A landing craft utility steers aboard the USS Peleliu, carrying Japanese tactical vehicles, Feb. 8. Marines and sailors with the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, and soldiers with the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force, are participating in a weeklong at-sea period during Exercise Iron Fist 2012, which encompasses all aspects of the Marine Air Ground Task Force during the amphibious landing on to the island and provides the Navy/Marine Corps team an opportunity to practice their craft. Exercise Iron Fist 2012 is a bilateral training exercise, which gives the 15th MEU a chance to demonstrate its amphibious capabilities to the Japanese.