Its stated mission[citation needed] is to provide geographic combatant commanders with a forward-deployed, rapid-response force capable of conducting conventional amphibious and selected maritime special operations at night or under adverse weather conditions from the sea, by surface and/or by air while under communications and electronics restrictions.

On 16 April 1991, following Operation Desert Storm, elements of the 24th MEU, along with other U.S. and allied forces, were mobilized to complete a mission of mercy on behalf of the Kurdish people in Turkey and northern Iraq.

In June 1995, elements of the 24th MEU launched a daring, daylight Tactical Recovery of Aircraft and Personnel mission to rescue Air Force Captain Scott O'Grady, who had been shot down over Bosnia and Herzegovina six days earlier.

Near the end of October 1996, units from the MEU assisted U.S. Army and allied engineers with the construction of a bridge across the Drina River in Bosnia.

In 1998, the MEU was diverted from its regular deployment schedule to provide a forward presence in the Persian Gulf as the United States 5th Fleet landing force in support of Operation Desert Thunder.

On April 25, 2001, USS Kearsarge ARG and 24th MEU began its deployment, where the ship hosted the annual USO Gala in Naples, Italy, participated in several large amphibious operations (Trident D'OR, Alexander the Great and Albanian Phibliex), and provided support to the president of the United States during the G8 Summit in Genoa, Italy.

On Sept. 11, 2001, Kearsarge and the 24th MEU were underway in the Mediterranean Sea as the World Trade Centers and Pentagon were attacked by terrorists (United Airlines Flight 93 and American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the World Trade Center in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States).

The MEU was responsible for stability and security in northern Babil and southern Baghdad provinces, reported safe havens for insurgents.

U.S. nationals had become trapped in Lebanon, following a series of Israeli strikes which made the Beirut International Airport nonoperational, and similarly destroyed a number of major roads out of the country.

Marines of the 24th MEU flooded into the Taliban-held town of Garmsir 29 April 2008, in Helmand province, in the first major American operation in the region in years.

[2] By mid-July, after a month and a half of heavy combat, the Marines were reporting that they had killed over 400 Taliban fighters in the Garmser area.

The MEU was scheduled to return from deployment around Thanksgiving but was extended until the middle of December in order to support potential crisis response missions.

After the attack on the U.S. embassy in Benghazi, Libya, the MEU began extensive planning for potential missions to aid and/or evacuate U.S. citizens throughout the region in a number of countries that included Sudan, Lebanon, Egypt, Yemen, Tunisia, Syria and Pakistan.

They returned to North Carolina on 20 December 2012[16] The 24th MEU's inherent task organization and flexibility allowed them to adapt to an ever-changing security environment and generate concurrent mission plans.

[citation needed] The MEU/ARG even prepared to conduct disaggregated operations so the ships and staffs could be separated physically but still execute missions with "Alpha" and "Bravo" command and control elements, therefore maximizing efficiency and economy of MEU organic assets.

During the 221-day deployment, the ARG/MEU supported two Military Assisted Departures; participated in over 30 joint operations, activities, and actions; and conducted nine Theater Security Cooperation engagements.

The MEU supported the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group's presence operations during 160 overt Bab al-Mandeb Strait transits.

The MEU composited as a full Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) 26 May 2014, and began their Pre-deployment Training Program for their 2015 deployment.

As events in Yemen unfolded, the ARG/MEU became the central focus of U.S. 5th Fleet, supporting sea control and maritime security operations in the Gulf of Aden.

The forces embarked on the USS Iwo Jima maintained presence in the Gulf of Aden for the majority of the rest of the deployment, but went ashore to Djibouti for several iterations of sustainment training.

The ARG/MEU also supported several training events with Special Operations Forces while in U.S. 5th Fleet, to include Subject Matter Expert Exchanges in Bahrain and Kuwait.

The MEU/ARG entered U.S. 6th Fleet on 19 June and Marines off New York conducted the unit's final Theater Security Cooperation Exercise with Greece.

[citation needed] During their pre-deployment workup, the 24th MEU was directed to provide HA/DR support to Haiti in October 2016, after their country was devastated by Hurricane Matthew.

In the 1998 movie, Enemy of the State; two individuals played by Jake Busey and Scott Caan are hired by the government to track down Will Smith's character.

The Marine Corps' coat of arms, the Eagle, Globe and Anchor, is emblazoned on the shield surrounded by the words "Sea, Land, and Air".