Operation Odyssey Lightning: In 2016, 1st Battalion 6th Marines deployed as the ground combat element of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit. Aboard the USS Wasp, USS San Antonio, and USS Whidbey Island, Marines conducted precision air strikes in support of the Libyan Government of National Accord-aligned forces against ISIS and Daesh targets in Sirte, Libya, as part of the Battle of Sirte (2016). Before joining the operation in Libya, elements of 1/6 aboard the USS San Antonio came under attack as it moved through the Bab al-Mandeb strait on the southern end of the Red Sea while conducting operations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom-Horn of Africa, Operation Restoring Hope, and Operation Oaken Steel. Shortly after the attacks, the USS Nitze destroyed three radar sites in Yemen in retaliation for the two separate attacks on U.S. ships in the Red Sea. This was credited as the first surface naval battle since the Persian Gulf War. Members of the 22nd MEU received the Presidential Unit Citation and Combat Action Ribbons for operations in Libya and Yemen. (Meritorious Unit Commendation,Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal)