The USS Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group is headed to the Caribbean and South America, just days after announcing the group was headed overseas as part of its regular deployment.
First reported by CNN, WHRO confirmed that the maneuver is part of a show of force by the Trump administration. The 4,500 sailors and Marines will be part of a drug interdiction mission run by the U.S. Southern Command.
Before leaving Norfolk on Thursday, Navy and Marine Corps leaders said they were headed to the Sixth Fleet area of operation, which includes Europe and Africa. Col. Tom Trimble, commander of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, said the Marines trained to be flexible.
“The bottom line is we're deterring our enemies, we are reassuring our partners and allies. When a crisis comes up, we will respond to that crisis, and we're able to maneuver and be able to re range all those areas that were required to respond,” said Trimble, prior to their departure.
The Amphibious Ready Group includes USS Iwo Jima and two San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ships, the USS San Antonio and the USS Fort Lauderdale. The ships carry troops from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit based at Camp Lejeune and a contingent of Harrier jump jets.
In the months leading up to a deployment, Marines are trained to evacuate embassy personnel and perform beach landings. They are typically not trained in drug interdiction.
CNN cites unnamed officials who say the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group will continue to support Southern Command for several months as the administration ramps up drug interdiction in Latin America.
The Trump administration has increasingly called on the Department of Defense to provide active-duty troops for roles associated with law enforcement. Marines were recently deployed to Los Angeles for crowd control.
A group of Navy destroyers has been deploying periodically since March from San Diego and Norfolk to patrol the waters off the southern border. The ships carry Coast Guard crews, which have the power to arrest and detain suspected smugglers. That operation is being run out of U.S. Northern Command.
