Posted on 06/23/2006 8:48:29 AM PDT by goalinestan
ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam - The largest U.S. military exercise in the Pacific in decades ended Friday after showing North Korea and other nations that the United States can swiftly muster a huge combat force in the region, officials said.
The five-day "Valiant Shield" exercises massed an armada of three aircraft carriers and 25 other ships along with 22,000 troops and 280 warplanes off this tiny U.S. territory about halfway between Hawaii and Japan.
Tensions are rising in the region over the possible test-launch of a North Korean long-range missile. Two guided missile cruisers participating in the games were assigned off the Korean coast to monitor the situation.
Lt. Cmdr. Mike Brown, a spokesman for the exercises, declined to say whether they had been diverted from the exercises or were monitoring the situation while continuing their war games duties.
Officials stressed that the exercises, America's largest in the Pacific since the Vietnam War, were not held in response to the North Korean activity or directed at any one nation, but said they did demonstrate the United States' capacity to respond to a crisis.
"Valiant Shield was a demonstration of the U.S. Pacific Command's ability to quickly amass a force in a joint combat environment and project peace, power and presence in the region," Air Force Lt. Gen. David Deptula told The Associated Press.
Deptula said the situation in North Korea had not affected the exercises, which ended as scheduled Friday evening.
Along with the three carriers and their strike forces, the maneuvers featured a four-plane squadron of B-2 stealth bombers, and dozens of fighter jets.
The aircraft flew 1,993 sorties, according to Sr. Master Sgt. Charles Ramey, an Air Force spokesman.
Officials said the scenarios and tactics used during the games were intended to boost the ability of the Navy, Air Force and Marines to work together and respond quickly to any situation.
Officials in the United States, South Korea and Japan say they believe North Korea may be ready to test launch a Taepodong 2 long-range ballistic missile at any time. The missile is believed able to reach parts of the western United States.
The exercises for the first time were opened to top Chinese military officers. Senior U.S. military officials said they are cautiously trying to mend a rift with Beijing through person-to-person engagement.
Adm. William J. Fallon, the top U.S. commander in the Pacific, said before the exercises began that China was expected to reciprocate.
"I think that would be the logical step," said Capt. Terry Kraft, who showed the delegation around the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier. "We showed them everything we do from top to bottom. We gave them a very good, transparent look at how we do operations out here."
Noted military and diplomacy expert Savage expressed dismay that the Chinese were allowed to observe.
Ok, so what did this prove to anyone? NK is not so dumb to think the US is incapable of shooting down anything. It just only gave Kim an ego boost of attention he craves.
I was confused about that as well...anyone here have some insight on that? At least they probably know not to try anything stupid.
A joint Navy, Air Force,(B-2,) and Army (troops) exercise?
Uh, the Chinese have shown no indication they are going to "reciprocate".
I've got to think this was scheduled long before this current missile issue.
Fabulous.
Our soon-to-be adversary in the naval arena is being shown how to conduct themselves professionally by the best navy in history.
Village idiots.
Not to mention (for obvious reasons!) x number of nuclear subs...
That's right, I'd forgotten about what are probably the most formidable weapons in our arsenal.
21st Century Warfighting Technology theory advanced by The Honorable Donald Rumsfeld.
Mark my words History will remember him as the visionary of our time.
My private opinion is that NK responded to the excercise and not the other way around. NK could have gotten a heads up from the Chinese, or various websites.
I can see Kim shouting, "Me too, me too!"
Yeah that sounded off to me, too.
Turns out the exercise has an unclass website:
"Held in the Guam operating area June 19-23, the exercise involves 28 Naval vessels including three carrier strike groups. Nearly 300 aircraft and approximately 22,000 service members from the Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard"
Can any military or ex-military guys enlighten the rest of us as to what sorts of activities consitutue "war games"?
(Without, of course, revealing any operational information)
I assume its more than the armada sailing around. Does it involve landings? Live ammunition firings?
