Kearsarge Completes MDVR, Departs Bahrain

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Travis DiPerna, USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) Public Affairs

MANAMA, Bahrain (NNS) -- The amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3), along with embarked Marines from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), departed Bahrain after a scheduled mid-deployment voyage repair (MDVR), Feb. 23.

 While in port, Sailors and Marines were able to perform scheduled maintenance and preservation throughout the ship.

 "MDVR is important because it gives us time to make sure the ship is in its best material condition to finish out deployment," said Cmdr. Gregory Chapman, Kearsarge's operations officer. "We accomplished quite a bit during this maintenance period. We were able to work on several critical systems that enabled us to meet the Fleet Commander's requirements."

 Although maintaining equipment and preservation was part of the mission, Sailors and Marines also had the opportunity to enjoy Bahrain. They experienced the rich history and culture of the region such as the Grand Mosque and other guided tours offered through the ship's Morale, Welfare & Recreation (MWR) office.

 "The Grand Mosque was such an incredible experience," said Operations Specialist 2nd Class Justin Green, from Pittsburgh. "The building itself was beautiful and so much bigger than I expected. I would recommend anyone visiting Bahrain to go see it."

 Also during the ship's stay in Bahrain, the Sailors and Marines had the chance to experience some live music. Country music's super group, The Frontmen, performed in the hangar bay of Kearsarge.

 The Frontmen includes Richie McDonald, of the country band Lonestar; Tim Rushlow, formerly of the band Little Texas; Larry Steward of the band Restless Heart and Donnie Reis of The Donnie Reis Band.

 According to the band, The Frontmen have been performing for military members around the globe for more than 15 years.

 "I was really excited to see The Frontmen play, especially after hearing them during the sound check," said Damage Controlman Fireman Casey Amerson, from Huntsville, Alabama. "I heard them practicing and went total 'fanboy'."

 Kearsarge is the flagship for the Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group (KSGARG) and, with the embarked 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), is deployed in support of maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations.

Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group Departs 5th Fleet

GULF OF ADEN (Sept. 7, 2013) The amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) conducts operations at sea. Kearsarge is the flagship for the Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group and, with the embarked 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, is deployed in support of maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Hunter S. Harwell/Released)

By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Chelsea Mandello, Amphibious Squadron Four Public Affairs

U.S. 5TH FLEET AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY (NNS) -- The Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) and 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) departed the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility (AOR), October 12, completing a regularly scheduled six-months in the region.

The Kearsarge ARG and 26th MEU left Norfolk, Va., in March and entered the U.S. Central Command AOR in April.

During their time in the 5th Fleet AOR, the Kearsarge ARG conducted maritime security operations and security cooperation activities with partner nations in the region. The ARG also participated in four multinational exercises designed to strengthen coalition partnerships and reinforce regional security and stability, including the recent Eager Lion 2013 exercise in Jordan.

"This deployment has been a true test of our Sailors' and Marines' capabilities to which we not only met the standards, but far exceeded expectations," said, Capt. Jim Cody, commodore, Kearsarge ARG.

The ARG includes the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3), the amphibious transport dock ship USS San Antonio (LPD 17), which left the 5th Fleet AOR during summer, the amphibious dock landing ship USS Carter Hall (LSD 50), Assault Craft Unit 4, and Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC 28).

The 26th MEU is deployed with the Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group and served as a theater reserve and crisis response force while the ARG/MEU was assigned to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility.

"I am extremely proud of the 26th MEU/Kearsarge ARG Navy and Marine Corps team. The men and women who worked tirelessly throughout the 5th Fleet AOR met every contingency and successfully executed each mission, and were always poised to respond to the next task," said Marine Col. Matthew G. St. Clair, 26th MEU commanding officer. "They epitomized the professionalism and commitment required of an expeditionary crisis response force and provided the combatant commander a certain force in an uncertain world."

The Kearsarge ARG and 26th MEU were relieved by the Boxer ARG and 13th MEU and will continue their deployment in the 6th fleet AOR.

Marines Deploy to Libya

More than 2,000 Marines from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, 2nd Marine Expeditionary force, deployed along with Amphibious Squadron 6 for Libya Tuesday.

Marine Unit Deploys About 1,400 Troops to Afghanistan

By Jim Garamone, American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON - About 1,400 service members of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit will deploy to southwestern Afghanistan, U.S. Central Command officials announced today.

The 3rd Battalion, 8th Marines is currently aboard the ships of the Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group operating in the Indian Ocean. The unit's home base is Camp Lejeune, N.C., and is the Theater Reserve Force.

The unit will go ashore with infantry, aviation and logistics assets.

Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, the commander of U.S. Forces Afghanistan, requested the extra Marines. He did so after consultations with Afghan government officials. The Marines and sailors of the unit will "exploit gains already achieved against insurgents and more rapidly complete construction of critical infrastructure."

The unit will move in shortly and take advantage of the gains made by fellow Marines in Helmand province. The added Marine contingent also will enable coalition and Afghan forces to expedite the clear and hold phase of operations this winter, officials said.

"The enemy has presented us with a great opportunity to further our success against him," said Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Richard Mills, the commander of Regional Command–Southwest. "The MEU gives us the capability to take advantage of that opportunity without pulling forces away from other on-going operations. As [the enemy] desperately tries to disperse for the winter, our intent is to simply overwhelm him with an increased operational tempo that he'll be unable to match."

