OKINAWA, Japan (Dec. 7, 2020) Scout swimmers with Kilo Company, Battalion Landing Team, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), secure a beach for a simulated boat raid at Kin Blue, Okinawa, Japan, Dec. 7, 2020. Scout swimmers are tasked with being the first Marines on the ground, so that they can secure the beach for the oncoming raid force. The 31st MEU, the Marine Corps' only continuously forward-deployed MEU, provides a flexible 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 Cpl. Brandon Salas)