190203-M-XX000-036 EAST CHINA SEA (Feb. 3, 2019) An F-35B Lightning II assigned to the F-35B detachment of Medium Marine Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 262 (Reinforced) carries guided bombs above the East China Sea, Feb. 3, 2019. Naval aviators with the detachment fly the Marine Corps' newest, most advanced multi-role fighter, the F-35B. The 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (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 Maj. Jesse Peppers/ Released)