The Essex Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) successfully completed a two-week Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) April 1 off the coast of Southern California.
COMPTUEX is the second of three integrated-training events within the Essex ARG and 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) training cycle. The ARG/MEU team completed the first phase known as PHIBRON-MEU Integrated Training (PMINT) earlier in March, which gave the Blue/Green team their first opportunity to train together during staff-planning exercises and an amphibious-landing exercise.
The Essex ARG consists of USS Essex (LHD 2), San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS Anchorage (LPD 23) and Whidbey Island-class amphibious dock landing ship USS Rushmore (LSD 47) and more than 2,600 Marines from the 15th MEU.
The ARG/MEU team is now preparing for a Certification Exercise (CERTEX), the final phase in a complex-training series used to evaluate and prepare ARGs before deploying overseas.
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Image: US Navy