In some good news, 24 MEU is on station in the Med. A great glass of water in the capability desert. Thank you to the Marines and Sailors of the Wasp ARG doing Gator squares.
This USNI article describes the composition of the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group, 24th MEU Deploy to Europe, Gaza Pier Reassembled
SAM LAGRONE
JUNE 7, 2024 1:52 PM
An MH-60S Knight Hawk helicopter, assigned to the ‘Dragon Whales’ of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 28, approaches the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD-1) during a vertical replenishment with the and the Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ship USNS Robert E. Peary (T-AKE-5) in the Atlantic Ocean, June 1, 2024. US Navy Photo
The Navy’s oldest big-deck amphibious warship is in Europe for its first deployment since returning from Japan in 2019, the Marines announced on Friday.
USS Wasp (LHD-1) and its Amphibious Ready Group deployed on June 1 after completing a composite training unit exercise with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit off the East Coast. The COMPTUEX wrapped on May 12, according to a statement from the Navy.
“The ARG consists of three Hampton Roads-based ships: amphibious assault ship [Wasp], amphibious transport dock ship USS New York (LPD-21), and dock landing ship USS Oak Hill (LSD-51), totaling more than 4,500 Sailors and Marines across the force,” reads a statement from the service.
The 24th MEU is composed of a command element, Battalion Landing Team 1/8, Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 365 (Reinforced) and Combat Logistics Battalion 24 as the Logistics Combat Element.
As of Monday, Wasp was about halfway across the Atlantic, according to the USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker. Oak Hill was part of the U.S. Navy contingent participating int he 80th anniversary of the D-Day landing in France with guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy (CG-60).
USS New York (LPD-21) entered the Baltic Sea on June 2 to join the Baltic Operations exercise known as BALTOPS. Wasp is set to join the exercise, USNI News understands.
Wasp has been on the East Coast since returning from Japan in 2019, when it was the big-deck assigned to U.S. 7th Fleet.
The ARG/MEU deployment is the first full ARG/MEU deployment since the Bataan ARG and the 26th MEU returned from a deployment to the Mediterranean Sea and the Middle East on March 21.
USS Boxer (LHD-4) was supposed to lead a three-ship ARG with USS Harpers Ferry (LSD-49), USS Somerset (LPD-25) and the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit. Instead, maintenance problems with Boxer caused the Navy to delay the big-deck’s departure and Somerset deployed to the Western Pacific alone in January.
Harpers Ferry and Boxer were set to follow, but Boxer suffered an engineering casualty in April and is currently having its rudder repaired at Naval Station San Diego, Calif.
What does the reinforced BLT possess? Tanks? Artillery? The aviation component has Ospreys, are the under flight radius limitations? Apparently No F-35 Bs are accompanying the ARG due to the age of the Wasp etc etc.
The WASP is fully capable of embarking and utilizing F-35B aircraft. She underwent a 2 year yard period just before she went to Japan so that she could use them. She was the first LHD to receive the mods required to embark that aircraft.
The Corps just happens to have Harriers still in its inventory so.....gotta use them!
Thanks for the update. They are lucky to have the Harriers as they demonstrated unique success in taking out Iranian drones etc launched by Houthis. I believe you will agree that 2CBGs and lots of other assets will be necessary when Israel is forced to go N.
……..ABC REPORTS WASP HAS Harriers….good. US sends USS Wasp assault ship and Marines to eastern Mediterranean
The move will give the US options as tensions rise between Israel and Hezbollah.
ByLuis Martinez
June 27, 2024, 6:00 PM
3:37
Hezbollah threatens retaliation if Cyprus helps Israel attack Lebanon
The Iran-backed militant group says Cyprus will be “part of the war” in th...Show More
The U.S. Navy amphibious assault ship USS Wasp and the Marines aboard are being sent to the eastern Mediterranean to serve as a deterrent and provide the U.S. military with options as tensions continue to rise between Hezbollah and Israel along the border with Lebanon, according to three U.S. officials.
