User:Marcd30319/Marcd30319 Carrier Strike Group Seven 2004-2006 operations

Carrier Strike Group Seven 2004–2006 operations included one deployments to the U.S. Fifth Fleet, and its embarked carrier air wing flew approximately 2940 air sorties in support of ground forces in Iraq and Afghanistan while CARSTRKGRU-7 surface warships supported theater security and maritime interdiction operation within that fleet's area of responsibility. This carrier strike group also participated in Valiant Shield 2006, a major joint military exercise of the U.S. Pacific Command. Finally, Carrier Strike Group Seven provided humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HA/DR) support in the aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. Prior to being re-designated as Carrier Strike Group Seven on 1 October 2004, Carrier Group Seven (CarGru-7) and its John C. Stennis Carrier Battle Group participated in three different exercises during Summer Pulse 2004, a multi-carrier surge deployment to test the U.S. Navy's then-new Fleet Response Plan.

Carrier Strike Group Seven was based at Naval Air Station North Island, California, and it typically deployed to the U.S. Seventh Fleet operating in the Western Pacific (WESTPAC) and the U.S. Fifth Fleet in the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf. Beginning in 2005, the flagship for Carrier Strike Group Seven during this time period was the Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) when when the strike group's previous flagship, the USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74), changed its homeport.

2004 WESTPAC deployment
The John C. Stennis Carrier Battle Group (JCSBATGRU) was a carrier battle group that operated under the command authority of Commander Carrier Group Seven (ComCarGru-7) which, since 15 November 2003, was Rear Admiral Patrick M. Walsh.

The John C. Stennis Carrier Battle Group was one of six carrier battle groups to participate in Exercise Summer Pulse 2004 which was the U.S. Navy's first full scale exercise of its new operational construct, the Fleet Response Plan.

On 24 May 2004, the Stennis Carrier Battle Group departed Naval Station San Diego, California, for its 2004 WESTPAC deployment to participate in Operation Northern Edge in the Gulf of Alaska. The carrier battle group returned to San Diego on 1 November 2004 after participating in Northern Edge 2004, JASEX 2004, and RIMPAC 2004 (pictured).

On 1 October 2004, in accordance with the Chief of Naval Operations' orders, Carrier Group Seven was re-designated as Carrier Strike Group Seven.

Shortly after returning from the Summer Pulse '04 deployment, the group flagship changed from John C. Stennis to Ronald Reagan. John C. Stennis changed its homeport to Naval Base Kitsap in Bremerton, Washington, and Ronald Reagan's Carrier Strike Group Fifteen had been disbanded effective 21 March 2005.

COMPTUEX
On 17 October 2005, Carrier Strike Group Seven (CARSTKGRU-7) departed Naval Base San Diego, California, with Carrier Air Wing Fourteen (CVW-14) embarked on its new flagship, the carrier Ronald Reagan. The strike group began its Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX), which is a major requirement for the carrier strike group’s certification for its readiness for deployment.

COMPTUEX is an 18-day exercise designed to train the whole carrier strike group to function as one fighting force. The exercise consisted of two distinct phases and will be evaluated by Commander, Strike Force Training, U.S. Pacific Fleet. In addition to the group's own warships, several Royal Canadian Navy vessels also participated in this COMPTUEX training cycle, including the destroyer HMCS Algonquin (DDG 283); the frigates HMCS Vancouver (FFH 331), HMCS Calgary (FFH 335), and HMCS Ottawa (FFH 341); and the replenishment tanker HMCS Protecteur (AOR 509). On 10 November 2005, Carrier Strike Group Seven completed its COMPTUEX training exercise and returned to port. Carrier Strike Group Nine, led by the carrier Abraham Lincoln, also participated during the final battle problem, integrating its Joint Task Force Exercise (JTFEX-05) into Carrier Strike Group Seven's COMPTUEX exercises.