Just curious what is simulated and what is "real" in an exercise like this and how it differs from standard day-to-day miltiary operations and drills.
"off this tiny U.S. territory about halfway between Hawaii and Japan"...Maybe that's why they called it Midway?
The following U.S. forces are participating in Valiant Shield 06: http://www.pacom.mil/exercises/vs2006/
Joint Task Force 519 staff, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
Joint Task Force 519 Joint Force Air Component Command, Kenney Headquarters, Hickam AFB, Hawaii
Joint Task Force 519 Joint Force Maritime Component Command, aboard USS Blue Ridge
United States Navy:
Kitty Hawk Carrier Strike Group
USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63), Yokosuka, Japan Carrier
Carrier Air Wing Five (CVW 5), Atsugi, Japan
USS Cowpens (CG 63), Yokosuka, Japan
USS John S McCain, (DDG 56), Yokosuka, Japan
USS Vandegrift (FFG 48), Yokosuka, Japan
USS Lassen (DDG 82), Yokosuka, Japan
USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG 54), Yokosuka, Japan
USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62), Yokosuka, Japan
Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group
USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), Everett, Wash.
Carrier Air Wing Two (CVW 2), Lemoore, Calif.
USS Mobile Bay (CG 53) San Diego, Calif.
USS Shoup (DDG 86), Everett, Wash.
USS Russell (DDG 59) Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group
USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), San Diego, Calif.
Carrier Air Wing Fourteen (CVW 14) Lemoore, Calif.
USS Decatur (DDG 73), San Diego, Calif.
USS Lake Champlain (CG 57), San Diego, Calif.
USS McCampbell (DDG 85), San Diego, Calif.
USNS Rainier (T-AOE 7) Bremerton, Wash.
USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19), Yokosuka, Japan
USS Houston (SSN 713), Guam
USS Honolulu (SSN 718), Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
USS City of Corpus Christi (SSN 705), Guam
USS Tucson (SSN 770) Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
USNS Impeccable (T-AGOS 23)
RV Cory Chouest
MV PFC James Anderson Jr (T-AK 3002)
MV MAJ Bernard F. Fisher (T-AK 4396)
USNS Watson (T-AKR 310)
SS Cape Jacob (T-AK 5029)
SS Petersburg (T-AOT 9101)
Patrol Squadron Nine, P-3C Detachment, Kaneohe, Hawaii
Air Recon Squadron One, EP-3E Detachment, Misawa, Japan
Strategic Comms Wing One, E-6 Detachment
United States Air Force:
13th Air Force/Kenney Headquarters (PACAF)
Pacific Air Operations Center, Hickam AFB, Hawaii
36th Wing, Andersen AFB, Guam
5th Air Force (PACAF):
18th Wing, Kadena AB, Okinawa, Japan (F-15C/KC-135/E-3)
35th Fighter Wing, Misawa AB, Japan (F-16CJ)
8th Air Force (ACC):
509th Bomb Wing, Whiteman AFB, MO (B-2)
11th Air Force (PACAF):
3rd Wing, Elmendorf AFB, Alaska (F-15E)
18th Air Force (AMC):
60th Air Mobility Wing, Travis AFB CA (KC-10)
305th Air Mobility Wing, McGuire AFB NJ (KC-10)
New York Air National Guard:
107th Air Refueling Wing, Niagara Falls, NY (KC-135)
United States Marine Corps:
III Marine Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, Japan
VFA-97 (F/A-18C), Iwakuni, Japan
United States Coast Guard:
USCGC Galveston Island (WPB-1349), Guam
This can't possibly be accurate.
"We're stretched too thin"..."we're in quagmire"..."we support our troops by CONSTANTLY criticizing them and accusing them of committing war crimes"
(/dem rant off)
Thanks for the link and information!
That's a great shot of the finest fighting force in the world! Thanks for sharing.
That is because we caught the Chinese subs in the area!
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