The officials stressed that the ship's movement is not an indication that the U.S. is planning to move American citizens out of Lebanon, but that it is moving for deterrence reasons similar to the earlier deployments of the amphibious ship USS Bataan and the aircraft carrier USS Gerald Ford following Hamas' Oct. 7 attack against Israel.
Currently on a scheduled deployment to Europe, the Wasp's transit toward the eastern Mediterranean will serve to deter the war between Hamas and Israel from becoming a broader regional conflict, U.S. officials said.
The ship's move "is being done for deterrence purposes and to promote regional stability," said one of the officials.
PHOTO: The amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) pulls into port at Naval Station (NAVSTA) Rota, Spain, June 25, 2024.
The amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) pulls into port at Naval Sta...Show more
Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Drace Wilson/U.S. Navy
The Wasp will be joined in the eastern Mediterranean by the USS Oak Hill, which has already been operating in the Mediterranean. The USS New York, the third ship that makes up the Wasp's Amphibious Ready Group, will soon join the other two ships in the eastern Mediterranean. a U.S. official said.
Amphibious Ready Groups and the 2,200 Marines aboard are trained for a wide variety of missions, including the evacuation of large numbers of American citizens from conflict zones.
The Wasp is currently equipped with AV-8 Harrier jets and helicopters, but it is not currently carrying tilt-rotor MV-22 Osprey aircraft that can transport personnel over long distances and which would typically be used to transport a large number of people…….NOT A COMPLETE ARTICLE…
The former Commandant obviously did not read or consult with other services before he "war gamed" this fiasco and embarked on the disastrous FD2030. He planned this entire cataclysmic change to the very culture of our Corps in a vacuum, thinking the Corps was the only ones thinking this way.
He consulted no Combatant Commander, it appears he read no Oplans that deal with how the Marine Corps is to SUPPORT the COMBINED war fighting effort. He took the Corps straight back to the early 20th century where there were no Joint Chiefs of Staff, there were no combatant commanders, and every service planned itself in a vacuum.
As the official spokesman for FD (2030), I can readily assert that the war-games incorporated the mandates of the 2018 National Defense Strategy(NDS). Rather than ignore the 2018 NDS, or focus on the aspects specific to the USMC's unique contribution to the Joint Environment, the USMC decided to look to the future by divorcing itself wholesale from current and relevant capabilities. Then we substituted a primary focus on other aspects of emerging warfare that already had a lead Service proponent because this seemed more 'futurer'. And we said 'killchain'. The other Services' and the SecDef told us we were 'really great' for doing this. [cFrog note: I think I have it down pretty good; thank you to my friends on the FD proponent side who schooled me on that perspective over the past years here on Compass Points]
Then why aren't the parameters and the results of those war games published? Not even a "sanitized" view of them has been released. I don't care about much but I would love to see how much fairy dust was utilized in the logistical piece of this.
In the great words of MANY Generals and world leaders. "Amateurs talk tactics.....experts talk logistics" Seems the Commandant, before gutting the Corps, forgot that maxim.
As the official spokesperson for FD (2030), I'll tell you that the results of the war-games were not openly published because they are sensitive in nature and classified. I can assure you that they were comprehensive in scope and the "Magic 8-Ball" logistics concept was thoroughly validated, except where further testing and development as part of the Force Design Campaign of Learning is necessary.
[Recommend that you re-read my previous post in its entirety, not just the first sentence or two. ;) ]
It is extraordinary to have the “official spokesman “ for FD 2030 to provide insight into the inner workings of this radical change. Thanks for sharing this invaluable knowledge.
The Wasp ARG with 24MEU just demonstrated its deterrence capability to Russia as it entered the Baltic on the Northern Flank before moving to the the MED tinderbox where it is now positioned, undoubtedly as a stabilizing presence for (pick your fight). The Wasp ARG/24 MEU repositioned to the Med from the Baltic exemplifies the ARG/MAGTF as one of the most versatile forms of task organized combat power on the globe.