Joint Task Force Exercise 06-2
On 6 December 2005, Carrier Strike Group Seven departed San Diego for Joint Task Force Exercise 06-2 (JTFEX 06-2) off the coast of southern California. This nine-day exercise was the final step in preparing Carrier Strike Group Seven for its upcoming 2006 Western Pacific (WESTPAC) deployment, and it tested the strike group’s ability to plan and execute alongside other U.S. and coalition forces in a war-fighting environment. On 17 December 2005, Carrier Strike Group Seven completed JTFEX 06-2 and returned to Naval Air Station North Island, with Admiral Miller noting:


 * The Sailors participating in this exercise performed better than any group I’ve experienced. We proved that the Ronald Reagan, DESRON (Destroyer Squadron) 7 and CVW (Carrier Air Wing) 14 have the speed and agility to quickly execute operations around the world in support of the war on terrorism.

2006 WESTPAC deployment
On 4 January 2006, Carrier Strike Group Seven departed San Diego for its Western Pacific (WESTPAC) deployment under the command of Rear Admiral Michael H. Miller. This was the first overseas deployment for the strike group's flagship, the nuclear carrier Ronald Reagan. Off Hawaii, Carrier Strike Group completed a four-day Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) exercise on 12 January 2006. The purpose of this exercise was to test the anti-submarine warfare capabilities of the strike group in real-world scenarios. During the exercise, an improved surface ship sonar system that was installed in both of the destroyers attached to Carrier Strike Group Seven was used for the first time.

2006 U.S. Fifth Fleet operations
Carrier Strike Group Seven entered the U.S. Fifth Fleet's area of responsibility (AOR) on 18 February 2006, and fleet commander Vice Admiral Patrick M. Walsh visited the strike group's flagship, the carrier Reagan, on 27 February 2006. Carrier Strike Group Seven completed operations with the Fifth Fleet on 29 May 2006.

Carrier air operations
On 22 February 2006, F/A-18E Super Hornets (pictured) assigned to Strike Fighter Attack Squadron 115 (VFA-115) became the first aircraft launched from the flight deck of USS Ronald Reagan to drop ordnance on enemy targets in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Carrier Air Wing Fourteen squadrons VFA-22, VFA-25, VFA-113, and VFA-115 were the first to deploy with F/A-18 Hornet strike fighters equipped with the Remotely Operated Video Enhanced Receiver (ROVER) system that allows ground forces, such as Joint terminal attack controllers (JTAC), to see what an aircraft or unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is seeing in real time by receiving images acquired by the aircraft's sensors on a laptop on the ground via video transfer with little time delay. ROVER greatly improves the JTAC on the ground reconnaissance and target identification which are essential to close air support.

Maritime security operations
On 3 April 2006, the guided-missile cruiser Lake Champlain joined Combined Task Force 58 (CTF-58), a multi-national force responsible for maritime security operations (MSO) in the Northern Persian Gulf. Additionally, CTF-58 also played a key role in protecting both the Al Basrah Oil Terminal (ABOT) and the Khor Al Amaya Oil Terminal (KAAOT). Also, the guided-missile destroyer Decatur conducted maritime security operations with the Pakistani-led Combined Task Force 150 off the coast of the Horn of Africa.

Multilateral operations
Carrier Strike Group Seven performed a passing exercise (PASSEX) with the French naval task force, led by the nuclear carrier Charles de Gaulle on 27 April 2006 (pictured). The PASSEX included drills in communications, air defense and surface warfare tactics. Aircraft from the French aircraft carrier also made “touch-and-go” landings aboard the Reagan during the exercise. The strike group also participated in a PASSEX with the Indian Navy in February 2006. Beginning 15 May 2006, the guided-missile destroyer Decatur joined the French naval task force operating in the North Arabian Sea. On 29 April 2006, the guided-missile destroyer McCambell, with the fleet ocean tugboat USNS Catawba (T-ATF-168), participated in a proof-of-concept demonstration with Bahrainian emergency management teams. The demonstration included a simulated oil spill as well as the subsequent containment-and-recovery operation outside the port of Mina Salman.

