A U.S. Marine assigned to Battalion Landing Team 1st

A U.S. Marine assigned to Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, guides his AAV-P7/A1 Amphibious Assault Vehicle into the well-deck aboard the USS Ashland (LSD 48), a Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship, at White Beach, Okinawa, Japan, Jan. 29, 2016. The Marines loaded their AAVs onto the Ashland before departing for the MEU's spring deployment. The Spring Deployment is a regularly scheduled deployment designed to support PACOM's theater security cooperation initiatives to promote goodwill, and strengthen allied relationships. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Darien J. Bjorndal, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit/ Released)