I Marine Battalion, a couple of Harriers, Ospreys, etc…no tanks, not much if any artillery. It is not a mighty MEU ready to grow into a MEB/MEF supported by MPS because FD gave it all away.
Samuel, As the former G-4 of the 4th MAB it became my psrt time job to ensure the stand up planning coordinatiom for the Norway Air Landed MAB wss completed by 1987. An extensive FIE was completed by the Center for Naval Analysis based on input from MajGen Dennis Murphy, CG 2nd MAR DIV. The mere presence of Marines in Norway was known to be a detterence for both Russia who still had a Berlin Wall and its Warsaw Pact allies. United Ststes Marines still represent a deterrence to Russia by their mere presence. I now want to add here that your MAGA politics expressed in the Compass Points forum are unprofessional as to be repugnant to those of us who have faced Russian arms provided to enemies of the United States on battlefirlds from the Koresn War to Afghanistan. Shame on you. Any politics in Compass Points reduces its legitimacy for supporting the Marine Corps and should end. Col. Whitener
The Wasp ARG,needless to say is not a Carrier Battle Group. If Israel is forced to eliminate Hezbollah and Iran attacks w its other proxies B1s,B2s, B52s, and a combination of other USN etc etc will be required by CentCom .
Those who believe that surface vessels are obsolete, have predecessors that said the same things when submarines, mines and aircraft came along. There will always be a counter weapon or tactic. These FD types need to pull their heads out of those dark, murky places and start thinking rationally. Semper Fi
In some good news, 24 MEU is on station in the Med. A great glass of water in the capability desert. Thank you to the Marines and Sailors of the Wasp ARG doing Gator squares.
This USNI article describes the composition of the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group, 24th MEU Deploy to Europe, Gaza Pier Reassembled
SAM LAGRONE
JUNE 7, 2024 1:52 PM
An MH-60S Knight Hawk helicopter, assigned to the ‘Dragon Whales’ of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 28, approaches the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD-1) during a vertical replenishment with the and the Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ship USNS Robert E. Peary (T-AKE-5) in the Atlantic Ocean, June 1, 2024. US Navy Photo
The Navy’s oldest big-deck amphibious warship is in Europe for its first deployment since returning from Japan in 2019, the Marines announced on Friday.
USS Wasp (LHD-1) and its Amphibious Ready Group deployed on June 1 after completing a composite training unit exercise with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit off the East Coast. The COMPTUEX wrapped on May 12, according to a statement from the Navy.
“The ARG consists of three Hampton Roads-based ships: amphibious assault ship [Wasp], amphibious transport dock ship USS New York (LPD-21), and dock landing ship USS Oak Hill (LSD-51), totaling more than 4,500 Sailors and Marines across the force,” reads a statement from the service.
The 24th MEU is composed of a command element, Battalion Landing Team 1/8, Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 365 (Reinforced) and Combat Logistics Battalion 24 as the Logistics Combat Element.
As of Monday, Wasp was about halfway across the Atlantic, according to the USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker. Oak Hill was part of the U.S. Navy contingent participating int he 80th anniversary of the D-Day landing in France with guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy (CG-60).
USS New York (LPD-21) entered the Baltic Sea on June 2 to join the Baltic Operations exercise known as BALTOPS. Wasp is set to join the exercise, USNI News understands.
Wasp has been on the East Coast since returning from Japan in 2019, when it was the big-deck assigned to U.S. 7th Fleet.
The ARG/MEU deployment is the first full ARG/MEU deployment since the Bataan ARG and the 26th MEU returned from a deployment to the Mediterranean Sea and the Middle East on March 21.
