180320-M-GO150-111 PACIFIC OCEAN (March 20, 2018) An F-35B Lightning II prepares to land aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) while underway in the Pacific Ocean, March 20, 2018. A detachment of F-35Bs assigned to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 121 joined Wasp earlier this month, marking the F-35’s first operational deployment with a Marine Expeditionary Unit (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. Stormy Mendez/Released)