Kilo Company AAV's participate in a rare water gunnery shoot ... pics by Cpl. Danny Gonzalez

DJIBOUTI - A U.S. Marine assigned to Kilo Company, Battalion Landing Team 3/1, 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), drives towards the beach landing site following a water gunnery range exercise during Theater Amphibious Combat Rehearsal (TACR), Sept. 9, 2018. Led by Amphibious Force, Task Force 51/5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade, TACR integrates U.S. Navy and Marine Corps assets to practice and rehearse a range of critical combat-related capabilities available to U.S. Central Command, both afloat and ashore, to promote stability and security in the region. U.S. 5th Fleet and coalition assets are participating in numerous simultaneous exercises as part of the greater Theater of responsibility, connecting the Mediterranean and the Pacific through the Indian Ocean and three strategic choke points.

This photo thread has me THRILLED!

Not the actual pics.  We've seen AAVs doing work constantly, especially on these pages.

What has me jacked is the caption.

The location.

The fact that we have forward at LEAST the command element of a Marine Expeditionary Brigade.

I won't back off the prediction that we'll probably see an accidental meeting engagement if not a pre-planned Chinese assault to test our resolve in that God forsaken country but it seems that someone at HQMC is at least trying to work the problem.

HQMC is working the problem.  CENTCOM's Marine Corps desk is working the problem and planning for possible eventualities.

The Chinese activity down the road still bugs the hell outta me but they're aware.

A simple pic thread shows me my boys are on it.  Good on them (oh and if the Marines are seeing this then I'm betting the USAF, US Army, SOCOM and a few others that wear dark shades and 5.11 pants are seeing it too).

Fucking awesome.