Nearly 200 Marines and 400 sailors from I Marine Expeditionary Force and Expeditionary Strike Group 3 conducted the drills off the coast of Camp Pendleton.
Several units in the Pacific — from Hawaii to Alaska — were chosen as part of Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George’s 'transformation in contact' push.
As war between Israel and Hezbollah threatens to erupt, the Pentagon said additional U.S. forces "are there for the protection" of other American troops.