A U.S. Central Command release called the move a "short term" deployment. Pentagon officials said the unit will be in Afghanistan for about three months and then re-deploy back to their vessels.

26th MEU Deployed with 5th Fleet

Marines assigned to the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) conduct a dry firing rehearsal during weapons training aboard the multi-purpose amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7). Iwo Jima is deployed as part of the Iwo Jima Expeditionary Strike Group supporting maritime security operations in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Chad R. Erdmann

26 MEU Completes Mission for CENTCOM

USS BATAAN, At Sea (NNS) -- The 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) departed U.S. Central Command's (CENTCOM) area of operations (AOO) June 1, concluding a significant stage of the unit's current deployment.

The 26th MEU entered the CENTCOM AOO Jan. 1 to assume the role of theater reserve. With the role came the responsibilities of engaging partner nations in support of regional security efforts and maintaining the capability to quickly respond to any contingency that might arise across the Middle East.

Although the course of the 26th MEU's travels did not include stops in Iraq or Afghanistan, the importance of the work the Marines and Sailors have done throughout the region since February cannot be overstated, said Marine Col. Gregg A. Sturdevant, 26th MEU commander.

"Our continued engagement and regional stability are key to ensuring nations in the Middle East don't fall prey to transnational terrorism," said Sturdevant.

Within days of passing through the Suez Canal and into CENTCOM's AOO, the MEU offloaded several hundred Marines and their equipment in Djibouti to conduct Image Nautilus, an exercise that involved bilateral military training and a community relations project in the African nation.

Combat Logistics Battalion (CLB) 26 headed up the operations ashore, providing all the logistics requirements to ensure exercise success.

Marines from Battalion Landing Team (BLT) 2/2 worked alongside dozens of Djiboutian soldiers conducting weapons handling drills, vehicle-mounted assaults and live-fire ranges with small arms, heavy machine guns and rockets.

Approximately 80 Marines and Sailors from BLT 2/2 spent two days painting, making general repairs and cleaning at Ecole du Stade Primary School in the Balballa area of Djibouti City.

As elements of BLT 2/2 and CLB 26 wrapped up Image Nautilus, the rest of the MEU continued around the Horn of Africa in preparation for the next regional engagement in Kenya.

Exercise Edged Mallet, conducted March 2-12, saw Marines and Sailors participating in bilateral military training with elements of the Kenyan army, as well as community relations projects in the surrounding areas of Naval Station Manda Bay, Kenya.

The bilateral training portion of the exercise featured BLT 2/2 conducting live-fire ranges, exchanging demonstrations of tactics and conducting joint patrols with units from the Kenyan 15th Rifle Battalion.

Marines from CLB 26 joined with engineers from the Kenyan military to refurbish the Bargoni Primary School in Bargoni, Kenya.

In a separate community outreach effort, several medical specialists from the MEU and Bataan Strike Group held a two-day medical clinic for residents of the Bargoni area.

Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron (HMM) 264 (Reinforced) provided tactical and lift support to both the Marines and Kenyans and between ship and shore.

Following the conclusion of operations in the Horn of Africa, the 26th MEU began moving north into the Persian Gulf and a scheduled exercise with a gulf region nation.

The 26th MEU and Qatari forces conducted bilateral military training in Qatar April 3-15.

The scheduled exercise Eastern Maverick enhanced interoperability and tactical proficiency between U.S. and Qatari forces, while strengthening and refining peaceful military-to-military relationships.

Approximately 900 Marines and Sailors from the 26th MEU participated in the exercise, which included classroom training, practical applications and live-fire ranges.

Shortly after sailing from Qatar, the MEU arrived in the Northern Persian Gulf ready to commence their largest offload and training evolution to date.

The 26th MEU completed the off-load of nearly all personnel and equipment from the ships of the Bataan Strike Group into Kuwait April 23 to begin two weeks of sustainment training at the Udairi Range complex.

The training provided the Marines and Sailors of the MEU an opportunity to exercise and refresh skills that would ensure the unit's continued readiness to conduct contingency operations throughout CENTCOM's area of responsibility (AOR).

The MEU wrapped up training in Kuwait and rejoined the Bataan Strike Group in early May.

USS Bataan (LHD 5) and USS Shreveport (LPD 12) set a course around the Arabian Peninsula and into a Middle East port to stage the MEU for its final engagement exercise in CENTCOM's AOR.

The annual exercise paired Marines and Sailors from the MEU with elements of the host nation military to conduct bilateral training and enhance the two country's interoperability.

The bilateral training culminated with a combined operation that witnessed motorized, mechanized and helicopter-borne forces from BLT 2/2 and the host nation's military conducting a coordinated assault on several objectives with air support from HMM 264 (Rein) and their aircraft.

The presence and work of the greater Bataan Expeditionary Strike Group supporting U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) throughout the regional maritime environment helped to sustain a secure environment for some of the world's busiest and most vital commercial sea lanes.

As the 26th MEU sets a course for the home waters of the United States, Sturdevant said he is proud of the many accomplishments of the unit's Marines and sailors, and they should be proud of their mission success in support of CENTCOM and NAVCENT.

The 26th MEU departed North Carolina Jan. 6 on a routine deployment as the landing force with the Bataan Strike Group. In addition to Bataan, the strike group is comprised of the USS Oak Hill (LSD 51), Shreveport, USS Nitze (DDG 94), USS Vella Gulf (CG 72), USS Underwood (FFG 36) and USS Scranton (SSN 756).