News

Marine Colonel Emphasizes Maritime Readiness, Partnerships at Navy League Convention - U.S. Marine Corps Col. Luke Watson speaks during a sea services panel June 6 at the Navy League National Convention in Jacksonville. Watson, commanding officer of Blount Island Command and Marine Corps Support Facility Blount Island, the hub of Marine Corps prepositioning programs, underscored the importance of maritime readiness and strategic partnerships. He addressed key aspects of the Marine Corps' evolving strategies, underlining the service's commitment to maintaining readiness and adapting to emerging threats. (Official U.S. Marine Corps Photo/Dustin Senger)

Blount Island Marine Earns Clay County Military Excellence Award - U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Tatiana Corbeil of Sarasota, Florida, receives the Clay County Military Excellence Award during a military appreciation luncheon May 21, 2025, at Thrasher Horne Center in Orange Park, Florida. The annual Clay County Chamber of Commerce event, presented by VyStar Credit Union, honors the Northeast Florida military community. Corbeil is a quality assurance representative for Blount Island Command at Marine Corps Support Facility Blount Island, the hub of the Marine Corps' prepositioning programs, and headquarters company noncommissioned officer in charge. (Official U.S. Marine Corps Photo/Dustin Senger)

Tortoise Relocation Keeps Land Adaptable to Marine Corps Logistics - Taylor Comstock, Marine Corps environmental protection specialist, Betsy Stewart, an Environmental Resource Solutions environmental scientist, inspect a gopher tortoise during a burrow survey May 2, 2025, along the St. Johns River at Marine Corps Support Facility Blount Island, Florida. (Official U.S. Marine Corps Photo/Dustin Senger)

Blount Island Marines Achieve Rapid Offload, Boosting Global Readiness - U.S. Marine Corps Maritime Prepositioning Force assets from the United States Naval Ship Seay (T-AKR 302) Roll off from the stern ramp in preparation for the Maritime Prepositioning Force Maintenance Cycle (MMC) 14 at Marine Corps Support Facility Blount Island. The Maritime Prepositioning Force Maintenance Cycle (MMC) is a routine process for maintaining and replenishing the equipment and supplies carried by Maritime Prepositioning Ships (MPS). It ensures the MPS remain ready for deployment and are equipped with the necessary supplies for operations. The cycle typically lasts 42 to 45 days per ship and involves checking the serviceability of the equipment and replenishing stocks.

Blount Island Among Bases Reviewed in Northeast Florida Resilience Initiative - U.S. Marine Corps Col. Luke Watson, commanding officer of Marine Corps Support Facility Blount Island, gathered with military and civilian leaders April 22 to launch the Northeast Florida Military Installation Readiness Review in Jacksonville, Florida.

U.S. Army Reserve vessel Robert T. Kuroda - U.S. Army Reserve vessel Robert T. Kuroda (LSV-7) stages equipment to be transported to the shore during the combined joint over-the-shore operations in preparation for Exercise Balikatan 25 in Dingalan, Philippines, April 9, 2025. Balikatan is a longstanding annual exercise between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and U.S. military designed to strengthen our ironclad alliance, improve our capable combined force, and demonstrate our commitment to regional security and stability. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Brian Knowles)

Hurricane-Hardened Building Boosts Marine Corps Police, Emergency Operations on Blount Island - U.S. Marine Corps Col. Luke Watson, commanding officer of Blount Island Command, speaks during a ribbon-cutting ceremony March 26 at Marine Corps Support Facility Blount Island in Jacksonville, Florida. A new $14.2 million police station and emergency operations center opened on the facility, consolidating vital functions into a single, hardened structure and enhancing protection for Marine Corps' prepositioning programs. The up to date, 18,500-square-foot building combines the former police station and emergency operations center, which had been in structures vulnerable to hurricanes.

Future Marines Test Mettle on Blount Island - Sgt. Devin Eovaldi and Staff Sgt. Arkeevin Lewis, drill instructors from Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, prepare individuals scheduled for boot camp during a Marine Corps Recruiting Station Jacksonville pool function March 22 at Marine Corps Support Facility Blount Island in Jacksonville, Florida. Roughly 275 young men and women from across Florida and Georgia participated in the annual event, designed to assess the physical and mental readiness of future recruits before they ship to boot camp.

Marines Storm Ashore in South Korea, Showcasing Rapid Deployment Capabilities - Navy Cargo Handling Battalion 13 operates a crane to transfer vehicles and equipment Feb. 28 from the USNS Dahl to an Improved Navy Lighterage System during Freedom Banner 25 at the Republic of Korea Marine Corps Base Pohang, South Korea. (Official U.S. Marine Corps Photo/Cpl. Nicholas Martinez)

Marine Corps Facility Commends Jacksonville Firefighter - U.S. Marine Corps Col. Luke Watson, commanding officer of Blount Island Command, presents a certificate of commendation to Lt. Shawn Hall of the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department during a ceremony Feb. 13 at Marine Corps Support Facility Blount Island in Jacksonville, Florida. Watson commended his 15 years of collaboration with the Marine Corps facility's incident management team, emergency operations center and police department. His partnership was praised as instrumental in the success of numerous exercises, drills and training events.