U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Alexander Folkner, from Pennsylvania, a CH-53E Super Stallion crew chief with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron (HMH) 464, looks out the back of a CH-53E before landing on Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, during Atlantic Alliance 2025, July 3, 2025. Atlantic Alliance 2025 (AA25) is the premier East Coast naval integration exercise, featuring over 25 U.S. Navy and Marine Corps units alongside Dutch naval forces and British Royal Commandos. Spanning from North Carolina to Maine, AA25 will showcase a range of dynamic events including force integration, air assault operations, bilateral reconnaissance, naval strait transits, amphibious assault training, and a simulated war-at-sea exercise. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Anakin Smith)
U.S. Marines with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 162, U.S. Marines with VMM-162 support an anti-submarine warfare exercise during Atlantic Alliance 25 at Surface Combat Systems Center Wallops Island, Virginia, July 2, 2025. Atlantic Alliance 2025 (AA25) is the premier East Coast naval integration exercise, featuring over 25 U.S. Navy and Marine Corps units alongside Dutch naval forces and British Royal Commandos. Spanning from North Carolina to Maine, AA25 will showcase a range of dynamic events including force integration, air assault operations, bilateral reconnaissance, naval strait transits, amphibious assault training, and a simulated war-at-sea exercise. (U.S. Marine Corps video by Lance Cpl. Orlanys Diaz Figueroa)
Marine All-Weather Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA(AW)) 224 redesignated to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 224 during a change of command and redesignation ceremony at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina, on Thursday.
The event marked the squadron’s historic transition from operating the F/A-18D Hornet to becoming an F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter squadron, concluding more than 32 years as a Hornet squadron and as a Marine all-weather fighter attack squadron.
In addition to the redesignation, the ceremony also served as a change of command, representing a transfer of responsibility, authority, and accountability from Lt. Col. Jarrod Allen, the former commanding officer, VMFA(AW)-224, to Lt. Col. John...
06.27.2025 | MARINE CORPS AIR STATION BEAUFORT, SOUTH CAROLINA, US |
Story by Capt. Jacob Ballard
