USS Kearsarge Embarked Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier Strikes ISIL

Posted on | by Caroline Teames
11/23/2015

11/23/2015: ARABIAN GULF (Nov. 19, 2015)

An AV-8B Harrier assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 162 (Reinforced), 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (26th MEU), launches from the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) to conduct their first missions over Iraq in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.

Kearsarge is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet, supporting Operation Inherent Resolve, the effort to degrade and ultimately destroy ISIL; maritime security operations; and regional theater security cooperation efforts.

 Credit: Navy Media Content Services:11/19/15

The Kearsarge and Harriers operating off of it are no strangers to the region.

The synergy of ship, strike aircraft, and Ospreys played a significant role in Odyssey Dawn.

http://sldinfo.wpstage.net/the-role-of-the-osprey-in-operation-odyssey-dawn/

http://sldinfo.wpstage.net/the-libyan-operation-comparing-the-french-and-usmc-experiences/

http://sldinfo.wpstage.net/the-amphibious-ready-group-arg-and-libya/

And it was from the Kearsarge that the TRAP mission to save the downed USAF pilot in Libya was launched as well.

http://sldinfo.wpstage.net/looking-back-on-the-libyan-trap-mission-battle-hardened-marines-drive-innovation/

Viper Offensive Air Support

Posted on | by Caroline Teames
11/22/2015

11/22/2015: U.S. Marine Corps AH-1Z Viper’s assigned to Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One (MAWTS-1) conduct an offensive air support exercise during Weapons and Tactics Instructor Course (WTI) 1-16 at Mt. Barrow, Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range, Calif., Oct. 8, 2015.

WTI is a seven week event hosted by MAWTS-1 cadre. MAWTS-1 provides standardized tactical training and certification of unit instructor qualifications to support Marine aviation training and readiness and assists in developing and employing aviation weapons and tactics.  

Credit:Marine Corps Air Station Yuma Combat Camera:10/8/15

 

 

Partner Nations Train Together During UNITAS Amphibious 2015

Posted on | by Caroline Teames

11/22/2015: Interviews of soldiers from partner nations training together during UNITAS Amphibious 2015 at Ilha do Governador, Brazil, Nov. 16, 2015.

Marines from Marine Forces Reserve joined partner nations during the start of UNITAS Amphib to integrate seamlessly and train on various skills including Amphibious Assault Vehicle familiarization, breaching rooms as a team, helicopter embarking and disembarking and participation in rifle ranges.

Credit:U.S. Marine Corps Forces, South:11/17/15

The Marine Corps set a new distance record for Osprey flights on Tuesday as three MV-22Bs traveled from California to Brazil.

Flight crews from Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 764 flew 6,165 miles from Marine Corps Air Station Miramar to Rio de Janeiro. The Marines made the journey as part of UNITAS Amphibious 2015, a nine-day multinational maritime exercise that runs through Nov. 24. About 1,000 troops from Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Paraguay and Peru are participating.

The Osprey squadron made a five-leg flight that included stops in Trinidad and Tobago, and Brazil, said 1st Lt. Tyler Hopkins, a UNITAS spokesman. The three Ospreys were supported by three KC-130J Hercules tankers from Marine Aerial Refueler Squadron 234 and one KC-130 from Marine Aerial Refueler Squadron 452.

 

USS Ramage Deploys to the Middle East

Posted on | by Caroline Teames
11/21/2015

11/20/2015: The guided-missile destroyer USS Ramage left Naval Station Norfolk on Monday November 16, 2014 for an eight-month, independent Ballistic Missile Defense deployment in support of maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility.

 Credit: Commander, Naval Surface Force Atlantic:11/16/15

More than 5,000 Sailors attached to Carrier Strike Group 8 left Naval Station Norfolk on Monday morning for a seven-month deployment.

The aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman, commanded by Capt. Ryan B. Scholl, is joined by the guided-missile cruiser USS Anzio and guided-missile destroyers USS Bulkeley, USS Gravely and USS Gonzalez.

Commanded by Rear Adm. Bret Batchelder, the Harry S. Truman CSG is comprised of the Truman with the embarked squadrons of Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 7, Anzio and staff from Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 28, whose ships include the Bulkeley, Gravely and Gonzalez.

The previously planned deployment comes just days after the deadly terror attacks in France.

When a strike force like the Truman goes to sea, it is a commitment of the military and their families to defeating the kind of evil represented by ISIS,

On November 16, 2015, the USS Truman, with surface combatants set out into Harm’s Way with families, loved ones and supporters of the United States Navy waving good-by as the Strike Group left Norfolk Naval Base, through Hampton Roads and then cleared Willoughby Spit and was visible from Little Creek Amphibious Base and many historic Civil War fortifications.

Much like the fanatical Nazis celebrated their sense of ethnic purity against the “weaker” Anglo-Saxon races, ISIS believes its ideological purity will prevail over the “weakness” of the West.

The fleet represents what America has become — a powerful multi-ethnic society, that in spite of its differences, finds ways to work together, notably against those who seem dedicated to the extermination of civilized society.

