The Peleliu Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) and embarked 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) arrived in the U.S. 5th Fleet Area of Operations, Oct. 30.
While in the U.S. 5th Fleet, the ARG will support current missions, maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts.
Commanded by Capt. Mark Sakaguchi, commander, Amphibious Squadron 3, the ARG will also participate in routine scheduled exercises and engagements with coalition and regional partners.
During the past year, the ARG trained for real-life situations through weeks of underway work ups conducting engineering, general quarters and damage control drills.
The ARG completed its composite training unit exercise and certification exercise, testing its capabilities to conduct amphibious operations at sea and ashore.
The 15th MEU, commanded by Col. Scott D. Campbell, is comprised of approximately 2,400 Marines and Sailors, and serves as the nation’s rapid-response sea-based Marine Air Ground Task Force for its Western Pacific deployment of 2012.
Amphibious ships deliver embarked Marine landing forces ashore to provide humanitarian assistance, civil support, non-combatant evacuations, peace operations, recovery operations, disaster reliefs and counter-piracy.
Peleliu ARG and 15th MEU departed homeport San Diego on Sept. 17 for a scheduled deployment. The three ships of the ARG entered the U.S. 7th Fleet Area of Operations, completed Exercise Crocodilo in Timor-Leste and conducted port visits to Phuket, Thailand, Darwin, Australia and Bali, Indonesia.
Peleliu ARG consists of the Amphibious Squadron 3 staff, amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu (LHA 5), amphibious dock landing ship USS Rushmore (LSD 47) and amphibious transport dock ship USS Green Bay (LPD 20), with 15th MEU embarked throughout the three ships.
The 5th Fleet’s Area of Operations encompasses 2.5 million square miles of water and includes the Arabian Gulf, Arabian Sea, Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman and parts of the Indian Ocean.
The ARG and embarked 15th MEU are deployed in support of maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th Fleet Area of Responsibility.
[mappress] Naval Today Staff, November 1, 2012; Image: US Navy