USS Tripoli returned to Okinawa, Japan, on Wednesday, bringing Marines home at the end of a six-month deployment with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit. The ship is being offloaded at White Beach Naval Facility before heading back to Sasebo.
Chris Niedziocha said, “The MEU is designed for crisis response. This team proved the unmatched capability of a forward-deployed Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) by seamlessly transitioning into combat operations mid-deployment.” He added, “The team adapted, never lost sight of the mission, and performed flawlessly under the most dynamic circumstances.”
Japan training to Middle East combat
The deployment began with Exercise Iron Fist 26 alongside Japan Self-Defense Forces from early February to early March. Exercise Iron Fist 26 included field training, close-air support, urban operations, and simulated air, ground, and amphibious assaults.
After that, the Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group was dispatched to the United States Central Command area of responsibility and arrived in the Middle East on March 27, 2026. The shift carried the same Marines from bilateral training into combat operations, a change that put the ship and the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit into two very different missions within one deployment.
Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group operations
The Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group included USS New Orleans and USS Rushmore. During the deployment in the U.S. 5th Fleet and U.S. 7th Fleet areas, the units carried out more than 1,600 mishap-free hours of combat aviation missions, along with precision strikes, transport of 800,000 pounds of cargo, and movement of approximately 5,000 personnel.
Those missions also included critical intelligence and refueling over 300 aircraft ashore and underway. In the northern Arabian Sea, USS Tripoli took part in the U.S. military blockade of the region during Operation Epic Fury, which began on February 28, 2026.
White Beach Naval Facility offloading
The 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit is now being offloaded in Okinawa as USS Tripoli completes the deployment cycle. The immediate next step is the return to Sasebo after the ship finishes unloading personnel and equipment, closing out a run that stretched from Japan to the Middle East and back again.
