U.S. Marines with the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing All Type Model Series Armament Team unload ordnance from a CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter at a forward arming and refueling point in support of Exercise Steel Knight 23.2 at Inyokern Airfield, California, Dec. 2, 2023. ATAT is comprised of aviation ordnance Marines qualified to load and arm every type model series platform in the 3rd MAW fleet. Steel Knight 23.2 is a three-phase exercise designed to train I Marine Expeditionary Force in the planning, deployment and command and control of a joint force against a peer or near-peer adversary combat force and enhance existing live-fire and maneuver capabilities of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Jennifer Sanchez) - U.S. Marines with the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing All Type Model Series Armament Team unload ordnance from a CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter at a forward arming and refueling point in support of Exercise Steel Knight 23.2 at Inyokern Airfield, California, Dec. 2, 2023. ATAT is comprised of aviation ordnance Marines qualified to load and arm every type model series platform in the 3rd MAW fleet. Steel Knight 23.2 is a three-phase exercise designed to train I Marine Expeditionary Force in the planning, deployment and command and control of a joint force against a peer or near-peer adversary combat force and enhance existing live-fire and maneuver capabilities of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Jennifer Sanchez)

U.S. Marines with 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing and I Marine Expeditionary Force, U.S. Space Force Guardians with Space Systems Command, and Mobile User Objective System Program Office personnel attend a MUOS presentation at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California, Nov. 16, 2023. Members of Space Systems Command and the MUOS Program Office engaged with 3rd MAW and I Marine Expeditionary Force Marines to understand end-user considerations and see MUOS used at the tactical level. MUOS elevates Marine Corps warfighting capabilities by enhancing long-range, rapid communication and expanding the operational reach of the U.S. Armed Forces. (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Cpl. Daniel Childs) - U.S. Marines with 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing and I Marine Expeditionary Force, U.S. Space Force Guardians with Space Systems Command, and Mobile User Objective System Program Office personnel attend a MUOS presentation at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California, Nov. 16, 2023. Members of Space Systems Command and the MUOS Program Office engaged with 3rd MAW and I Marine Expeditionary Force Marines to understand end-user considerations and see MUOS used at the tactical level. MUOS elevates Marine Corps warfighting capabilities by enhancing long-range, rapid communication and expanding the operational reach of the U.S. Armed Forces. (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Cpl. Daniel Childs)

U.S. Marines with Combat Logistics Battalion 31, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, brace as a CH-53 Super Stallion approaches for loading during a helicopter support team exercise on Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, Nov. 7, 2023. The HST exercise was conducted to refine key skills for pilots and landing support Marines in sling loading operations. The 31st MEU, the Marine Corps’ only continuously forward-deployed MEU, provides a flexible and lethal force in ready to perform a wide range of military operations as the premiere crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Juan K. Maldonado) - U.S. Marines with Combat Logistics Battalion 31, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, brace as a CH-53 Super Stallion approaches for loading during a helicopter support team exercise on Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, Nov. 7, 2023. The HST exercise was conducted to refine key skills for pilots and landing support Marines in sling loading operations. The 31st MEU, the Marine Corps’ only continuously forward-deployed MEU, provides a flexible and lethal force in ready to perform a wide range of military operations as the premiere crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Juan K. Maldonado)

U.S. Marine Corps Col. Jeremie N. Hester, left, commanding officer of Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing; Sgt. Maj. Christopher Gasser, right, sergeant major of MAG-39; and Staff Sgt. Mariel A. Kurland, an aircraft ordnance technician with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Training Squadron (HMLAT) 303, MAG-39, take a group photo during a MAG-39 awards presentation at Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton, California, Nov. 6, 2023. - U.S. Marine Corps Col. Jeremie N. Hester, left, commanding officer of Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing; Sgt. Maj. Christopher Gasser, right, sergeant major of MAG-39; and Staff Sgt. Mariel A. Kurland, an aircraft ordnance technician with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Training Squadron (HMLAT) 303, MAG-39, take a group photo during a MAG-39 awards presentation at Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton, California, Nov. 6, 2023. Kurland was awarded the Sgt. Maj. Valerie Camacho award which is presented to a Marine Corps staff noncommissioned officer who embodies the qualities of a great role model for junior Marines and officers. The award is named in honor of Sgt. Maj. Valerie Camacho, a former sergeant major of MCAS Camp Pendleton. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Jennifer Sanchez)

