11th MEU conducts live-fire exercise aboard USS Portland in South China Sea

U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Isaac Pippert, a radio operator with Battalion Landing Team 3/5, 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, fires an M107 .50-caliber Special Applications Scoped Rifle during a defense of the amphibious task force live-fire exercise aboard San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS Portland (LPD 27) in the South China Sea, June 12, 2026. The 11th MEU, embarked aboard the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group, is a persistent, combat credible force contributing to deterrence and crisis response in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations. U.S. 7th Fleet, the U.S. Navy’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners to preserve a free and open Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Luke Rodriguez)