The 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit has officially assumed the mission as the premier tactical force-in-readiness within the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) Area of Responsibility.
The Marine Corps announced Friday that the command, operating under the designation of Littoral Combat Force-24, offers tactical options through an agile Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) composed of more than 1,300 Marines and sailors to the area.
SOUTHCOM’s Area of Responsibility oversees 31 countries and 12 dependencies/areas of special sovereignty, as part of a region representing roughly about one-sixth of the landmass of the world assigned to regional unified commands. That oversight encompasses the land mass of Latin America south of Mexico, waters adjacent to Central and South America, and the Caribbean Sea.
LCF-24, nested under Joint Task Force 84-2, is commanded by U.S. Marine Cops Col. Ryan Lynch in support of Operation Southern Spear.
“The Marines and sailors of LCF-24 are postured to execute all prescribed mission sets directed by our higher echelons of leadership; to deter the threats facing our hemisphere today,” Lynch said in a statement shared with Military.com. “Through our transition with the 22nd MEU, we have seamlessly assumed the watch.
“Our posture is active, our forces are integrated, and we are committed to standing as the regional security partner of choice.”
What is Operation Pacific Spear?
Operation Pacific Speak refers to the Trump administration’s military operation launched in August 2025 to target crime and interdict narcotics traffickers in open waters, with administration officials stating the intent to prevent illicit drugs from reaching U.S. borders.
By September, the campaign involved U.S. airstrikes on alleged narco-trafficking boats in the Caribbean Sea. The consistent strikes that downed countless vessels and killed dozens of suspected traffickers led to the United States ultimately capturing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and bringing him and his wife to the U.S. on criminal charges.
The Marines said that LCF-24 will serve as the immediate crisis response force for SOUTHCOM while in theater, saying the MAGTF is certified to execute a wide array of mission essential tasks. That includes but is not limited to Quick Reaction Force operations such as embassy reinforcement and the tactical recovery of aircraft personnel. It also stands ready to support disaster relief efforts.
LCF-24 will also provide the combatant commander “a flexible force” capable of conducting maritime interdiction operations against sanctioned activities and illicit trafficking. Echoing the original intentions of Operation Southern Spear, officials said the MAGTF “will actively defend the U.S. homeland by disrupting networks utilized by Designated Terrorist Organizations and narco-terrorists.”
“Our success in Operation Southern Spear relies on our ability to out-maneuver and overmatch the illicit networks threatening the region,” U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Calvert L. Worth, commanding general of II Marine Expeditionary Force, said in a statement. “Littoral Combat Force-24 provides the exact combination of precision capability and interoperability we need.”
They are not just a crisis response force; they provide options to the Combatant Commander and serve as a tool for building partner capacity and securing the advantage across all domains.
Ultimately, this tactical execution nests directly within the theater-wide strategic objectives of U.S. Southern Command. The presence of LCF-24 serves as a powerful deterrent against malign state actors and reinforces the security of the homeland.
National Security Strategy
The Marines said there is a “distinct” difference between standard Amphibious Ready Group/MEU deployment and MAGTFs, of which LCF-24 is a purpose-built MAGTF engineered for distributed operations.
The force maximizes its rapid littoral maneuver capabilities by operating from both shore-based nodes and amphibious transport dock USS Fort Lauderdale, which is exclusively aligned to support the MAGTF’s mission, officials said.
A U.S. Marine with Maritime Raid Force, Littoral Combat Force-24, hoists onto a UH-1Y Venom assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 365 (Reinforced), LCF-24, during a Maritime Interdiction Operation Full Mission Profile rehearsal aboard San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD 28) while underway in the Caribbean Sea, May 22, 2026. (U.S. Marine Corps photo)
That allows the LCF-24 to directly support national defense priorities and the strategic objectives of SOUTHCOM.
“The Western Hemisphere is no longer a permissive environment for narco-terrorists, criminal syndicates, or their state sponsors,” U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Francis L. Donovan, commander of U.S. Southern Command, said in a statement.
On May 26, at Donovan’s direction, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by terrorist organizations, according to SOUTHCOM. U.S. intelligence reportedly confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and engaged in narco-trafficking operations.
One male narco-terrorist was killed and two others survived. No U.S. forces were harmed during the strike.
“With Littoral Combat Force-24 taking the helm of tactical operations, we are sending an unambiguous message: the United States is committed to defending our homeland and securing a prosperous, stable hemisphere alongside our enduring partners,” Donovan added.
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