NNS020917-03 Amphibious Ships Depart Okinawa for Joint Exercise
9/17/2002 12:45:00 PM
From Commander, Task Force 76 Public Affairs
OKINAWA, Japan (NNS) -- The USS Essex (LHD 2) Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) departed the White Beach Naval Facility here Sept. 10 to conduct a semi-annual joint exercise designed to integrate the Navy/Marine Corps team into one cohesive combat force.
Essex, along with Amphibious Squadron 11, arrived in Okinawa on Sept. 8 after embarking Marines who were stranded in Pohang, Korea, because of Typhoon Rusa. After entering the Naval facility, Essex offloaded the Marines of III Marine Expeditionary Force.
USS Juneau (LPD 10) and USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43) arrived in White Beach with Essex after departing from their forward-deployed port of Sasebo, Japan on Sept 6.
Comprised of Essex, Juneau and Fort McHenry, the Essex ARG onloaded more than 2,000 Marines and 7.6 million pounds of equipment from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) during the two-day period. Approximately 30 MEU aircraft flew aboard Essex and 15 amphibious assault vehicles embarked Juneau on Sept. 11.
The ARG will remain in the vicinity of Okinawa to conduct an exercise made up of three phases, referred to as Blue-Green Workups, ARG Exercise and Special Operations Capable (SOC) Exercise.
"The exercise will blend the capabilities and techniques of the blue/green [Navy/Marine Corps] team, focusing on conducting amphibious operations in support of a wide range of contingencies, from humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, to full-scale combat operations," Commander, Amphibious Squadron 11, Capt. Andy Karakos said. "This provides an excellent opportunity to refine procedures for joint operations, much as it would happen in a real situation."
Blue-Green workups, or phase one, provides the Navy/Marine Corps team an opportunity to familiarize the individual units with each others' procedures, enabling all the ships and units to operate as one collective unit. Phase two, known as ARG exercise, prepares the ARG/MEU for the third and final phase. The training during ARG exercise is similar to what will take place during the final phase, and focuses on the ARG/MEU ability to plan for and execute multiple amphibious missions, with some of these missions overlapping others.
"The ultimate goal of the exercise is for the 31st MEU to be certified as Special Operations Capable," said Karakos. "The certification tells our leaders that the MEU/ARG is capable of executing diverse amphibious missions -- getting our units from the ships to shore, accomplishing the mission and returning these units back to the ships safely."
SOC exercise is the final evaluation of the MEU and ARG's ability to execute multiple missions within specific time limitations.
Karakos said the exercise's importance revolves around the forward deployed amphibious forces need to remain ready to meet any contingency and/or mission in this ever-changing world environment.
"Exercises like these are designed to ensure the Navy/Marine Corps team is capable of maintaining peace and freedom throughout the world," said Karakos. This will be Karakos's sixth Blue-Green workups, ARG exercise and SOC exercise with the forward-deployed amphibious Navy and his third as the commander of Amphibious Squadron 11.
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