USS Boxer (LHD-4) was supposed to lead a three-ship ARG with USS Harpers Ferry (LSD-49), USS Somerset (LPD-25) and the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit. Instead, maintenance problems with Boxer caused the Navy to delay the big-deck’s departure and Somerset deployed to the Western Pacific alone in January.
Harpers Ferry and Boxer were set to follow, but Boxer suffered an engineering casualty in April and is currently having its rudder repaired at Naval Station San Diego, Calif.
What does the reinforced BLT possess? Tanks? Artillery? The aviation component has Ospreys, are the under flight radius limitations? Apparently No F-35 Bs are accompanying the ARG due to the age of the Wasp etc etc.
The WASP is fully capable of embarking and utilizing F-35B aircraft. She underwent a 2 year yard period just before she went to Japan so that she could use them. She was the first LHD to receive the mods required to embark that aircraft.
The Corps just happens to have Harriers still in its inventory so.....gotta use them!
Thanks for the update. They are lucky to have the Harriers as they demonstrated unique success in taking out Iranian drones etc launched by Houthis. I believe you will agree that 2CBGs and lots of other assets will be necessary when Israel is forced to go N.
……..ABC REPORTS WASP HAS Harriers….good. US sends USS Wasp assault ship and Marines to eastern Mediterranean
The move will give the US options as tensions rise between Israel and Hezbollah.
ByLuis Martinez
June 27, 2024, 6:00 PM
3:37
Hezbollah threatens retaliation if Cyprus helps Israel attack Lebanon
The Iran-backed militant group says Cyprus will be “part of the war” in th...Show More
The U.S. Navy amphibious assault ship USS Wasp and the Marines aboard are being sent to the eastern Mediterranean to serve as a deterrent and provide the U.S. military with options as tensions continue to rise between Hezbollah and Israel along the border with Lebanon, according to three U.S. officials.
The officials stressed that the ship's movement is not an indication that the U.S. is planning to move American citizens out of Lebanon, but that it is moving for deterrence reasons similar to the earlier deployments of the amphibious ship USS Bataan and the aircraft carrier USS Gerald Ford following Hamas' Oct. 7 attack against Israel.
Currently on a scheduled deployment to Europe, the Wasp's transit toward the eastern Mediterranean will serve to deter the war between Hamas and Israel from becoming a broader regional conflict, U.S. officials said.
The ship's move "is being done for deterrence purposes and to promote regional stability," said one of the officials.
PHOTO: The amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) pulls into port at Naval Station (NAVSTA) Rota, Spain, June 25, 2024.
The amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) pulls into port at Naval Sta...Show more
Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Drace Wilson/U.S. Navy
The Wasp will be joined in the eastern Mediterranean by the USS Oak Hill, which has already been operating in the Mediterranean. The USS New York, the third ship that makes up the Wasp's Amphibious Ready Group, will soon join the other two ships in the eastern Mediterranean. a U.S. official said.
Amphibious Ready Groups and the 2,200 Marines aboard are trained for a wide variety of missions, including the evacuation of large numbers of American citizens from conflict zones.
The Wasp is currently equipped with AV-8 Harrier jets and helicopters, but it is not currently carrying tilt-rotor MV-22 Osprey aircraft that can transport personnel over long distances and which would typically be used to transport a large number of people…….NOT A COMPLETE ARTICLE…
The former Commandant obviously did not read or consult with other services before he "war gamed" this fiasco and embarked on the disastrous FD2030. He planned this entire cataclysmic change to the very culture of our Corps in a vacuum, thinking the Corps was the only ones thinking this way.
He consulted no Combatant Commander, it appears he read no Oplans that deal with how the Marine Corps is to SUPPORT the COMBINED war fighting effort. He took the Corps straight back to the early 20th century where there were no Joint Chiefs of Staff, there were no combatant commanders, and every service planned itself in a vacuum.
