Arctic Edge 2026

U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Kody Nowicki, right, a second loadmaster, with Marine Transport Squadron 1, Marine Aircraft Group 41, 4th Marine Aircraft Wing, Marine Forces Reserves, briefs Gunnery Sgt. Jason Cantu, a supply chief, also with VMR-1, on lanyard casting procedures during a notional egress rehearsal aboard a C-40A assigned to VMR-1, while flying over the Arafura Sea, May 1, 2024. VMR-1 transported Marines and Sailors with Marine Rotational Force – Darwin 24.3 to Papua New Guinea in support of a humanitarian assistance and disaster relief exercise. The HADR exercise will be conducted in coordination with the Papua New Guinea Defence force and U.S. Embassy in Port Moresby, with a focus on projecting select role II medical, logistics, and Marine Air-Ground Task Force command and control capabilities off-continent, to validate HADR training and readiness. Nowicki is a native of Minnesota. Cantu is a native of Texas. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Migel A. Reynosa)