180311-M-GT736-0206 PACIFIC OCEAN (March 11, 2018) An F-35B Lightning II prepares to take off on the USS Wasp (LHD 1). Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121 embarked a detachment of F-35Bs on the USS Wasp for the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit’s Spring Patrol 2018, marking the first operational deployment of the F-35B with a MEU. As the Marine Corps' only continuously forward-deployed MEU, the 31st MEU provides a flexible force ready to perform a wide range of military operations. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Bernadette Wildes)