A landing craft, air cushion (LCAC) attached to Assault Craft unit (ACU) 5, travels behind the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2)

PACIFIC OCEAN (Jul. 20, 2018) A landing craft, air cushion (LCAC) attached to Assault Craft unit (ACU) 5, travels behind the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2) during a scheduled deployment of the Essex Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) and the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (13th MEU). The Essex ARG/MEU team is a strong, flexible, responsive, and consistent force capable of maneuver warfare across all domains; it is equipped and scalable to respond to any crisis from humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to contingency operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jacob Owen) File# 180720-N-RY670-017