U.S. Marines with II Marine Expeditionary Force offload

U.S. Marines with II Marine Expeditionary Force offload heavy equipment from lighterage that was transported by U.S. Sailors from USNS 1st Lt Baldomero Lopez (T-AK 3010) to Marine Corps Support Facility Blount Island, Florida, Feb. 17, 2020 during Maritime Prepositioning Force Exercise 20 (MPFEX 20). Lighterage allows cargo to be ferried to shore in areas where ports are non-existent or in poor condition and gives the nation's military forces the ability to operate in both developed and undeveloped areas of the world. MPFEX 20 is a military exercise in which Marines and Sailors worked together to offload and process military equipment from a single MPF ship, the Lopez. The exercise is a rehearsal of the Marines and Sailors’ ability to conduct safe, efficient offloads while in a tactical environment while working in close coordination with it’s 2nd and 6th Fleet counterparts to enhance the rapid and scalable deployment of naval expeditionary forces in European theater. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Rachel K. Young-Porter)