Bataan Completes 'Operation Brimstone' Support
Navy NewsStand
Story Number: NNS080731-12
Release Date: 7/31/2008 4:21:00 PM
By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class (SW) Stephen Oleksiak, USS Bataan Public Affairs
ABOARD BATAAN, At Sea (NNS) -- The multipurpose amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5) returned to her homeport of Naval Station Norfolk, July 31 after a 10-day underway period to provide support for the Joint Task Force Exercise (JTFEX) 08-4 "Operation Brimstone."
JTFEX 08-4 is held to help U.S. and coalition naval assets, from countries with a desire for peaceful use of the world's oceans, to come together as a force to dissuade potential adversaries.
Bataan and her crew supported the exercise by providing a platform for Commander, U.S. 2nd Fleet Vice Adm. Marty Chanik, and his staff.
"As the flagship, Bataan was able to provide command and control (C2) systems for the exercise," said Capt. Bob Castleton, 2nd Fleet's director of Fleet Training. "This allowed us to manage the 'war' at sea and helped Bataan and 2nd Fleet to work as a team."
C2 systems provided Bataan and the 2nd Fleet staff the ability to maintain communications between all parties involved in the exercise.
"We set up and maintained more than 10 different communication networks, from video teleconferences to satellite-communication voice links," said Information Systems Technician 1st Class Ayana Carter.
"This allowed us the ability to continuously control every aspect of the exercise."
Bataan also assisted 2nd Fleet in testing new equipment.
"We aided in the testing of a portable command and control center that was originally designed for shore use," said Cmdr. Kevin Johnson, Bataan's operations officer. "By testing it afloat, we helped validate the design and made it more compatible with shipboard communication systems."
JTFEX is also designed as a graduate-level exercise for strike groups who are preparing to forward deploy.
"We've been able to align the training schedules of both the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group and the Iwo Jima Expeditionary Strike Group to create an Expeditionary Strike Force," said Castleton.
"That not only enhanced training for those specific strike groups, it helped Bataan and 2nd Fleet prepare for the training we will be receiving in the upcoming work-ups."
In addition to being a certifying level for pre-deployment strike groups, JTFEX brought together multiple branches of the U.S. military and the militaries of other allied nations.
Members of the U.S. Air Force, Army and Marine Corps as well as militaries from Brazil, Britain and Italy were involved in the exercise, which allowed them to operate together, creating a diverse military force to aid in maritime security operations.
"By bringing together the U.S. military and our foreign allies, Bataan provided a great opportunity to work with our multinational partners," said Castleton. "This was an excellent chance to strengthen bonds for coalition interoperability."
When the exercise was finished and Bataan began her transit home, it was with a feeling of success and satisfaction.
"It's important to recognize that JTFEX wasn't just an opportunity for Bataan to support 2nd Fleet. Thanks to outstanding cooperation and coordination, we were also able to conduct good unit-level training in preparation for pre-deployment work-ups," said Capt. Rick Snyder, Bataan's commanding officer, during an all hands call with the crew. "I am impressed with the crew's performance, especially considering we've only been out of the shipyards for three months."
Bataan is the fifth ship of the Navy's Wasp-class ships. She was commissioned Sept. 20, 1997, and is the second U.S. Navy warship to bear the name. CVL-29 was an Independence-class small aircraft carrier that was commissioned in November 1943. After serving in both World War II and the Korean conflict, CVL-29 was decommissioned in 1954.
For more news from USS Bataan, visit www.navy.mil/local/lhd5/.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
