190124-M-PJ332-129 EAST CHINA SEA (Jan. 24, 2019) An F-35B Lightning II prepares to land aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) during flight operations in the East China Sea, Jan. 24, 2019. Naval aviators assigned to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 121, the fixed-wing component of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) Aviation Combat Element, conduct take-off and landings during fixed-wing flight operations in the Marine Corps’ newest, most advanced multi-role fighter, the F-35B. The 31st MEU, the Marine Corps’ only continuously forward-deployed MEU partnering with the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group, provides a flexible and lethal force ready to perform a wide range of military operations as the premier crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Gunnery Sgt. T. T. Parish/Released)