![]() It made the first of many amphibious deployments from Okinawa, Japan to the coast of Vietnam on 10 April 1967. The 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) was first activated on 1 March 1967, as Special Landing Force Alpha (SLF-A), for operations in Vietnam. This gave the Marines only 70 to 84 days to complete their qualification. Though the Marine Corps' other 6 MEUs requalified as Special Operations Capable every 18 months, the 31st MEU requalified every 6 months as new Major Subordinate Elements rotated to the MEU. Time was not on their side and they had to be able to identify and address issues quickly. This meant the members of the MEU, Battalion Landing Team, Air Combat Element, and MEU Service Support Group staffs had to learn quickly and get it right the first time. Combined with its forward deployed status, it had 84 days to accomplish a standard 6 month Pre-Deployment Training Cycle. Prior to 2006, the 31st MEU was designation was Special Operations Capable, or 31st MEU(SOC). In addition to the 10 Mission Essential Tasks (METS) that each MEU is thoroughly trained in prior to deployment, 31st MEU has 4 addition METS: Maritime Contingency Operations, Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure Level II and III (VBSS), seizure of maritime platform and selected maritime security missions, and limited scale raids. MEUs in general are capable of quick reaction – rapidly assembling required forces to accomplish missions, using intelligence based operational decision making, and acting as a rapid response force. The 31st MEU, by enhanced training, achieves the capability to accomplish selective maritime special operations. The 31st MEU is not a special operations force by definition, but because of the its forward-deployed status in "hot spots" around the world, it must be able to perform many types of missions in addition to conventional military war-fighting. The 31st MEU, Amphibious Squadron 11 (PHIBRON 11), and the USS Essex Amphibious Ready Group (USS Essex ARG), comprise the only Forward Deployed Naval Force (FDNF) in the Asia-Pacific region. The 31st MEU is the only permanently forward-deployed MEU. ![]() The 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (Maritime Contingency Force), or 31st MEU, provides a forward deployed, flexible sea-based Marine Air Ground Task Force capable of conducting amphibious operations, crisis response and limited contingency operations in the Asia-Pacific area. 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (Maritime Contingency Force) (31st MEU) 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) (31st MEU) ![]()
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