7th Fleet Steers Tandem Thrust '03
Navy NewStand
Story Number: NNS030428-10
Release Date: 4/28/2003 3:26:00 PM
By Journalist 1st Class Bruce Cummins, 7th Fleet Public Affairs
ABOARD USS BLUE RIDGE, At Sea (NNS) -- More than 8,000 personnel are participating in one of the largest joint military exercises in the Western Pacific Marianas Island training area April 14 - May 5.
Exercise Tandem Thrust '03 is a U.S. Pacific Command-sponsored biennial exercise designed to test the 7th Fleet commander's staff's ability to effectively plan and execute crisis contingency response operations as a joint task force commander. Servicemembers from the United States are the primary training audience, although some forces from Australia and Canada are also participating.
Exercise Tandem Thrust '03 "is a graduate level exercise not only for the staffs involved, but for the Sailors, as well," said Vice Adm. Robert F. Willard, commander, 7th Fleet, and the commander of the joint task force leading the exercise.
"They're sailing among joint forces and conducting big operations," he said. "We don't get many opportunities in our careers to do things like this, and we need to take this opportunity to really examine our ability to bring all our combat power together."
Willard said the scope of the exercise parallels many military engagements which have taken place.
"We approach Tandem Thrust as a large-scale joint and sometimes combined exercise where foreign militaries come into the coalition with us, and it very much is reflective of real operations throughout the world," he said.
Operations such as a full-scale amphibious landing, strike bombing runs using live munitions, as well as extensive use of high-end computer driven simulations which are focused on the JTF commander's immediate staff and subordinate staffs, are all scheduled for the nearly three-week exercise.
According to Willard, the Tandem Thrust exercise scenario will also provide the opportunity to test new military ideas. The Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Sea Power 21 model incorporates a variety of new strategies, including the Expeditionary Strike Group concept which will be tested through the Fleet Battle Experiment - Kilo process.
"This is actually part of a lengthy series of Fleet Battle experiments. Tandem Thrust '03 is one of the chosen venues in which to introduce new technologies," Willard said. "This is a Navy experiment in which some joint warfighting technologies will be introduced aboard Blue Ridge, and then personnel will be brought aboard to help evaluate their utility and give us an opportunity to develop the tactics, techniques and procedures to use them."
"The expeditionary strike group (ESG) is an exciting addition to Tandem Thrust, an experiment with a new warfighting concept that the CNO has put forth. This is combining an amphibious ready group, usually consisting of amphibious ships as a small group, together with surface combatants, to include destroyers and frigates."
According to Willard, this could significantly enhance the capabilities of the involved ships. The group would possess the capability of conducting amphibious operations and support large-scale independent strike operations. With this configuration, the ships are relatively self-sufficient.
"The ESG is now a unique group of ships that has both amphibious and clear naval combat power components," he said. "This is going to sail alongside a carrier battle group in the fleet training portion of this (exercise), and we're going to examine the capabilities and limitations of both of them."
Willard also said the exercise could certify the USS Essex (LHD 2) Amphibious Ready Group, forward-deployed to Fleet Activities, Sasebo, Japan, as the 'standing' expeditionary strike group in the Western Pacific.
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