The 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer holds promotion ceremony on April 2. 2026. The Boxer is the lead ship of the amphibious ready group operating in the western Pacific. (Oliver Nisbet/U.S. Marine Corps)
Up to 2,500 Marines and three Navy ships have departed Hawaii and are headed West.
The 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit from Camp Pendleton is aboard ships of the USS Boxer Amphibious Ready Group. A Hawaii ship spotting website showed the Boxer departing Pearl Harbor on April 1. The group also includes the amphibious transport dock ship USS Portland and the dock landing ship USS Comstock.
When the Boxer group departed San Diego on March 19, military officials said the group would either replace the Asia-based USS Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group or follow the Tripoli group to the Middle East as part of Operation Epic Fury, the war against Iran.
Iran and the U.S. have agreed to a two-week ceasefire.
The Tripoli group, which includes more than 2,000 Marines of the Okinawa-based 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, arrived in the Central Command area on March 27, according to the Pentagon.
The Navy this week released photos of the Camp Pendleton Marines conducting infantry weapons target practice, drone launches, and F-35B Lightning II fighter attack jets and MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor transport operations.
The Navy reported that the Boxer group was operating in the 3rd Fleet “area of responsibility,” which includes the Pacific east of the International Date Line. Once west of the date line, the ships would be in the 7th Fleet area.
The aircraft carrier USS George H. W. Bush is underway heading east in the Atlantic after departing Naval Station Norfolk on March 31. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the carrier would go to the Middle East to support operations against Iran.
The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz was crossing the equator in the eastern Pacific Ocean as it transitions from Naval Base Kitsap to its new homeport at Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia. The Navy’s oldest carrier hosted guests from Ecuador’s government and military on Tuesday, according to the Navy. The Nimitz is participating in the Southern Seas 2026 multinational exercise during its deployment.
Elements of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit prepare a VBAT unmanned drone for takeoff from the amphibious transport dock ship USS Portland, part of the USS Boxer Amphibious Ready Group underway in the Pacific west of Hawaii on April 4, 2026. (Luke Rodriguez/U.S. Marine Corps)
