U.S. Navy Sailor Ensign Caleb Barela, left, the surface warfare division officer assigned to Task Force Ashland, I Marine Expeditionary Force, meets with a Royal Australian Navy (RAN) Sailor assigned to RAN Anzac-class frigate HMAS Toowoomba (FFH 156) aboard Whidbey Island-class amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD 48) during a cross-deck subject matter expert exchange during a multilateral exercise alongside RAN and Canadian Armed Forces in the South China Sea, April 14, 2026. TF Ashland is a flexible, forward-deployed crisis response force led by the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit. Purpose-built to integrate with Allies and partners, TF Ashland supports a free and open Indo-Pacific by providing immediate response capabilities for any contingency. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Brian Knowles)
U.S. Sailors assigned to Task Force Ashland, I Marine Expeditionary Force, conduct a cross-deck subject matter expert exchange with Royal Australian sailors assigned to ANZAC-class HMAS Toowoomba (FFH 156), aboard Whidbey Island-class amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD 48) in the South China Sea, April 14, 2026. The U.S. Navy routinely operates with the Armed Forces of the Philippines and partners and allies through MCAs to continually develop, exercise and enhance multi-domain tactical interoperability to uphold peace and security in the region. TF Ashland is a flexible, forward-deployed crisis response force led by the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit. Purpose-built to integrate with allies and partners, TF Ashland...
CEBU, Philippines– A domineering voice that can’t help but be heard slices through the humid air aboard Whidbey Island-class amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD 48). The voice is powerful, clear, unwavering, and belongs to a Marine whose presence commands attention despite her small stature.
U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Chardonnay Schwartz moves with deliberate energy across the deck, her voice a constant driving force as she instructs Marines and demonstrates skills during her Marine Corps Martial Arts Program course. She is in her element: loud, leading from the front– as always– doing more than what’s expected as the ammunition chief of Task Force Ashland and the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit.
As the Marines train,...
