In July 1986 the first battleship battle group to deploy to the Western Pacific since the Korean War included USS NEW JERSEY (BB-62), USS LONG BEACH (CGN-9), USS MERRILL (DD-976), USS KIRK (FF-1087), USS THACH (FFG-43), USNS PASSUMPSIC (T-AO-107) and USS WABASH (AOR-5). It is used for a variety of tasks, but primarily power projection or forward presence missions, as was the Battleship Battle Group. In addition to the ARG's usual 3 ships, the ESG will include a cruiser, destroyer, frigate, and submarine.Ī Surface Action Group (SAG) is composed of a variable number of surface combatants, but does not include the aircraft carrier. The Expeditionary Strike Group is a revamped amphibious ready group with the ability to disperse strike capabilities across a greater range of the force, increasing the striking power in the amphibious ready group. The composition of the Group runs the entire spectrum of amphibious warfare with Amphibious Squadrons, a Naval Beach Group, a Tactical Air Control Group, a number of ships and typically over 10,000 personnel. The ARG configuration will vary with each deployment, but the configuration will always provide the ARG commander the ability to launch and recover Marine helicopters and deploy landing craft, including the LCAC, Landing Craft Air Cushioned, the Navy's amphibious hoovercraft. Each deployed Battle Group consists of a unique combination of ships.Ī MARG (Marine Amphibious Ready Group) consists of a flotilla of assault ships, comprising an Amphibious Ready Group, with Marines onboard. The Battle Group is the largest operational unit of the US Navy. In addition to this Battle Force, it also included an Amphibious Group of ships to transport and support Marine Corps amphibious operations. The Battle Group (BATGRU) is led by an aircraft carrier and include an airwing and a small contingent of cruisers to act as carrier escorts. The bottom line is that in this way Navy "presence with a purpose," operational flexibility under the Fleet Response Plan, and warfighting effectiveness will be optimized in support of the "1-4-2-1"strategic guidance. Under the new Fleet Response Plan, these 37 strike groups will include 12 Carrier Strike Groups, 12 Expeditionary Strike Groups, nine Strike/Missile Defense SAGs, and four SSGN Strike/SOF forces. Coupled with independent operations by missile defense surface action groups (SAGs) and nuclear-powered guided missile/special operations submarines (SSGNs), the future Fleet of approximately 375 ships planned as of 2004 will dramatically increase the operational flexibility, global reach, and striking power from the approximately 19 independent strike groups (12 CVBGs and seven Middle-East Force surface action groups) of 2004 to 37 independent strike groups. The growing number of carrier battle group "gaps" in operational coverage led to internal assessments of the need for highly flexible and effective Carrier Strike Groups, Expeditionary Strike Groups, and Expeditionary Strike Forces to satisfy the requirements of the nation's security and military strategies. Administrative assignments of individual vessels to a particular administrative Group are persistent, and would normally change only if the vessel's homeport changed due to a force realignment. Within the administrative chain of command, the Group is the immediate superior in charge that is intermediate between the Type Commander and the Squadron. For Operational units, the make-up of the Group is transient, with the component commands and vessels transitioning to other Group assignments in subsequent deployment cycles. The "Group" designation is used in both the operational and administrative chains of command. However, the inconsistency in the application of the "Group" designation is illustrated by the Navy Cargo Handling and Port Group (NAVCHAPGRU), which is an expeditionary logistics support unit of the operating forces of Combat Logistics Squadron Two. For afloat forces, a Group is normally the superior echelon to a Squadron. The term "Group" is used to designate both major contingents of combatant vessels, as well as a wide variety of much smaller shore-based units.
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