As the official spokesman for FD (2030), I can readily assert that the war-games incorporated the mandates of the 2018 National Defense Strategy(NDS). Rather than ignore the 2018 NDS, or focus on the aspects specific to the USMC's unique contribution to the Joint Environment, the USMC decided to look to the future by divorcing itself wholesale from current and relevant capabilities. Then we substituted a primary focus on other aspects of emerging warfare that already had a lead Service proponent because this seemed more 'futurer'. And we said 'killchain'. The other Services' and the SecDef told us we were 'really great' for doing this. [cFrog note: I think I have it down pretty good; thank you to my friends on the FD proponent side who schooled me on that perspective over the past years here on Compass Points]
Then why aren't the parameters and the results of those war games published? Not even a "sanitized" view of them has been released. I don't care about much but I would love to see how much fairy dust was utilized in the logistical piece of this.
In the great words of MANY Generals and world leaders. "Amateurs talk tactics.....experts talk logistics" Seems the Commandant, before gutting the Corps, forgot that maxim.
As the official spokesperson for FD (2030), I'll tell you that the results of the war-games were not openly published because they are sensitive in nature and classified. I can assure you that they were comprehensive in scope and the "Magic 8-Ball" logistics concept was thoroughly validated, except where further testing and development as part of the Force Design Campaign of Learning is necessary.
[Recommend that you re-read my previous post in its entirety, not just the first sentence or two. ;) ]
It is extraordinary to have the “official spokesman “ for FD 2030 to provide insight into the inner workings of this radical change. Thanks for sharing this invaluable knowledge.
You “were”the USMC Official Spokesman for FD 2030? An insiders view wow.
The Army was already working on their Multi-Domain Task Force when General Berger dreamed up FD. Meanwhile he gave up our unique capability.
Board of Inquiry. GCM.
The Wasp ARG with 24MEU just demonstrated its deterrence capability to Russia as it entered the Baltic on the Northern Flank before moving to the the MED tinderbox where it is now positioned, undoubtedly as a stabilizing presence for (pick your fight). The Wasp ARG/24 MEU repositioned to the Med from the Baltic exemplifies the ARG/MAGTF as one of the most versatile forms of task organized combat power on the globe.
I Marine Battalion, a couple of Harriers, Ospreys, etc…no tanks, not much if any artillery. It is not a mighty MEU ready to grow into a MEB/MEF supported by MPS because FD gave it all away.
W all due respect how did the MEU deter the Russians? What did the Russians not do?
Samuel, As the former G-4 of the 4th MAB it became my psrt time job to ensure the stand up planning coordinatiom for the Norway Air Landed MAB wss completed by 1987. An extensive FIE was completed by the Center for Naval Analysis based on input from MajGen Dennis Murphy, CG 2nd MAR DIV. The mere presence of Marines in Norway was known to be a detterence for both Russia who still had a Berlin Wall and its Warsaw Pact allies. United Ststes Marines still represent a deterrence to Russia by their mere presence. I now want to add here that your MAGA politics expressed in the Compass Points forum are unprofessional as to be repugnant to those of us who have faced Russian arms provided to enemies of the United States on battlefirlds from the Koresn War to Afghanistan. Shame on you. Any politics in Compass Points reduces its legitimacy for supporting the Marine Corps and should end. Col. Whitener
The Wasp ARG,needless to say is not a Carrier Battle Group. If Israel is forced to eliminate Hezbollah and Iran attacks w its other proxies B1s,B2s, B52s, and a combination of other USN etc etc will be required by CentCom .
We are the United States Marine Corps! We are “not” United States Missiles Cruise”!
Perfectly stated!
Imagine a LRASM loaded onto a seaplane. A seaplane can use the whole ocean as a base in which to hide or take off.
Semper Fidelis! Doing their Duty as Ordered!
Those who believe that surface vessels are obsolete, have predecessors that said the same things when submarines, mines and aircraft came along. There will always be a counter weapon or tactic. These FD types need to pull their heads out of those dark, murky places and start thinking rationally. Semper Fi