Netflix's 'Marines' captures Pacific troops searching for purpose in preparing for a war that may never come

"The series "Marines" follows a handful of service members with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, a roughly 2,000-member Marine contingent that deploys aboard a trio of Navy ships, floating sea bases that can be rapidly moved into global hotspots. The 31st MEU is based in Japan, home to one of the Corps' three major bases, with others in California and North Carolina."

"Unlike most military-themed television, 'Marines' focuses on the tension of preparation rather than combat itself in four 45-minute episodes. Executive producer Sebastian Junger, a well-known wartime journalist who focuses on the human costs of war, told Business Insider that he hopes to show viewers the unromanticized - and stressful - reality of a force that spends years preparing for a war that may never happen."

The Netflix mini-docuseries follows service members of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, a roughly 2,000-member contingent that deploys aboard three Navy ships and floats as mobile sea bases. The unit is based in Japan, one of three major Marine Corps bases alongside California and North Carolina. Marines undertake intense training and strict certification for missions ranging from disaster response to amphibious assaults, including planning a large-scale beach landing whose failure would strip deployment certification. The series emphasizes the tension and psychological stress of prolonged preparation for potential Pacific conflict with a near-peer rival rather than battlefield action.

Read at Business Insider