Check out these stunning underwater photos of reconnaissance Marines diving next to a US missile submarine in the open ocean

“Early in the series, Marines from the 2nd Force Reconnaissance Company launched and recovered small craft aboard USS Georgia in order to develop capabilities to execute combined arms attacks, advanced personnel recovery, and expeditionary theater undersea warfare deployments,” the Navy and Marines said.

Major W. Connor Smithson, the commander of the 2nd Force Reconnaissance Company, shared that the joint operational planning between some of the Marines and USS Georgia’s sailors was “at a level not executed before between the US Marine Corps and the submarine force,” though details were limited.

The Force Reconnaissance Marines involved in the exercises are assets used for deep reconnaissance missions, accessing target areas and withdrawing from them in sometimes atypical ways.

“The scale and importance of the accomplishments made by the teams onboard USS Georgia cannot be over-stated.” said Capt. Benjamin Selph, the Task Force 69 commander, of the latest training. “Integration with joint and allied SOF enhances our undersea forces’ ability to respond to any threat with increased speed and lethality.”

Just days after the completion the joint training, the Georgia submarine was ordered by US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin to deploy to the Middle East amid rising concerns over the possibility of a retaliatory attack on Israel from Iran could spark broader regional conflict that could put US forces and their partners at risk.

On Tuesday, Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon’s press secretary, said the Georgia hadn’t arrived in the Central Command area of responsibility yet and was still on its journey from the Mediterranean Sea. The public announcements about its movement are unusual and are seen as sending a message to Iran and its proxies.

The Georgia, which is home-ported in Kings Bay, Georgia, is assigned to Task Force 69, which is responsible for submarine operations within the 6th Fleet area. It can carry over 150 Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles, as well as Mk-48 torpedoes.