Nassau ESG to deploy — without Marines

[CommunityEditor]

The Nassau Expeditionary Strike Group — a flotilla of amphibs, warships and a submarine — has spent months preparing to take the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit on deployment.

But the Marines are hitching a ride from someone else.

With new orders from the Pentagon to reinforce units in Afghanistan, the 24th MEU will be loading more than 200 of its vehicles on the fast sealift ship Algol in the Port of Wilmington, N.C., on Friday. Members of the MEU, which is based at Camp Lejeune, N.C., will fly to Afghanistan rather than ride the Navy ships.

The MEU’s 2,200 troops, which include an infantry battalion, aircraft and a logistics element, are scheduled to arrive in Afghanistan in the spring, according to an MEU press release.

But that won’t keep the Nassau group from deploying, said ESG spokesman Lt. j.g. Anthony Falvo, who confirmed on Thursday that the strike group will set sail in February — empty.

“We have received tasking to deploy without the MEU. That said, our mission has not changed and our deployment date has not changed,” he said, adding that the strike group’s mission is “maritime security operations.”

While it’s not yet clear why a trained Navy strike group is not transporting the Marine contingent, a Navy official with knowledge of the operation said the strike group may be broken up due to the new orders. “The sealift portion of the Marine deployment will be done by [Military Sealift Command] ships. None of the ships in the Nassau strike group will deploy any earlier than planned,” said the source. “The surface combatants will deploy in support of maritime security operations and options for deployment of the amphibious ships are still being evaluated.” Asked why MSC and Army ships were chosen over Navy ships for the job of transporting the Marines and their gear overseas, the source said: “When planning the lift of Marines to Afghanistan, the use of MSC ships was determined to be the best of many options considered.”

When asked what makes MSC “best,” the official said that’s what the Navy and Marines decided, without elaborating.

The strike group consists of the amphibious assault ship Nassau, dock landing ship Ashland, amphibious transport dock Nashville, cruiser Philippine Sea, destroyers Ross and Bulkeley and attack submarine Albany. Falvo said all the ships are in a ready-for-deployment status and will conduct maritime security operations in the Mediterranean and Middle East regions, just without the embarked Marine air and ground elements.

All of the vast cargo capacity in the amphibs will go unused, Falvo said. “It will just be a lot of space,” he said. “But we’re still in the area should something change with the MEU.”

The strike group and MEU practiced working together during a combined exercise in December. But sometime between then and now, the job of taking Marines and their gear into combat was given to military and civilian airliners, and a crew of about 40 civilian merchant mariners who received their activation order last Saturday.

Four days later, the fast sealift ship Algol, a giant, 946-foot-long cargo ship operated by Military Sealift Command, was out of its reduced operating status at its berth in Violet, La., and bound for the port of Charleston, S.C., to pick up a load of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles for transport to the Persian Gulf, said MSC spokesman Tim Boulay.

Algol then set out for Wilmington to onload the Marines’ gear.

Boulay said the MRAPs are not part of the MEU’s gear; once in the Persian Gulf, the Algol will transfer the Marine equipment to Army-owned cargo ships for the final leg to an undisclosed port, where the vehicles can get to landlocked Afghanistan.

The Algol has capacity for 150,000 square feet of cargo. Boulay said this shipment of MEU gear will occupy only 66,000 square feet of space.

“There’s plenty of room,” he said.

Capt. Kelly Frushour, 24th MEU spokeswoman, said about 200 vehicles, some with trailers and towed artillery, will be transported on Algol. Troops and other equipment, as well as the MEU helicopters and attack jets, will be transported by air and ship later, but she did not elaborate on what ship or ships may be involved.

“Our air combat element is deploying as well,” she said. “We still have more equipment to go over there.”

Boulay said the Army ships are part of Surface Deployment and Distribution Command. A spokesperson from Transportation Command, which has a role overseeing the movement, was not available at press time to explain why Army ships were getting involved.

Boulay said the Algol was underway most recently to avoid Hurricane Katrina and went overseas in March 2004 to retrieve equipment from the Army’s 4th Infantry Division and the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment following the invasion of Iraq.

About 1,000 members of 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, based at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center at Twentynine Palms, Calif., are also slated to join the 24th MEU for the Afghanistan deployment.


Article: http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/0...oyment_080131/


Should an ESG deploy without a MEU? The Nassau ESG continues with its deployment plans minus the Marines -- what will its job be?

No, that is just about as stupid as a certain ship in this ESG going underway for less than 24 hours before coming back to port...twice in two weeks!!

