181014-M-YY851-232 EAST CHINA SEA (Oct. 14, 2018) Marines assigned to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) Amphibious Reconnaissance Platoon gather in the water during helocasting 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. Hannah Hall/Released)