It advertises itself as a "middleweight" crises response force of choice in the European and Southern Command Areas of Operation.

Self-sufficient and interoperable, the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade possesses a mix of command and control, combat power and specialized logistics.

[1] The 2nd MEB became Task Force Tarawa, commanded by Brigadier General Richard F. Natonski, for Operation Iraqi Freedom, and, as TF Tarawa, was thus part of the 2003 invasion of Iraq under I Marine Expeditionary Force.

[citation needed] The 2nd MEB Command Element was reactivated on 20 Nov 2012 at Camp Lejune, North Carolina.

[2] The reactivated unit is designed to be a "scalable, standing, joint-capable, and a deployment-ready headquarters element that can also enable the introduction of follow-on forces if required."