2nd Marine Expeditionary Forces MEF (FMF) CBRND Patch

2nd Marine Expeditionary Forces MEF (FMF) CBRND Patch — The Invisible Threat Meets the Hardest Marines in the Fight

When the battlefield turns toxic, these are the Marines who keep the force alive and in the fight.

The Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Defense (CBRND) specialists of II Marine Expeditionary Force are among the most critically trained Marines in the Fleet Marine Force. Operating under II MEF — the Marine Corps' largest and most powerful Marine Air-Ground Task Force headquartered at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina — CBRN Defense Marines (MOS 5711) are trained to detect, identify, and defend against the deadliest weapons on the modern battlefield. These specialists go through 13 weeks of intensive schooling at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, learning the fundamentals of chemistry, biology, radiation science, hazard plotting, contamination avoidance, and decontamination of personnel, casualties, and equipment. Their mission: ensure the entire force can survive and continue to operate in a contaminated environment. II MEF itself traces its lineage to 1984 when II Marine Amphibious Force stood up as a permanent headquarters, redesignated as II Marine Expeditionary Force in 1988. With more than 47,000 Marines and Sailors comprising the 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, and 2nd Marine Logistics Group, II MEF has deployed to combat and crisis response operations across Panama, Somalia, Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq's Al Anbar Province, and Afghanistan. In every one of those theaters, the CBRN specialists operated behind the scenes — running gas chamber training, coordinating warning and reporting, and standing ready for the worst-case scenario so the rest of the force could focus on the mission. This patch represents the quiet professionalism of the Marines who train for the threat nobody wants to face.