 

USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) Flight Operations

Posted on | by Caroline Teames
11/20/2015

11/20/2015: Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 7 aircraft fly onto the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75).

Harry S. Truman Strike Group is deployed to support maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operation.

Credit:Navy Media Content Services:11/17/15

When a strike force like the Truman goes to sea, it is a commitment of the military and their families to defeating the kind of evil represented by ISIS,

On November 16, 2015, the USS Truman, with surface combatants set out into Harm’s Way with families, loved ones and supporters of the United States Navy waving good-by as the Strike Group left Norfolk Naval Base, through Hampton Roads and then cleared Willoughby Spit and was visible from Little Creek Amphibious Base and many historic Civil War fortifications.

Much like the fanatical Nazis celebrated their sense of ethnic purity against the “weaker” Anglo-Saxon races, ISIS believes its ideological purity will prevail over the “weakness” of the West.

The fleet represents what America has become — a powerful multi-ethnic society, that in spite of its differences, finds ways to work together, notably against those who seem dedicated to the extermination of civilized society.

USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) Deploys from Norfolk, Va.

Posted on | by Caroline Teames
11/19/2015

11/19/2015: The aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) departs Naval Station Norfolk.

The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group is deploying in support of maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts.

With Harry S. Truman as the flagship, strike group assets include the embarked squadrons of Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 7, Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 28 and ships USS Anzio (CG 68), USS Bulkeley (DDG 84), USS Gravely (DDG 107), and USS Gonzalez (DDG 66).

Credit:Navy Media Content Services:11/17/15

Editor’s Note: A good overview of the departure of the Truman strike group was provided by Ali Rockett of the Daily Press and published on November 16, 2015:

The aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman and its strike group left Naval Station Norfolk Monday for a deployment set to start in the Middle East as U.S. and coalition forces increase strikes on Islamic State militants, who have claimed credit for last week’s attacks in Paris.

The Truman is expected to reach the Persian Gulf before the year’s end. The U.S. has been launching air strikes into Iraq and Syria from aircraft carriers in the Persian Gulf — at least until last month, when the USS Theodore Roosevelt left the area after an extended deployment.

The two-month gap is the first in nearly a decade that the U.S. has had no carrier in the region.

While the Truman’s departure date was set more than a year ago, it came about six months earlier than first planned. In October 2014, it was announced that the ship would switch deployment cycles with the Norfolk-based USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, which required an additional 10 months in the shipyard. 

This means the 3,000 sailors aboard the Truman readied the ship for deployment in about half the normal time.

Another 2,000 sailors are attached to the carrier’s flotilla, which includes guided-missile cruiser USS Anzio, and guided-missile destroyers USS Bulkeley, USS Gravely and USS Gonzalez, the Navy said. Carrier Air Wing 7, with nine squadrons, is also assigned to the group.

The seven-month deployment will also include operations in the waters around Europe and Africa.

The guided-missile destroyer USS Ramage also departed Norfolk Monday for an eight-month deployment in the Middle East. It will be independent of the carrier strike group and will provide ballistic missile defense, according to the Navy.

Departure of Harry Truman Strike Group: USS Bulkeley

Posted on | by Caroline Teames

11/19/2015: Sailors aboard guided-missile destroyer USS Bulkeley (DDG 84) man the rails as the ship departs Naval Station Norfolk as part of the Harry S. Truman Strike Group.

The strike group departs Naval Station Norfolk to deploy in support of maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of responsibility.

With CVN 75 as the flagship, strike group assets include the embarked squadrons of Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 7, Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 28 and ships USS Anzio (CG 68), USS Bulkeley (DDG 84), USS Gravely (DDG 107) and USS Gonzalez (DDG 66).

 Credit: Navy Public Affairs Support Element East:11/16/15

 

When a strike force like the Truman goes to sea, it is a commitment of the military and their families to defeating the kind of evil represented by ISIS,

On November 16, 2015, the USS Truman, with surface combatants set out into Harm’s Way with families, loved ones and supporters of the United States Navy waving good-by as the Strike Group left Norfolk Naval Base, through Hampton Roads and then cleared Willoughby Spit and was visible from Little Creek Amphibious Base and many historic Civil War fortifications.

Much like the fanatical Nazis celebrated their sense of ethnic purity against the “weaker” Anglo-Saxon races, ISIS believes its ideological purity will prevail over the “weakness” of the West.

The fleet represents what America has become — a powerful multi-ethnic society, that in spite of its differences, finds ways to work together, notably against those who seem dedicated to the extermination of civilized society.

 

Longest Flight for MV 22-Osprey

Posted on | by Caroline Teames
11/18/2015

11/17/2015: Marine Air Group 41, 4th Marine Aircraft Wing, Marine Forces Reserve conduct longest flight, 6,165 miles, in the history of the MV 22-Osprey, traveling from Miramar, Ca. to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, November 14, 2015.

This movement is in support of UNITAS Amphibious Operations 2015. 

 Credit: Marine Forces Reserve:11/14/15