During its deployment with the Fifth Fleet, Carrier Strike Group Seven launched more than 6,100 sorties, totaling more than 19,600 flight hours, with more than 2,940 sorties and 14,200 flight hours in direct support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Valiant Shield 2006
Valiant Shield 2006 was held in the Guam operating area between 19–23 June 2006, and it included 28 naval vessels, nearly 300 aircraft and, approximately 22,000 service members from the U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps, and U.S. Coast Guard. Valiant Shield was a joint exercise designed to reinforce the United States’ commitment to the Pacific Region by demonstrating the U.S. military’s ability to conduct joint command and control operations and rapidly deploying joint forces in response to any regional contingency. The centerpiece of Valiant Shield 2006 was the three carrier strike groups (pictured):

Valiant Shield 2006 was the first time that three carrier strike groups had operated together in the Pacific on over ten years. Forces exercised a wide range of skills, including maritime interdiction; defense counter-air and anti-submarine warfare; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; and command and control.
 * Carrier Strike Group Five led by the USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) with Carrier Air Wing Five (CVW-5) embarked
 * Carrier Strike Group Seven led by the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) with Carrier Air Wing Fourteen (CVW-14) embarked
 * Carrier Strike Group Nine led by the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) with Carrier Air Wing Two (CVW-2) embarked

DESRON 7 guided-missile destroyer Decatur provided air, surface, and undersea warfare defense to Carrier Strike Group Nine while guided-missile destroyers McCampbell and Decatur performed anti-submarine warfare patrols while operating off the coast of Guam.

Carrier Air Wing Fourteen provided a wide variety of capabilities during Valiant Shield 2006. Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 139 (VAQ-139) flew Northrop Grumman EA-6B Prowler equipped with state-of-the-art Improved Capability Version III technology. Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 113 (VAW-113) provided command-and-control capability with its E-2C Hawkeye 2000 aircraft. Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron 4 (HS-4) (pictured) was one of four helicopter squadrons that operated 24 SH-60F and SH-60H Seahawk helicopters used to protect the carrier task force against an underwater force consisting of five submarines.

Carrier qualifications
On 20 October 2006, the carrier Ronald Reagan returned to San Diego following a week of carrier qualifications (CQ) for Training Squadron 4 (VT-4) off the coast of Southern California. During this period, on 18 October, Ronald Reagan completed its 20,000 arrested landings (pictured) since the ship was commissioned in 2003.

Joint Task Force Exercise 07-1
On 9 November 2006, the carrier Ronald Reagan and Carrier Air Wing Fourteen (CVW-14) departed San Diego for quarterly sustainment training (pictured) under the U.S. Navy’s Fleet Response Training Plan (FRTP) by participating in Joint Task Force Exercise 07-1 (JTFEX 07-1). FRTP represents the U.S. Navy’s continuing effort to ensure its ships maintain a heightened state of readiness for short-notice deployments in the event they are needed to support the global war on terrorism. While underway, Ronald Reagan and CVW-14 conducted a wide variety of drills and mission-specific scenarios designed to improve both watch team and air crew proficiency, such as exercises in strike warfare, air defense, close air support, and general quarters.

During Joint Task Force Exercise 07-1, between 12–16 November 2006, Carrier Strike Group Seven, led by Ronald Reagan, combined with Carrier Strike Group Three, to form Carrier Task Force 150 (CTF-150) under the overall command of Rear Admiral Kevin Quinn, the commander Carrier Strike Group Three. This was the first time that the two strike groups had operated together.

For the JTFEX, air-power “persistence” was considered militarily essential. During normal cyclic flight operations involving a single air wing, naval aviators spend a significant amount of time transiting to and from target areas, and consequently the operational tempo is often limited to a 12-hour cycle. With the enhanced capabilities from combining two carrier air wings, the task force was able to maintain a nearly constant air presence over the targeted areas by alternating aircraft flight cycles and consequently conduct air operations over a continuous 24-hour cycle.

Surface warships operating with CTF-150 executed a full spectrum of surface warfare scenarios. Led by the commodore of Destroyer Squadron 21 (DESRON-21) acting as CTF-150’s Sea Combat Commander (SCC), the surface warships conducted sustained operations in maritime interdiction operations (MIO), anti-submarine warfare (ASW), anti-surface warfare (ASUW), and mine warfare (MW). Of the four disciplines, ASW continued to be the top war-fighting priority.

On 21 November 2006, Carrier Strike Group Seven returned to San Diego. This sustainment training was the first for the guided-missile destroyers USS Momsen (DDG-92) and USS Russell (DDG-59) as units of Carrier Strike Group Seven. Also, this sustainment training had combined the Tailored Ship’s Training Assessment (TSTA), Composite Unit Training Exercise (COMPTUEX), and Joint Task Force Exercise (JTFEX) into an accelerated 12-day training period.