MILNET: U.S. Navy Battlegroup

The U.S. Navy battlegroup has evolved from the earlier surface action group which combined capital ships such as the battleship and aircraft carrier. Today's battlegroup consists of a carrier, one or more cruisers, several guided missile destroyers, several anti-submarine warfare destroyers, several frigates, and various replenishment ships.

Added to the battlegroup in recent years are also LPD and LSD ships as part of support for a Marine Expeditionary Force, a tightly integrated manned attack force which can make an amphibious assault or be transported into a inland landing site by helicopter. This force usually embarks a special operations unit as well (MEU SOC).

With the carrier air wing providing long range force projection, and the bevy of surface and underwater capable prosecutors, the battlegroup is fearsome combination of naval fire power more than adequate to take on entire armies and navies of many countries.

The inner core of the battlegroup consists of the cruiser and the carrier which supply the command and control capabilities via the AEGIS system which may be tied into one or more AEGIS equipped guided missile destroyers. This allows for 2 or three quadrant surface and air surviellance for medium to long range defense, and if necessary attack.

The battlegroup is typically protected by faster destroyers and frigates in incremental zones of defense. With the advent of the AEGIS system, these zones become fire zones as well, all controlled by the AEGIS equipped vessels, with computer recommendations based on threat level and position of defending vessels.

The Battlegroup defense plan includes repelling saturation attacks which consist of a bevy of incoming missiles such as anti-ship cruise missiles. The technique for attack is thought to overwhelm the defenses of the battlegroup and thus inflict severe damage on defending vessels or even penetrate to the capital ships. In any case, multiple waves of attacking missiles would bombard and deplenish the missile loads as well as defeat defensive measures such that if capital ships were not hit in the first waves, they would certainly be open to successive attacks.

With vertical launch systems and the AEGIS control systems, the U.S. battlegroup is more than capable of defending itself and moving into the retalitory role quite quickly.

Of course, the battlegroup makes a potent strike team. With aircraft for close air support and the Marine Expeditionary force, the battlegroup is more than capable of taking and holding a position on the beach or inland. To soften up the advesary for this approach, the cruisers and destroyers mount Tomahawk TLAM-D land attack cruise missiles, which can pre-programmed to fly a radar avoiding flight path, reaching the command and control or other strategic targets virtually undetected. As seen in the Gulf War in 1991, this method of attack from off shore is not only effective, but accurate and decisive. Moreover, it allows for an initial attack to be mounted with no loss of life or risk of loss of life, clearly a major advantage at the onset of hostilities.

Below we show a typical deployment for a battlegroup, this one centered around the venerable Nimitz class nuclear powered aircraft carrier, U.S.S. George Washington.

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NWSA1454.  USS George Washington and USS Guam to relieve USS 
America, USS Wasp

     NORFOLK (NWSA) -- The Sailors and Marines of the USS George
Washington (CVN 73) Battle Group and the USS Guam (LPH 9) 
Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), will depart their home ports and 
bases on Jan. 26 for a regularly scheduled deployment.
     The George Washington Battle Group, commanded by RADM Henry
C. Giffin III, Commander, Cruiser Destroyer Group Two, will
relieve the USS America (CV 66) Battle Group, which deployed last
August.
     The Guam ARG, commanded by CAPT William D. Young, Commander,
Amphibious Squadron 2, will relieve the USS Wasp (LHD 1) ARG.
     In December, the battle group and ARG participated in Joint
Task Force Exercise 96-1, their "final examination" before 
deployment, and the culmination of a year of intense preparation.
    "I'm exceptionally proud of this battle group," said Giffin. 
"We are ready to serve as the nation's fast response force
wherever and whenever needed."
     Self-contained, well-trained and fully prepared, the battle
group is ideally suited to operate "Forward ...from the sea" with 
a full range of capabilities, offering theater commanders a 
powerful force that is flexible, highly mobile and ready on 
arrival.
     ADM William J. Flanagan Jr., commander in chief, U.S.
Atlantic Fleet, said, "Forward-deployed, rotational forces are
the main product the Atlantic Fleet delivers to our customers,
the American taxpayer.  The men and women of this battle group
have worked hard to ensure they are ready to serve this nation. 
I'm very proud of what they have accomplished and confident they
will represent our nation well."
     The following ships and commands make up the USS George
Washington Battle Group:

Commander, Cruiser Destroyer Group 2 
Commander, Destroyer Squadron 26

USS George Washington (CVN 73)
USS San Jacinto (CG 56) [AEGIS/VLS equipped - MILNET]
     Helicopter Anti Submarine Squadron (Light) 48 Det. 8
USS Barry (DDG 52) [AEGIS/VLS equipped - MILNET]
USS Stout (DDG 55) [AEGIS/VLS equipped - MILNET]
USS Arthur W. Radford (DD 968) [VLS equipped - MILNET]
     Helicopter Anti Submarine Squadron (Light) 46 Det. 7
USS Conolly (DD 979) [VLS equipped - MILNET]
     Helicopter Anti Submarine Squadron (Light) 44 Det. 1
USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG 58)
     Helicopter Anti Submarine Squadron (Light) 42 Det. 4
USS Mount Baker (AE 34)
     Helicopter Combat Support Squadron 8, Det. 1
USS Merrimack (AO 179)
USS Scranton (SSN 756) [Equipped with Tomahawk and Harpoon - MILNET]
USS Baltimore (SSN 704) [Equipped with Tomahawk and Harpoon - MILNET]

Commander, Carrier Air Wing 7 [aboard carrier - MILNET]
     Fighter Squadron 143 (VF 143) [12 F-14 - MILNET]
     Fighter-Attack Squadron 131 (VFA 131)  [12 F/A-18C - MILNET]
     Fighter-Attack Squadron 136 (VFA 136)  [12 F/A-18C - MILNET]
     Attack Squadron 34 (VA 34) [12 F/A-18 - MILNET]
     Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 121 (VAW 121) [4 E-2C - MILNET] 
     Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 140 (VAQ 140) [ES-3B - MILNET]
     Air Anti-Submarine Squadron 31 (VS 31) [4-6 S-3B - MILNET]
     Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron 5 (HS 5) [SH-60F - MILNET] 
     Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron 6 (VQ 6).  

The USS Guam Amphibious Ready Group includes: 
Commander, Amphibious Squadron 2

USS Guam (LPH 9)
     Helicopter Combat Support Squadron 6, Det. 4
USS Trenton (LPD 14)
USS Tortuga (LSD 46)
USS Portland (LSD 37)
22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, Special Operations Capable  (22nd 
MEU SOC)
     Battalion Landing Team 2/2 (BLT 2/2)
     Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 162 (Composite) 
     Marine Expeditionary Unit, Service Support Group 22.
                              -USN-

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