3RD MARINE AIRCRAFT WING

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif. – (July 7, 2021) Marines with 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing begin Exercise Summer Fury 21 with a long-range maritime strike off the coast of Washington. Summer Fury is the largest Marine aviation exercise on the West Coast, and provides 3rd MAW opportunity to improve warfighter readiness in support of a Marine Expeditionary Force maritimecampaign.From July 7 to July 9, 3rd MAW will execute a long-range maritime strike against a simulated enemy naval surface combatant. With the support of the Port of Moses Lake, 3rd MAW will demonstrate its capability to conduct fixed-wing strike operations with F/A-18C Hornets and F-35B Lighting IIs against adversarial naval combatants in a distributed, maritime

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif. – (July 1, 2021) As the Marine Corps continues to make changes to meet the demands of the rapidly evolving future operating environment, Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 314 has reached a new milestone in Marine Corps history as they declare their full operational capability (FOC) for the F-35C Lightning II.“VMFA-314 is the first F-35C squadron in the Marine Corps to declare FOC. They are now full up round and bring the incredible 5th generation capability to 3rd MAW. They will deploy as part of a Carrier Strike Group next year.” said Maj. Gen. Christopher Mahoney, 3rd MAW commanding general. “FOC for the Black knights is yet another step forward in achieving Force Design objectives. The Black

MEDITERRANEAN SEA – Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 211 (VMFA-211), deployed aboard the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth (R 08), began air operations in support of Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), June 18th, 2021.VMFA-211 and the United Kingdom’s 617 Squadron both flew F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter aircraft during the counter-ISIS and protective overwatch missions.“U.S. Marine Corps aircraft supporting OIR from a Royal Navy aircraft carrier demonstrates how effectively interoperable our combined naval forces are,” said Col Simon Doran, U.S. Senior National Representative to the UK CSG.The flights also marked the first time the UK has integrated aircraft carrier operations via the U.S. Air Force’s Combined Air

Marines and sailors met with their colleagues in the Army and Air Force stationed in Alaska to hold exercise Northern Edge 2021, beginning on May 2, to train in the northern climates.Northern Edge is a regular exercise to promote enhanced readiness and interforce cooperation, according to a military news release.The 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, alongside the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group and Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group, were some of the units taking part in the exercise, spread across the Gulf of Alaska and the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex. Forces stationed from Joint Base Elemendorf-Richardson and from other parts of the Lower 48 also took part in the exercise.“As a forward deployed naval expeditionary force,

F-35B Lightning fast jets will be the cutting edge of the Carrier Strike Group’s (CSG21) formidable power in the air.These are next generation multi-role combat aircraft equipped with advanced sensors, mission systems and stealth technology, enabling them to carry out intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance tasks.This will be the first time UK fighter aircraft are embarked on an operational aircraft carrier deployment since 2010, and will be the largest number of F-35Bs ever to sail the seas.The renowned 617 Squadron RAF (‘The Dambusters’) will operate the jets to provide tangible and impactful support to counter-Daesh operations in Iraq and Syria.Minister for the Armed Forces, James Heappey MP said: "The F-35B Lightning jets will