Marine Expeditionary Brigade

A Marine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB) is a formation of the United States Marine Corps, a Marine Air-Ground Task Force of approximately 14,500 Marines and Sailors constructed around a reinforced infantry regiment, a composite Marine aircraft group, a logistics group and a command element.^[1] The MEB, commanded by a general officer (usually a Major General or sometimes a Brigadier General), is task-organized to meet the requirements of a specific situation. It can function as part of a joint task force, as the lead echelon of the Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF), or alone. It varies in size and composition, and is larger than a Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) but smaller than a MEF. The MEB is capable of conducting missions across the full range of military operations.

Notional Marine Expeditionary Brigade

Command Element (CE)

See also: Command element (United States Marine Corps)

• MEB Staff
• Detachment, Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company
• Detachment, Communications Battalion
• Detachment, Force Reconnaissance Company
• Detachment, Intelligence Battalion
• Detachment, Radio Battalion

Ground Combat Element (GCE)

See also: Ground combat element

• Infantry Regiment, reinforced
• 17 M1A1 Abrams Tanks
• 47 AAV
• 27 LAV
• 24 M777 howitzer
• 24 81mm mortars
• 36 60mm mortars
• 24 TOW missile launchers

Aviation Combat Element (ACE)

See also: Aviation Combat Element

• Marine Aircraft Group (MAG)
• 40 AV-8B
• 24 F/A-18
• 4 EA-6B
• 6 KC-130
• 32 CH-53D/E
• 12 AH-1W
• 48 CH-46E or V-22
• 12 UH-1N
• 45 Stinger missile teams

Logistics Combat Element (LCE)

See also: Logistics Combat Element

• Combat Logistics Regiment (CLR)
• 1 medium girder bridge
• 6 cranes:
  • 1 30-ton crane
  • 5 7.5-ton cranes
• 2 600k-gal fuel systems
• 44 100-kW generators
• 75 5-ton trucks
• 9 Water purifying units
• 116 forklifts
• 5 bulldozers
• 3 road graders

List of MEBs

• 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade (United States)
• 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade (United States)
• 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade (United States)

Historical MEBs

The following MEBs were deployed operationally:

• Task Force Tarawa for the Iraq War
• Task Force Leatherneck for the Afghanistan War
• 9th Marine Expeditionary Brigade (United States) for the Vietnam War - deployed March 8, 1965

Notes

1. ^ Trickey, Wendy R., Robert C. Benbow and David G. Taylor. MEB Capabilities Study (Final Report), (Alexandria, Virginia: Center for Naval Analyses, February 2010), 7.