Marines with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, and Bougainville Disaster Response Joint-Agency workers, load supplies onto a CH-53E Super Stallion during a humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operation on Bougainville Island, Papua New Guinea, Aug. 12, 2023. US Marine Corps Photo

Amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA-6) and its embarked elements of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) arrived in Bougainville, a region in Papua New Guinea, Thursday, to carry out Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations after volcanic eruptions of Mount Bagana in July displaced numerous communities in the area and cut off access to food and water for them. Read More →