15th Marine Expeditionary Unit The 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit ( 15th MEU ) is one of seven Marine Expeditionary Unit s currently in existence in the United States Marine Corps . The Marine Expeditionary Unit ( MEU ) is a Marine Air Ground Task Force ( MAGTF ) with a strength of about 2 , 200 personnel . The MEU consists of a command element , a reinforced infantry battalion , a composite helicopter squadron and a combat logistics battalion . The 15th MEU is currently based out of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton , California . Mission . The mission of the MEU is to provide geographic combatant commanders with a forward - deployed , rapid - response force capable of conducting conventional amphibious and selected maritime special operations at night or under adverse weather conditions from the sea , by surface and / or by air while under communications and electronics restrictions . History . Early years . In April 1983 , the Commandant of the Marine Corps approved the original Marine Air - Ground Task Force ( MAGTF ) Headquarters concept , providing for the sourcing of two Marine Amphibious Unit ( MAU ) headquarters from each Marine Amphibious Brigade headquarters . The Commandant directed the establishment of two additional MAU headquarters in November 1985 . As a result , the Headquarters , 15th Marine Amphibious Unit was activated 1 July 1987 at Camp Pendleton . The Commandant directed the replacement of the title " Headquarters " with " Command Element " in the titles of the MAGTFs in August 1987 . The 15th MAU ’ s designation was further changed in February 1988 to the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit . Both changes were made to more accurately reflect the operational and expeditionary nature of the MAGTF . Before World War II , and in the period between then and the Vietnam War , Marine units dispatched for overseas service were generally designated as “ expeditionary brigades . " Since its activation in July 1987 , the 15th MEU has trained to meet its mission in the rotation with the 11th and 13th MEU s to provide a continuous presence in the Western Pacific , Indian Ocean , and Persian Gulf and as a ready MAGTF in the continental United States . In October 1989 , the MEU assisted in relief efforts following the San Francisco earthquake , performing their assigned missions and also taking on several volunteer projects to help the victims of the disaster . 1990s . Marines of the 15th MEU relieved the 1st Battalion , 24th Marines ( 1 / 24 , 4th Marine Division ) to continue the evacuation of the Republic of the Philippines in August 1991 after the eruption of Mount Pinatubo that had occurred six weeks earlier . Assistance lasted over a month as the Marines distributed food and medical supplies , evacuated stranded villagers and provided security to other rescue personnel . The MEU spearheaded Operation Restore Hope on 9 December 1992 , to provide humanitarian assistance to the civil war torn and famine - stricken country of Somalia . After a predawn landing , the Marines secured the capital city of Mogadishu , the international airport and maritime shipping port facilities , as well as the American Embassy , and quickly moved into other inland areas to protect food distribution convoys and patrol the streets to restore order . The MEU pushed into and secured the inland cities of Baidoa and Balidogle and the coastal town of Kismayo in order to establish relief efforts and maintain security . The span of operations for the Battalion Landing Team was over . During its deployment in 1994 , the MEU provided a detachment of CH - 53E s to assist in the Rwanda Relief Effort . The detachment , based in Entebbe , Uganda , provided the only heavy lift capability to the joint task force commander . A few weeks later the MEU assisted in the relocation of the United States Liaison Office from Mogadishu , Somalia , to Nairobi , Kenya . In October 1994 , the MEU was called on again to provide a quick reaction force to counter any possible Iraqi aggression against Kuwait . Within 48 hours , the MEU sent Marines ashore in Kuwait City to demonstrate U . S . resolve in maintaining peace and security in the area . In January 1996 , July 1997 , and October 1998 , AV - 8B Harriers from the 15th MEU ( SOC ) participated in Operation Southern Watch , patrolling the No - fly zone over southern Iraq maintaining continuous surveillance of the Kuwait - Iraq border , and to ensure the Iraqi military did not violate any United Nations resolution s passed since the Gulf War . During its 2000 deployment , the 15th MEU ( SOC ) also participated in the Australian - led Operation Stabilise , providing desperately needed assistance to the people of East Timor , and again patrolled the skies over Southern Iraq in support of Operation Southern Watch . Global War on Terror . Marines of the Forward Command Element of the 15th MEU ( SOC ) were in East