1979-1997
Temporarily activated 13 April 1979 and at various times during the early 1980s at Camp Pendleton, California, as the 17th Marine Amphibious Unit
Redesignated 25 July 1984 as the 11th Marine Amphibious Unit
Redesignated 5 February 1988 as the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit
Participated in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, Southwest Asia, January-April 1991
Participated in operations in Somalia, August 1992-March 1994
Participated in Operation Distant Runner, Rwanda, April 1994
1998-2009
Participated in Operation Safe Departure, Eritrea, June 1998
Participated in Operation Stabilise, East Timor, October-November 1999 and November 2002
Elements participated in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, Afghanistan, September-October 2002
Deployed during February 2003 to Kuwait in support of Operation Enduring Freedom
Participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom, Iraq, March-May 2003 and July 2004-February 2005
Participated in humanitarian relief efforts, Gulf of Mexico, in response to Hurricane Katrina, September 2005
Participated in Operation Sea Angel II, Bangladesh, December 2007