Photo Of The Day – A Marine assigned to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) fires an M4A1 carbine during in a live-fire small arms exercise in the hangar bay of the forward-deployed amphibious assault carrier USS America (LHA 6), in the Philippine Sea. USS America is a multi-purpose amphibious assault ship of the United States Navy. The ship was commissioned in 2014 and is the fourth ship to bear the name. The USS America is the lead ship of her class, which is designed to be more versatile and flexible than previous amphibious assault ships.

The USS America is 844 feet (257 meters) long and has a beam of 106 feet (32 meters). It can carry up to 31 aircraft, including F-35B Lightning II stealth fighters, MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft, and CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters. The ship can also carry a variety of amphibious assault vehicles, such as the Assault Amphibious Vehicle and Landing Craft Air Cushion.

The USS America has participated in a number of operations and exercises, including Pacific Partnership, which provides humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to countries in the Asia-Pacific region. The ship was also involved in the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 in 2014.

We have more stories to tell and images to show, so please check back tomorrow for another selection.

U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Matthew Bakerian