Subscribe
NAPLES, Italy – For over a year, Marines and Sailors from II Marine Expeditionary Force (II MEF) have supported Task Force 61/2 Naval Amphibious Force Europe (TF 61/2), capitalizing on the Navy’s and Marine Corps’ long integrated history and legacy.
II MEF operationalized their support to the Commandant’s Planning Guidance by deploying Marines and Sailors to U.S. Naval Forces Europe (NAVEUR) and U.S. Sixth Fleet in March 2022. TF 61/2 has donned three different names since its establishment- Naval Amphibious Forces Europe/2d Marine Division, Naval Amphibious Forces Europe/2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, and Naval Amphibious Force Europe/24th Marine Expeditionary Unit. All three iterations of TF 61/2 are led by Marines and Sailors from II MEF.
Established in March 2022, TF 61/2 with then- Maj. Gen. Francis Donovan as its commanding general led the way in experimentation with maritime, multi-domain reconnaissance. These forces executed a variety of operations including, the command and control of air, surface, antisubmarine, land-based operations, and the execution of reconnaissance counter-reconnaissance (RXR) missions.
“In the Commandant’s Planning Guidance, General Berger poses that as a force, ‘We should ask ourselves- what do the Fleet Commanders want from the Marine Corps, and what does the Navy need from the Marine Corps?” said, Donovan. “These are not rhetorical questions, and TF 61/2 has sought and attained answers.”
In June 2022, TF 61/2 led by Brig. Gen. Andrew Priddy continued the advancement of naval integration of Marine Corps capabilities in NAVEUR and U.S. Sixth Fleet’s area of operations (AO). During 2nd MEB’s iteration of support, MEB staff commanded and controlled the Kearsarge Amphibious Readiness Group with the embarked 22d Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU). Under Priddy’s leadership, the task force continued to build unique relationships with NAVEUR and U.S. Sixth Fleet while fostering connections with Allies and Partners.
“II MEF and U.S. Sixth Fleet created an opportunity for the Navy and Marine Corps to capitalize on having crisis response forces forward-deployed,” said Priddy. “These forces enabled the ARG/MEU team while they were in Sixth Fleet’s area of operations at a critical time in the naval campaign.”
In January 2023, the third iteration of II MEF support arrived- Naval Amphibious Forces Europe/24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, commanded by Col. Ryan Hoyle. This iteration of II MEF support demonstrated TF 61/2’s effectiveness in crisis response and maritime domain awareness by command and controlling multi-domain awareness forces from 2d Marine Aircraft Group, II MEF Information Group and 2d Marine Division to include 2d Reconnaissance Battalion, 2d Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, and 10th Marine Regiment.
From February to April 2023, TF 61/2 led the Department of Defense’s humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts in Southeastern Türkiye by serving as NAVEUR and U.S. Sixth Fleet’s forward deployed crisis response force. As a crisis response force, TF 61/2 gave II MEF a 4,700-mile head start for crisis response operations in NAVEUR/Sixth Fleet’s AO.
TF 61/2 continues to synchronize the command and control of deployed II MEF forces and advance naval integration of Marine Corps capabilities within Sixth Fleet. II MEF Marines and Sailors are currently deployed as a multi-domain sensing force executing reconnaissance and counter reconnaissance missions designed to support the fleet. These forces provide a range of options to support the fleet commander and enable employing larger Fleet Marine Forces. Multi-domain sensing forces are equipped with littoral mobility capabilities, maritime surface search radars, small-unmanned aircraft systems, and suites capable of communicating over the horizon.
“As demonstrated over the past year, TF 61/2 has proven its value during experimentation, competition and crisis, said Hoyle. “The task force, born from the concepts of Force Design, continues to provide the EUCOM Combatant Commander with a flexible headquarters commanding Fleet Marine Force capabilities. The Marines and Sailors of TF 61/2 enhance relationships with Allies and Partners and ensure the daily demonstration of integrated deterrence.”
Task Force 61/2 aligns deployed forces under the Naval Amphibious Force commander; deployed amphibious ready groups (ARG), Marine Expeditionary Units (MEU), Fleet Anti-terrorism Security Team, Europe (FASTEUR), and multi-domain sensing forces. TF 61/2 is deployed in NAVEUR’s area of responsibility, employed by U.S. Sixth Fleet to support U.S., Allied, and Partner interests.
II Marine Expeditionary Force (II MEF) is comprised of more than 47,000 Marines and Sailors who are a Combined Arms Force consisting of ground, air, and logistics forces. II MEF, Marines and Sailors, represent one of the largest and most powerful Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF).
Task Force 61/2 Communication Strategy and Operations continues to post imagery on TF 61/2’s Defense Visual Imagery Distribution System (DVIDS) page, accessible using the link below.
For imagery and video of the event, please visit
DVIDS: https://www.dvidshub.net/feature/TaskForce61
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NavalAmphibiousForcesEurope
Twitter: https://twitter.com/taskforce61_2
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taskforce61_2
| Date Taken: | 06.12.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 06.12.2023 15:14 |
| Story ID: | 446799 |
| Location: | NAPLES, IT |
| Web Views: | 391 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, A Task Force to be Recon’d With, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