A U.S. Marine Corps UH-1Y Venom with Marine Light Helicopter Attack Training Squadron (HMLAT) 303, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, takes off after inserting a ground control team at Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California, Nov. 5, 2023 - A U.S. Marine Corps UH-1Y Venom with Marine Light Helicopter Attack Training Squadron (HMLAT) 303, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, takes off after inserting a ground control team at Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California, Nov. 5, 2023. HMLAT-303 supported state, federal, and private agencies utilizing long-line external lift capabilities of the UH-1Y to replace water guzzlers throughout the park. Guzzlers are self-filling, constructed watering facilities that collect, store, and make water available for wildlife. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Chief Warrant Officer 2 Trent Randolph)

Retired U.S. Marine Corps and Army veteran Maj. Billy Hall gazes upon the California coastline during an honor flight in a UH-1Y Venom with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron (HMLA) 267, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, California, Nov. 11, 2023. Hall celebrated the 82nd anniversary of his Marine Corps Recruit Training graduation by flying with the Marines of HMLA-267. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Sean Potter) - Retired U.S. Marine Corps and Army veteran Maj. Billy Hall gazes upon the California coastline during an honor flight in a UH-1Y Venom with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron (HMLA) 267, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, California, Nov. 11, 2023. Hall celebrated the 82nd anniversary of his Marine Corps Recruit Training graduation by flying with the Marines of HMLA-267. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Sean Potter)

U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Skylar Hays, an avionics technician with Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 11, Marine Aircraft Group 11, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing - “As a kid, surfing taught me respect for the ocean and respect for everybody in general. I’m drawn to service, and I’m motivated by the happiness the kids express.” U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Skylar Hays, an avionics technician with Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 11, Marine Aircraft Group 11, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, prepares a testing program during an in-process inspection, on Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California, Oct. 5, 2023. When Hays isn’t testing, inspecting, and maintaining assemblies for the F-18, he’s sharing his surf passion with children with developmental disabilities. The Murrells Inlet, South Carolina native spent 70 hours the last two summers volunteering for the Surfing Madonna Special Needs Surf Camp. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Daniel Childs)

U.S. Coast Guardsmen with Coast Guard Sector San Diego, District 11, participate in a search and rescue exercise with U.S. Marines with 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing near the coast of San Diego, California, - U.S. Coast Guardsmen with Coast Guard Sector San Diego, District 11, participate in a search and rescue exercise with U.S. Marines with 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing near the coast of San Diego, California, Sept. 29, 2023. Marines, Sailors and Coast Guardsmen executed a joint search and rescue drill to improve interservice coordination and validate procedures for real world search and rescue operations. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Jennifer Sanchez)

U.S. Marines with Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron (VMFAT) 101, Marine Aircraft Group 11, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, conduct a mass formation launch known as “flying the barn,” to honor the squadron’s legacy on the day of its deactivation at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California, Sept. 29, 2023. - U.S. Marines with Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron (VMFAT) 101, Marine Aircraft Group 11, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, conduct a mass formation launch known as “flying the barn,” to honor the squadron’s legacy on the day of its deactivation at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California, Sept. 29, 2023. For more than 50 years, instructor pilots of the VMFAT-101 “SharpShooters” have qualified combat aviators and sent them to operational squadrons worldwide. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Samantha Devine)

U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. Bijan Derakhshan, commanding officer of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 122, Marine Aircraft Group (MAG) 13, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, lands during Fifth Generation Friday at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona, Sept. 8, 2023. Fifth Generation Friday is a standardized monthly group-level training exercise that provides MAG-13 F-35 pilots with real-world exposure to fighting a peer adversarial platform. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Jade K. Venegas) - U.S. Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II’s with Marine Aircraft Group (MAG) 13, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, fly in formation during Fifth Generation Friday at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona, Sept. 8, 2023. Fifth Generation Friday is a standardized monthly group-level training exercise that provides MAG-13 F-35 pilots with real-world exposure to fighting a peer adversarial platform. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Jade K. Venegas)