conflicts.

Written by Alain Servaes – Chief Editor, Army Recognition Group
Alain Servaes is a former infantry non-commissioned officer and the founder of Army Recognition. With over 20 years in defense journalism, he provides expert analysis on military equipment, NATO operations, and the global defense industry.