Marine Expeditionary Brigade
A Marine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB) is a formation of the United States Marine Corps, a Marine Air-Ground Task Force of approximately 14,500 Marines and Sailors constructed around a reinforced infantry regiment, a composite Marine aircraft group, a logistics group and a command element.[1] The MEB, commanded by a general officer (usually a Major General or sometimes a Brigadier General), is task-organized to meet the requirements of a specific situation. It can function as part of a joint task force, as the lead echelon of the Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF), or alone. It varies in size and composition, and is larger than a Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) but smaller than a MEF. The MEB is capable of conducting missions across the full range of military operations.
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[edit] Notional Marine Expeditionary Brigade
[edit] Command Element (CE)
- MEB Staff
- Detachment, Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company
- Detachment, Communications Battalion
- Detachment, Force Reconnaissance Company
- Detachment, Intelligence Battalion
- Detachment, Radio Battalion
[edit] Ground Combat Element (GCE)
- Infantry Regiment, reinforced
- 17 M1A1 Abrams Tanks
- 47 AAV
- 27 LAV
- 24 M777 howitzer
- 24 81mm mortars
- 36 60mm mortars
- 24 TOW missile launchers
[edit] Aviation Combat Element (ACE)
- Marine Aircraft Group (MAG)
- 40 AV-8B
- 24 F/A-18
- 4 EA-6B
- 6 KC-130
- 32 CH-53D/E
- 12 AH-1W
- 48 CH-46E or V-22
- 12 UH-1N
- 45 Stinger missile teams
[edit] Logistics Combat Element (LCE)
- Combat Logistics Regiment (CLR)
- 1 medium girder bridge
- 6 cranes:
- 1 30-ton crane
- 5 7.5-ton cranes
- 2 600k-gal fuel systems
- 44 100-kW generators
- 75 5-ton trucks
- 9 Water purifying units
- 116 forklifts
- 5 bulldozers
- 3 road graders
[edit] List of MEBs
- 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade (United States)
- 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade (United States)
- 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade (United States)
[edit] Historical MEBs
The following MEBs were deployed operationally:
- Task Force Tarawa for the Iraq War
- Task Force Leatherneck for the Afghanistan War
- 9th Marine Expeditionary Brigade (United States) for the Vietnam War - deployed March 8, 1965
[edit] Notes
- ^ Trickey, Wendy R., Robert C. Benbow and David G. Taylor. MEB Capabilities Study (Final Report), (Alexandria, Virginia: Center for Naval Analyses, February 2010), 7.
