[USMCRET6391]

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. -- Two weeks after completing an urban-combat exercise in Hampton Roads, Va., the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit will head to sea next week for drills aboard the amphibious assault ships that will transport the MEU during its upcoming deployment to the Middle East.

Approximately 2,200 Marines and sailors will participate in the two-week Expeditionary Strike Group Exercise, a standard part of every MEU's pre-deployment training program. The first half of the exercise will focus on preparing the seven vessels of the Iwo Jima ESG for their future missions. Beginning April 7, the Marines will begin launching ship-to-shore raids and conducting urban-combat training aboard Camp > Lejeune.

The MEU's headquarters, aviation and logistics elements will travel to Norfolk Monday and board the USS Iwo Jima there. Over the ensuing several days, most of the MEU's equipment and its ground combat element will load landing craft at Onslow Beach and at the port in Morehead City.

The exercise, like the one in Hampton Roads, will center on what the Marines call situational training exercises. The MEU will be issued a series of orders, designed to replicate the types of missions they're likely to face during their deployment. In much the same way they would while deployed, the Marines will quickly plan and then execute the missions, testing their rapid-response capabilities.

Since Nov. 30, when the MEU began its pre-deployment training program, the Marines have conducted a host of specialized combat courses, field training exercises and at-sea drills.

The 24th MEU is composed of its Command Element, Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 365 (Reinforced), and MEU Service Support Group 24.

The MEU is scheduled to depart within the next few months for the European and Central Command theaters of operations.