SAN DIEGO — Marines and sailors assigned to elements of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, who embarked aboard the amphibious transport dock of USS Somerset, returned home on Aug. 10 after a seven-month deployment in the U.S. 3rd and 7th Fleet areas of operations.
“Our team aboard Somerset played a critical role in strengthening bonds with our partners and conducting training that informs the service,” said U.S. Marine Corps Col. Sean Dynan, commanding officer of the 15th Expeditionary Unit. “They set the tone and emphasized the impact our capabilities bring to the Indo-Pacific, and even more so when combined, side-by-side our partners.”
The unit participated in Exercise Rim of the Pacific 2024 held on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, as their final stop before returning home to San Diego.
Cobra Gold, the largest joint exercise in mainland Asia, was the first exercise for Somerset and the team. Marines and sailors conducted three combined, joint all-domain operations events alongside partners from Thailand, Republic of Korea and Japan, with 26 other nations participating in other training events. They included an amphibious assault exercise, noncombatant evacuation operation, and a combined arms live-fire exercise.
“Our Marines took advantage of every opportunity to learn and immerse themselves into the cultures of these great countries we had the opportunity to visit,” said U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. Lindsay Mathwick, commanding officer of Combat Logistics Battalion 15 and commander of troops aboard Somerset. “Our allies and partners are our greatest strength, and it is inspiring to see the way our Marines were able to integrate on the training grounds and build relationships that they will truly never forget.”
Somerset is part of the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group and 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit team, which is a flexible, self-sustained crisis response force, capable of conducting operations from combat missions to humanitarian aid and disaster relief. This team is the premier crisis-response force in the Indo-Pacific region.
