More than 4,500 Sailors and Marines serving in the Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) and 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) will return July 18 from a scheduled deployment.

The Navy-Marine Corps team conducted a seven-month deployment in support of maritime security operations, crisis response and theater security cooperation, while also providing a forward naval presence in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

The Kearsarge ARG consists of the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3), the amphibious transport dock ship USS Arlington (LPD 24), the dock landing ship USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43), Fleet Surgical Team (FST) 2 and FST 8, Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 26, Tactical Air Control Squadron 21, components of Naval Beach Group 2 and the embarked staff of Amphibious Squadron 6.

The 22nd MEU is comprised of approximately 2,500 Marines and Sailors, and includes a command element, ground combat element, aviation combat element and logistics combat element.

Kearsarge and Arlington are homeported at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, and Fort McHenry is homeported at Naval Station Mayport, Florida. The 22nd MEU is stationed in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.                                                                      

Media interested in covering the arrival of the ships at Naval Station Norfolk should contact Lt. Cmdr. Richlyn Ivey at richlyn.ivey@navy.mil, (757) 462-1354 / (757) 652-3457 by noon, Jul. 17 and plan to arrive at the Navy Tour Office on Hampton Blvd. at 7:15 a.m., Jul. 18. 

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