The USS Iwo Jima and the USNS Kanawha conduct replenishment at sea, April 29, 2012, while the USS Iwo Jima transits through the Mediterranean Sea. During the RAS the USS Iwo Jima took on fuel, fresh fruits and vegetables, supplies and mail to sustain the ship through the Suez Canal transit and upcoming exercise. The 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, partnered with the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group, is deployed as a theater reserve and crisis response force capable of a variety of missions from full-scale combat operations to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.