From Peleliu Amphibious Ready Group Public Affairs
USS PELELIU, At Sea (NNS) -- Amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu (LHA 5), the command ship of the Peleliu Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), and embarked Marines from the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) arrived in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility (AOR) July 14.
The Peleliu ARG is comprised of Peleliu, amphibious transport dock ship USS Dubuque (LPD 8) and amphibious dock landing ship USS Pearl Harbor (LSD 52).
Dubuque and Pearl Harbor are scheduled to arrive in the 5th Fleet AOR in late July 2010.
"I am very confident in the capabilities of the Sailors and Marines assigned to this team," said Capt. Dale Fuller, commander, Peleliu ARG. "The successful training and careful preparation we have done since the beginning of the year gives me confidence in our ability to carry out any mission required of us."
PEL ARG and 15th MEU departed San Diego in May 2010 for their regularly scheduled deployment, which began in the 7th Fleet AOR, where embarked Sailors and Marines participated in Exercise Crocodilo in Timor-Leste and Marine Exercise in Indonesia.
PEL ARG and 15th MEU will operate in support of ongoing maritime security operations in the region and will serve as the theater reserve force for U.S. Central Command and report directly to Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) 5, which is responsible for all amphibious forces deployed to 5th Fleet. ESG 5 also oversees the planning and execution of contingency response missions and maritime humanitarian aid and disaster relief operations.
The 5th Fleet's AOR 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.
