181014-M-MA011-089 EAST CHINA SEA (Oct. 14, 2018) A Marine with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) Amphibious Reconnaissance Platoon swims toward a combat rubber raiding craft during helocast and special patrol insertion/extraction (SPIE) training in the East China Sea, Oct. 14, 2018. Helocasting and SPIE operations allow the recon Marines to enter and exit tactical landing zones that are inaccessible to helicopters during amphibious operations. The 31st MEU, the Marine Corps’ only continuously forward-deployed MEU, provides a flexible force ready to perform a wide-range of military operations in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Kealii De Los Santos/Released)