Sailors from the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) and Marines assigned to the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) completed a Combined Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) Dec. 9.

Iwo Jima departed its homeport of Naval Station Mayport, Fla., Oct. 28 for the exercise, which served as the culmination of training for the Navy-Marine Corps team and readied them for deployment taking place early next year.

Iwo Jima is the lead ship of the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), which is also composed of the transport dock ship USS New York (LPD 21), the dock landing ship USS Oak Hill (LSD 51), Fleet Surgical Team (FST) 8, Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron-28, Tactical Air Control Squadron-22, components of Naval Beach Group 2 and the embarked staff of Amphibious Squadron 4.

"This is our main integration with the Marines and it was high-tempo right from the start. All our previous training ensured we were well prepared us for the exercise. I'm extremely proud of the Navy and Marine Corps teams' performance throughout Combined COMPTUEX," said Capt. Joseph O'Brien, Iwo Jima's commanding officer.

The ship ran through a series of drills, including air defense exercises, general quarters drills, non-combatant evacuation operations and detainee operations. The intent was to gauge how the crew would respond as if it were occurring in a real-life situation.

"Combined COMPTUEX showcased the crew's ability to work through any situation," said Lt. Cmdr. Will Barksdale, Iwo Jima's operations officer. "The event provided the perfect opportunity for the ship to take all of its training into the final push for deployment. This was a non-stop environment that tested the resolve of every Sailor and Marine aboard and, as a team, the response was an overwhelming success."

Due to supporting Defense Support of Civil Authorities off the coast of Key West, Fla., Iwo Jima adjusted its pre-deployment efforts, taking pieces of an ARG Exercise and a traditional three-week COMPTUEX to make up its six-week training.

"While the Combined COMPTUEX was a melding of ARG/MEUEX and a traditional COMPTUEX, it allowed us all to get in a groove regarding the integration of the Navy and Marine Corps team, and prepared the crew for being underway for a large amount of time," said O'Brien. "For the majority of the crew, this will be their first deployment and this underway period was our longest since 2015. While it can be hard to be away from our loved ones during this holiday season, the sets and reps that we accomplished ensured that our Sailors and Marines, as well as all our equipment, were all in top shape. Without a doubt, Iwo Jima, the 26th MEU and the rest of the ARG are ready to deploy."

Iwo Jima is scheduled to return to its homeport to conduct its final Continued Maintenance Availability period prior to deploying early 2018.

For more information, visit www.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/usnavy, or www.twitter.com/usnavy.

For more news from USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7), visit www.navy.mil/.