Timor readying for the arrival of the ARG to conduct Humanitarian Operations , while the ARG was in Darwin , Australia during the September 2001 terror attacks on the United States . Following the 11 September attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon , the 15th MEU ( SOC ) continued their plans of humanitarian operations to assist the war - torn country of East Timor , before sailing to the North Arabian Sea in support of Operation Enduring Freedom . On 7 October 2001 , the 15th MEU participated in the United States ' new " War on Terrorism , " sending Marines and Sailors into Northern Pakistan to establish a forward operating air base and logistical hub . These Marines provided security to USAF personnel who arrived on location shortly after the 15th MEU Marines of Battalion Landing Team 1 / 1 had established security . On 25 November 2001 , the Marines and Sailors of the 15th MEU ( SOC ) conducted an Amphibious assault over into the land - locked country of Afghanistan . The Marines and Sailors set new standards for Marine Corps amphibious doctrine . Landing at a remote airbase , southwest of Kandahar , the Marines occupied Camp Rhino that had been secured by the U . S . Army special forces , America ' s first Forward Operating Base while maintaining the first significant conventional ground presence in Afghanistan . The Marines and coalition forces later moved north to Kandahar International Airport securing a new forward operating base . With the move , the Marines and coalition forces were able to continue with new missions and build a prison camp that housed numerous Taliban and Al - Qaeda fighters . On 6 January 2003 , this time on board the ARG , the 15th MEU ( SOC ) departed once again for another deployment . In mid - February , elements of the MEU off - loaded and established a training camp in Northern Kuwait while other members of the MAGTF – primarily the helicopter squadron – remained on board the Tarawa ARG in the Persian Gulf . During February and March 2003 , tactical control ( TACON ) of the MEU was assigned to the United Kingdom ' s 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines for Operation Iraqi Freedom . On 21 March 2003 , Marines from the 15th MEU crossed the border into Southern Iraq and secured the ports of Umm Qasr and Az Zubayr in order to destroy Iraqi resistance and enable follow - on humanitarian assistance to begin . In late - March 2003 , the MEU again became part of the I Marine Expeditionary Force and moved to An Nasiriyah , Iraq to relieve the Marines of Task Force Tarawa . In An Nasiriyah , the 15th MEU secured the remaining sectors of the city , conducted a supporting attack during the rescue of American Prisoner of war Jessica Lynch and continued to establish security throughout the greater An Nasiriyah area . The MEU provided humanitarian assistance to the local population that included purifying drinking water , and doctors and corpsmen assisted medical care . The MEU began helping establish the local government to include police and other local services in addition to continuing to conduct airborne surveillance and direct - action raids on the ground to seek out and capture any Ba ’ ath Party or Fedayeen resistance . In January 2005 , the 15th MEU participated in Operation Unified Assistance by providing disaster relief to survivors of the massive tsunami in Sumatra , Indonesia and southern Sri Lanka . Immediately after wrapping up those operations , the 15th MEU proceeded south of Baghdad , Iraq to Forward Operating Base Falcon near Al - Mahmudiyah , Babil province , south of for security and stability operations in between rotations of army units . Their deployment into Iraq lasted about 30 days . On 13 September 2006 , the 15th MEU was once again deployed to Iraq . It left San Diego on the , , and and in mid November began operating in Al Anbar province as Task Force Bullrush , composed of elements of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit ( Special Operations Capable ) ; Bravo Company , 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion ; C Company , 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion , and Alpha Company , 3rd Platoon , 1st Combat Engineer Battalion . On 11 February 2007 , the unit received notice of its second extension of their deployment in support of President Bush ' s surge of additional forces into the critical areas of Iraq . While operating in Al Anbar , the MEU conducted combat operations in Rutbah , Barwana , Haditha , Haqlaniyah , Ramadi and Al Asad in support of Multinational Force - West . The unit returned to San Diego on 30 May 2007 . On 17 September 2012 , the 15th MEU was deployed with the Peleliu Amphibious Ready Group ( USS Peleliu , USS Greenbay , and the USS Rushmore ) as a theater reserve and crisis response force throughout the U . S . Central Command and the U . S . 5th Fleet area of responsibility . The unit returned to Camp Pendleton 13 May 2013 .