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| 6300 Sailors, Marines Prepare To Deploy Under New Navy Strategy |
| 2004-02-25 |
| EFL - slightly dated (from the 13th), but relevant due to its description of a new naval concept for use in the 3rd world. The piers at Norfolk Naval Station were filled Friday with trucks carrying food supplies and cranes hoisting ammo as a leaner battle group prepared to depart next week to support the war on terrorism. The seven-ship USS Wasp Expeditionary Strike Group, with about 6,300 sailors and Marines, is part of a new Navy strategy that focuses on more battle groups with fewer ships to create a more nimble force. This ESG, centered around the Norfolk-based amphibious assault ship Wasp, is the second in the Navy but the first to deploy from the Atlantic Fleet. It sails Tuesday for a six-month cruise to the Mediterranean Sea and Persian Gulf. "After the terrorist attacks on 9-11 ... the Navy senior leadership felt that there was a requirement to organize differently in order to provide a more responsive presence and a more flexible presence - as well as a more lethal presence," said Capt. Steven C. Joachim, commander of the Wasp ESG. With the Cold War over and the Soviet Union no longer a threat, there’s no longer a need for the Navy’s traditional large battle groups designed to fight big forces in deep water. "There are really not many forces that can strike at our Navy forces once we’re out on the open ocean," Joachim said. But the battlefield has shifted closer to shore, he said. Under the new strategy, aircraft carrier groups now have about half of the 10 to 12 ships they used to. And with the ESG, the fire power of two cruisers, a destroyer and an attack submarine has been added to the old Amphibious Ready Group of three amphibious ships that would transport Marines to hotspots. The focus remains "those green guys that go ashore to do stuff" - the Marines, Joachim said. "We provide a whole lot of additional fire support for the Marines ashore with the Tomahawk missiles that the ships carry, with the naval gunfire," he said. A typical carrier is about 1,100 feet long and carries about 80 aircraft. The Wasp, an 844-foot-long primary landing ship, resembles a small aircraft carrier. It has a crew of about 1,100 sailors but also can carry about 1,900 Marines to be landed on hostile shores. Depending on its mission, the Wasp carries six AV-8B Harrier attack jets, 12 CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters, four CH-53E Sea Stallion helicopters, three UH-1N Huey helicopters and four AH-1W Super Cobra helicopter gunships. In addition to the Wasp, the ESG consists of the Norfolk-based guided missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf, amphibious transport ship USS Shreveport and guided missile destroyer USS McFaul; the guided missile cruiser USS Yorktown, based in Pascagoula, Miss.; the dock landing ship USS Whidbey Island, from Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base in Virginia Beach; and the attack submarine USS Connecticut, based in Groton, Conn. "Having a submarine in the force is like having an invisible queen that you can materialize on the (chess) board any time, any place that you want," Joachim said. Defense analyst Patrick Garrett said the ESG is an innovative effort by the Navy to increase the options available to the commander-in-chief in times of crisis, giving the Navy the ability to act quickly. "It’s not exactly clear what you use this against," Garrett said. "It doesn’t have the standing or presence of a carrier ... group. This is something you use to kick around Third World countries. It’s not even clear that you would need it for that." Eventually, amphibious ships will form the core of 12 ESGs, matching the number of aircraft carrier strike groups. "By doing this we’re doubling our capacity to be places, to have a presence in the world," Woods said. "As the captain says, we have to get more bang for our buck." I think the strategy will work. The concept will be as succeful as the harriers are in gaining air superiority and in engaging in ground support. 8 harriers might be enough in some cases, but securing an airfield for significant numbers of warthogs and other planes would be advisable IMO. |
| Posted by:Super Hose |
| #4 Sounds like someones birthing a baby seabase. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-2-25 5:33:39 PM |
| #3 "It doesn’t have the standing or presence of a carrier ... group. This is something you use to kick around Third World countries. It’s not even clear that you would need it for that. Come on Garret...of course that's what it's for and it's right for the job. Perfect for Horn of Africa ops. It frees up the big stuff to keep focused on Baby Assad and Li'l Kimmie. |
| Posted by: Rex Mundi 2004-2-25 2:56:37 PM |
| #2 "It’s not exactly clear what you use this against" Garrett said. "It doesn’t have the standing or presence of a carrier ... group. This is something you use to kick around Third World countries. It’s not even clear that you would need it for that." Not exactly a ringing endorsement. But ...hey...build more of em! |
| Posted by: B 2004-2-25 9:20:25 AM |
| #1 ...Kinda interesting to look at the OOB here - Connecticut is one of the Seawolf class, probably the most advanced and capable SSN in the world, and Yorktown was at one time (not sure if she still is) rigged for SmartShip - where they took off a good-sized chunk of the crew and automated the heck out of her. Mike |
| Posted by: Mike Kozlowski 2004-2-25 8:59:50 AM |