The USS Boxer Ready Group has deployed with the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit after lengthy repairs to the amphibious assault ship that leads the force.
The deployment is reportedly the first for the Camp Pendleton Marines with their new Amphibious Combat Vehicle, an eight-wheeled fighting vehicle that can operate in the water and ashore.
The Boxer left San Diego on April 1, but the deployment was not immediately announced by the Navy. Facebook posts by the Navy now confirm the ship’s departure
Accompanying the Boxer are the amphibious transport dock USS Somerset and the dock landing ship USS Harpers Ferry, both of which deployed earlier.
The Boxer last deployed in 2019 and then entered drydock in 2020 for a $250 million overhaul. However, the warship was plagued by a series of equipment problems after the overhaul.
The delays created concerns in the Navy because of the need to keep amphibious groups in the Pacific to deter Chinese aggression.