Marines from Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines stand by on a Landing Craft Utility to board the multipurpose amphibious assault ship USS Wasp after a month of training on Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The Marines are the ground combat element of the first Security Cooperation Marine Air-Ground Task Force to operate in Marine Forces South's area of focus. Wasp is currently deployed on Southern Partnership Station-Amphib with Destroyer Squadron 40 and embarked SCMAGTF. Southern Partnership Station is part of the Partnership of the Americas Maritime Strategy that focuses on building interoperability and cooperation in the region to meet common challenges. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Heather Brewer)