thedrifter
02-19-09, 07:15 AM
Lejeune troops among those headed to Afghanistan
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February 18, 2009 - 7:14 PM
JENNIFER HLAD
About 8,000 additional Marines will deploy to Afghanistan to join the 2,000 already in country with Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force-Afghanistan, a Marine spokesmen said Wednesday.
The Marine Expeditionary Brigade - a combined force of about 10,000 - will be led by Brig. Gen. Larry Nicholson, currently an assistant division commander for 2nd Marine Division, said Maj. David Nevers, a Marine spokesman at Marine Corps headquarters in Quantico, Va.
The brigade will include Marines from Camp Lejeune, as well as other Marines from around the Corps, said Nevers and Master Sgt. Matthew Sewell, a spokesman for II Marine Expeditionary Force.
The deployments will range from 7 months to 1 year, depending on the type of unit, Nevers said. Infantry battalions, for example, will deploy for 7 months, just as they have to Iraq; however, MEB- and regimental-level staffs will deploy for a year.
President Barack Obama on Tuesday approved sending roughly 17,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan, including the MEB. The other 9,000 troops will come from the Army, according to an Associated Press report. The U.S. currently has about 30,000 troops in the country.
A Marine infantry unit from Camp Pendleton in California was recently notified of the impending deployment, a spokesman for Rep. Darrell Issa told the Associated Press. Issa represents the congressional district where Pendleton is located. The spokesman, Kurt Bardella, also told the AP the brigade will include air assault forces, electronic warfare and reconnaissance and leave for Afghanistan at the end of May.
Roughly 2,000 Marines - including the Lejeune-based 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment - are in Afghanistan now as part of Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force-Afghanistan. That unit is scheduled to return home this summer, but will be replaced to keep the MEB at roughly 10,000 Marines, Nevers said.
Nevers said the MEB will conduct counterinsurgency operations and mentor and train Afghan National Security Forces. They will operate primarily in southern Afghanistan.
Ellie
Comments 1 | Recommend 0
February 18, 2009 - 7:14 PM
JENNIFER HLAD
About 8,000 additional Marines will deploy to Afghanistan to join the 2,000 already in country with Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force-Afghanistan, a Marine spokesmen said Wednesday.
The Marine Expeditionary Brigade - a combined force of about 10,000 - will be led by Brig. Gen. Larry Nicholson, currently an assistant division commander for 2nd Marine Division, said Maj. David Nevers, a Marine spokesman at Marine Corps headquarters in Quantico, Va.
The brigade will include Marines from Camp Lejeune, as well as other Marines from around the Corps, said Nevers and Master Sgt. Matthew Sewell, a spokesman for II Marine Expeditionary Force.
The deployments will range from 7 months to 1 year, depending on the type of unit, Nevers said. Infantry battalions, for example, will deploy for 7 months, just as they have to Iraq; however, MEB- and regimental-level staffs will deploy for a year.
President Barack Obama on Tuesday approved sending roughly 17,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan, including the MEB. The other 9,000 troops will come from the Army, according to an Associated Press report. The U.S. currently has about 30,000 troops in the country.
A Marine infantry unit from Camp Pendleton in California was recently notified of the impending deployment, a spokesman for Rep. Darrell Issa told the Associated Press. Issa represents the congressional district where Pendleton is located. The spokesman, Kurt Bardella, also told the AP the brigade will include air assault forces, electronic warfare and reconnaissance and leave for Afghanistan at the end of May.
Roughly 2,000 Marines - including the Lejeune-based 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment - are in Afghanistan now as part of Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force-Afghanistan. That unit is scheduled to return home this summer, but will be replaced to keep the MEB at roughly 10,000 Marines, Nevers said.
Nevers said the MEB will conduct counterinsurgency operations and mentor and train Afghan National Security Forces. They will operate primarily in southern Afghanistan.
Ellie