USS Ashland, TF Ashland conduct well deck ops in Pacific Ocean

PACIFIC OCEAN (Jan. 24, 2026) - Landing Craft, Utility 1648, attached to Assault Craft Unit 1, is tethered inside the well deck aboard amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD 48) during a well deck operations certification exercise along the California coast, Jan. 24, 2026. Task Force Ashland is a flexible, forward-deployed crisis response force led by the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit. Purpose-built to integrate with allies and partners, TF Ashland supports a free and open Indo-Pacific by providing immediate response capabilities for any contingency. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Brian Knowles)