• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

San Diego-based Ships to Participate in Valiant Shield

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS060623-01
Release Date: 6/23/2006 7:51:00 AM

By Journalist 1st Class Paula M. Ludwick, Commander, Naval Surface Forces Public Affairs and Journalist 2nd Class Katherine Hofman, Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet Public Affairs

SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- Five San Diego-based Navy ships are scheduled to participate in the combined forces military exercise Valiant Shield 2006 off the coast of Guam June 19-23.

The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Decatur (DDG 73) and USS McCampbell (DDG 85) from Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 7, the guided-missile cruisers USS Lake Champlain (CG 57) and USS Mobile Bay (CG 53), and the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) will be operating in one of the largest regional joint exercises in recent history.

Valiant Shield is a military exercise focused on integrated joint training among U.S. military forces to refine current and build future operational tactics, techniques and procedures. Sponsored by the U.S. Pacific Command, Valiant Shield focuses on the U.S. military's ability to rapidly join forces in response to any regional crisis, demonstrate ready power to preserve peace and economic stability in the Western Pacific, and assure regional allies of U.S. commitment to treaty obligations and security arrangements.

“Joint interoperability is the key to successfully responding to future contingencies in the Pacific,” said Rear Adm. Michael H. Miller, commander, Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 7. “Exercises such as Valiant Shield give us an opportunity to ensure joint command, control and communication procedures are seamless.”

Capt. Terry B. Kraft, Ronald Reagan’s commanding officer, added, “Valiant Shield, along with exercises like Northern Edge and Terminal Fury, allow naval forces in the Pacific to exercise complete command-and-control scenarios across a wide range of geographic areas and operational situations. These linked exercises are a key component to transforming forces for the 21st century.”

Decatur, McCampbell, and Lake Champlain are all a part of the Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group. Mobile Bay is assigned to the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) Carrier Strike Group. Both CSGs will join forces with the USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) Carrier Strike Group as a part of 28 naval vessels, nearly 300 aircraft and approximately 22,000 service members from the Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard.

Distinguished visitors from Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, the Russian Federation, Singapore and Thailand are scheduled to observe the exercise from Abraham Lincoln, Ronald Reagan and Kitty Hawk and from shore facilities on the nearby island of Guam. While aboard the different carriers, the visitors will see flight operations, air crew survival and maintenance demonstrations, tour the ship's bridge, flight deck, combat direction center and hangar bay.

The ships left their San Diego homeport in January, as part of the Ronald Reagan and Lincoln Carrier Strike Groups, which routinely deploy to the Western Pacific to maintain a stabilizing presence in the region.

To learn more about Valiant Shield, visit www.pacom.mil/exercises/vs2006/index.shtml.

For more news from around the fleet, visit www.navy.mil.