Vice President JD Vance will visit Camp Pendleton on Saturday to observe an amphibious assault demonstration that’s part of the 250th birthday celebration of the Navy and the Marines.
The Navy turned 250 on Monday, and the Marines will do so on Nov.10.
The Marines also said in a statement that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Navy Secretary John Phelan and Marine Commandant Gen. Eric M. Smith will make remarks tied to the event, but did not specify whether they will do so in person.
The program is being overseen by Vance, the first Marine veteran to serve as the nation’s vice president. Vance’s wife, Usha Chilukuri Vance, grew up in suburban San Diego. Her mother, Lakshmi, is a molecular biologist at UC San Diego, and her father, Krish, a former aerospace engineer, is a lecturer at San Diego State University.
The Marines are a rapid-response force that typically travels by sea, prepared to project power ashore, usually with the aid of Navy vessels. Many of the most famous coastal landings in military history have involved the Marines, including the members of Pendleton’s 1st Marine Division, which led an amphibious assault at Inchon in 1950 that helped during the Korean War in favor of allied forces.
Camp Pendleton is the largest Marine installation on the West Coast. It’s served by naval forces from San Diego, the largest Navy presence on the West Coast.
Pendleton officials have yet to identify which ships will lead Saturday’s amphibious exercise, but they’re likely to be elements of the USS Boxer amphibious ready group, which is currently in a training cycle.
Saturday’s demonstration comes roughly one month after the Trump administration called off plans it was pursuing to stage a major air and sea show in San Diego Bay that would have included the Blue Angels and many local warships. The administration did not state a reason for the change.
Originally Published: October 14, 2025 at 4:12 PM PDT