What a joke. A ESG without Marines? A big waste of taxpayer money shipping them overseas, yet again. Sure they can probably find a few ships which can find other use, but what the heck can a ESG do with no Marine units?
Then we have Conway begging for million$ for MRAPs and then the Navy-Marine Corps is pulling off stuff like this. No wonder the American people are going to stop supporting the Marine Corps and DoD's massive waste of taxpayer money.

The NASSAU is a NAVY ship and not a Marine ship. It does not live or die without Marines. In the last 20 + years ARG's have only been used for their Marines a very short listed number of times. However, they have been used for evacuations 2 of the last 3 deployments for evacuation (Bangladesh and Lebanon) and other missions every deployment involving patroling areas such as Horn of Africa and North Arabian Gulf.

This is not a waste of money sending us over to do what we do. We lost one of many capabilitiies... The ridicule you espouse is without warrant and needs curbed until you better understand our abilities and strategies for success.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

The NASSAU is a NAVY ship and not a Marine ship. It does not live or die without Marines. In the last 20 + years ARG's have only been used for their Marines a very short listed number of times. However, they have been used for evacuations 2 of the last 3 deployments for evacuation (Bangladesh and Lebanon) and other missions every deployment involving patroling areas such as Horn of Africa and North Arabian Gulf.

This is not a waste of money sending us over to do what we do. We lost one of many capabilitiies... The ridicule you espouse is without warrant and needs curbed until you better understand our abilities and strategies for success.

And who performed those NEOs? The Marines used their embarked troops and lift, that's who. Maybe you are the one who needs to understand capibilities.

When was the last NEO? IN lebanon the marines were not allowed ashore due to appearances.... not sure in bangledesh. MARFOR does not allow marines to do boardings... Get your head out your ass. They are haze gray and not cami- for a reason. I have been doing this a few years and a member of the batgru. HAving done the work ups every other year since 01 I have seen the boardings and t he patrol OPS. Guess what Einstein-no marines were aboard for these events. So0What are your qualofications. It would appear armchair because if you deployed you would know t he MEU has been more underutilized than anything from a seamans perspective while ground pounders have been over used. My last float we placed MARFOR into Kuwait to await us picking them up 4 months later. They never boached the border to IZ. It is better they fly in as its quicker and cheaper. With that said, what will happen when the MPF is done and phibs are not used for MARFOR TRANS? Do you think the ships will disppear further reducing our troop size. Oh, and neo? When i did the NEO in Liberia, MArines were not allowed to play in that one either, it was us andST8. Your beloved Marines are not the only armed service capable of carrying weaponry.

Deploying without Marines is a tremendous waste of resources. The CGs and DDGs should deploy as planned, but the L-ships should be given additional tasking even if that means that their deployment date shifts to the right by a few months or even a year. They may need mission specific training. These ships can be better utilized and our nation's top planners know that. They should not hold fast to a specific deployment date if that date doesn't make sense. Just because it was the optimal plan at one point does not mean that is the optimal plan now. Think about it!

[The Universal Curmudgeon_guest]

Originally Posted by CommunityEditor

The Nassau Expeditionary Strike Group — a flotilla of amphibs, warships and a submarine — has spent months preparing to take the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit on deployment.

But the Marines are hitching a ride from someone else.

Considering that Afghanistan is a landlocked country, it sort of makes some slight sense not to send the Marines there aboard ships.

On the other hand, sending a bunch of naval support assets to support operations in a landlocked country doesn't seem to me to be the most rational command decision in the world.

Of course, if the plan is for the Marines (all 2,200+ of them) to secretly board the ESG and then invade and conquer Iran then it makes as much sense as anything else would.

[TJMAC77SP]

Originally Posted by The Universal Curmudgeon_guest

Considering that Afghanistan is a landlocked country, it sort of makes some slight sense not to send the Marines there aboard ships.

On the other hand, sending a bunch of naval support assets to support operations in a landlocked country doesn't seem to me to be the most rational command decision in the world.

Of course, if the plan is for the Marines (all 2,200+ of them) to secretly board the ESG and then invade and conquer Iran then it makes as much sense as anything else would.

Good one, now the conspiracy nuts will start with the never-ending posts.........

[TJMAC77SP]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

And who performed those NEOs? The Marines used their embarked troops and lift, that's who. Maybe you are the one who needs to understand capibilities.

Well, glad you asked. Here is something interesting.....

http://www.militarytimes.com/news/20...tions_080205w/