By Kitsap Sun staff
January 13, 2007
The Bremerton-based aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis and its 3,200 sailors and officers are expected to deploy on Tuesday, according to a Navy spokesman.The tentative schedule for departure would have the Stennis moving out of the Sinclair Inlet around mid-morning on Tuesday.
The Navy had previously stated that the aircraft carrier was scheduled for a mid-January deployment, despite some unconfirmed reports in December that it would depart ahead of schedule as part of an increased military presence in the Persian Gulf.
In a January report, the Stennis deployment was scheduled for seven months. After finishing an 11-month overhaul at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in December 2005, the ship embarked on a year of exercises and training to prepare the crew for deployment, much of which took place in SanDiego.....
http://www.kitsapsun.com/bsun/local/article/0,2403,BSUN_19088_5278072,00.html on edit this link seems to be blocked, takes you to sign up page .... anyway go to homepage for begining of article here ....
http://www.kitsapsun.com/ Security Plan Focuses on Broader Region, Officials SayBy Sgt. Sara Wood, American Forces Press Service
Jan 12, 2007 - 4:37:07 PM
Blackanthem Military News, WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. interests in the Middle East go
well beyond Iraq, and to walk away from the commitments in Iraq would be damaging to U.S. credibility, a senior defense official said yesterday, speaking on background to reporters. -snip-
The deployments of the USS Stennis Carrier Strike Group and the 3rd Battalion, 43rd Air Defense Regiment, which the Defense Department announced yesterday, are focused on this
broader, region-based strategy, a senior military official, also speaking on background, said.
The deployment of the Stennis will mark the second time since 2001 that two carrier strike groups (Eisenhower) will be in the region, the military official said. This is an important way to show U.S. commitment and strength, he said, noting that the strike group will be actively involved in combat operations.
The air defense regiment will show U.S. commitment to regional allies that may face ballistic missile threats, he said.
Success in Iraq largely
depends on stabilizing the region, the military official said.
"There's virtually no bit of the Middle East that you can take in isolation of its neighbors or its region," he said.
http://www.blackanthem.com/News/International_21/Security_Plan_Focuses_on_Broader_Region_Officials_Say3465.shtmlAircraft carrier Reagan to deploy again just 6 months after returnBy Steve Liewer
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
5:14 p.m. January 12, 2007
SAN DIEGO – Barely six months after returning from its maiden deployment, the aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan will leave its Coronado pier within weeks for a cruise in the western Pacific Ocean.
Two Navy spokesmen said the Reagan
probably will spend several months filling in for the Kitty Hawk, the Japan-based carrier that is unavailable because it's undergoing routine maintenance. The sources requested anonymity because Pentagon policy forbids them from providing such information before an official announcement. -snip-
...... On Friday, the Navy confirmed that possibly all ships in the San Diego-based
Boxer Strike Group will remain in the gulf for up to
60 additional days. The amphibious assault ship Boxer and its five escorts – the amphibious ships Dubuque and Comstock, the destroyers Benfold and Howard, and the cruiser Bunker Hill – left San Diego on Sept. 13. Those vessels carried about 6,000 troops, including 2,200 Marines of the Camp Pendleton-based 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit. The contingent was supposed to return to San Diego in March.
On Thursday, the Pentagon ordered the 15th MEU to stay an
extra 45 days in Iraq. Navy officials said the Boxer, Dubuque and Comstock definitely will be extended to bring the Marines home, while the Benfold, Howard and Bunker Hill
will likely stay longer as well. http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/military/20070112-1714-bn12reagan.htmlUSS Bataan Deploys in Support of MSOStory Number: NNS070108-03
Release Date: 1/8/2007 3:20:00 PM
.......
The deployment marks the first time Bataan has deployed overseas since 2004. The Bataan (ESG) Expeditionary Strike Group deployed to conduct maritime security operations in support of the ongoing rotation of forward-deployed forces.
“Together with the Marines, the Bataan ESG is an ample force to show presence, agility and mobility,” said Capt. Donna Looney, Bataan Strike Group commander. “Our job during the deployment will be to respond to whatever the nation needs and the training we’ve done has prepared us.” -snip-
Bataan is the flagship of the Bataan ESG, which is comprised of the Bataan Strike Group and the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU). The Bataan Strike Group includes Amphibious Squadron 2, Bataan, USS Shreveport (LPD 12), USS Oak Hill (LSD 51), USS Vella Gulf (CG 72), USS Nitze (DDG 94), USS Underwood (FFG 36), and USS Scranton (SSN 756). The 26th MEU is based out of Camp Lejeune, N.C., and is commanded by Col. Gregg Sturdevant.
http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=27253U.S. Forces Fighting Iranians In IraqWASHINGTON, Jan. 12, 2007
Pentagon sources tell CBS News the U.S. military has planned covert cross-border raids into Iran — but so far none has been approved.http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/12/politics/main2355951.shtml The coincidences of these deployments regularly scheduled or not, overlaping in the Middle East, along with the forward deployment of the Reagan Carrier group sure begins to look a bit 'overwhelming' in the next few months over there. Not to mention the 'surge' in troops, or the Patriot Anti-Missile batteries headed over during the same time ..... hmmmmmmm the insurgents in Iraq don't fire 'Missles' .... hmmmmm sorry for the hit and run post but I got to run for a bit. Pass it on. Peace.