Service members with the Japan Ground Self-Defense

Service members with the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, and Marines with Battalion Landing Team, 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, mark coordinates on a map during an event at the Supporting Arms Virtual Trainer with Marines on Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, April 9, 2019. This observation and exchange provided opportunities for the 31st MEU Marines, and JGSDF personnel, to increasing understanding and interoperability. BLT 1/4 is the Ground Combat Element for the 31st MEU. The 31st MEU, the Marine Corps’ only continuously forward-deployed MEU, provides a flexible force ready to perform a wide range of military operations as the premier crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific region. (Official Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Harrison C. Rakhshani/Released)