ESG 7 – Victory from the Sea from Bonhomme Richard

Photo By Chief Petty Officer Sarah Villegas | 170809-N-YG104-010 CORAL SEA (August 9, 2017) Rear Adm. Marc Dalton, commander, Expeditionary Strike Group 7, speaks with combat cargo Marines assigned to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit. Bonhomme Richard, flagship of the Bonhomme Richard Expeditionary Strike Group, is participating in Amphibious Integration Training (AIT) with the 31st MEU to increase joint capability to respond to a number of potential contingencies. AIT, taking place off the coast of and within Australia’s Shoalwater Bay Training Area, will test the MEU’s ability to conduct all of its core missions such as stability operations, non-combatant evacuation and disaster relief. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Sarah Villegas/Released)  

CORAL SEA

09.01.2017

Story by Lt. Adam Cole 

Commander, Expeditionary Strike Group 7     

Step into the Joint Operations Center (JOC) of the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) and the scene is usually abuzz with reports over Navy circuits and watchstanders carefully monitoring chat windows. Screens displaying aircraft and ships provide situational awareness as they move throughout an amphibious operating area.

This hub of sensors and circuits is the nerve center for the Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) 7 staff. ESG 7, led by Rear Adm. Marc Dalton, while embarked on the Bonhomme Richard, oversees a myriad of warfare areas and the integration of additional Navy and Marine Corps capabilities to project credible combat power when and where it is needed.

ESG 7 is the forward command element of Commander, Task Force 76, serving in a tactical capacity aboard Bonhomme Richard to manage forces in a high-end fight against adversarial threats in the undersea, surface and air domains.

As such, many of the ESG 7 personnel embarked on Bonhomme Richard serve multiple roles, both as warfighters in the JOC and in an advisory capacity to manage transiting Amphibious Ready Groups/Marine Expeditionary Units (ARG/MEU) or mine sweepers that are based in Sasebo. Other members of the staff who call Sasebo, Japan, home have the daunting task of getting ships through training cycles and yard periods.

The nature of being “dual hat-ed” is visibly represented on the embarked staffs’ “ESG 7” FRV patches and “Amphibious Force 7th Fleet” on their command ball caps, yet they all serve the same commander. The reason for this? Dalton and his staff fulfill the responsibilities for both of those titles, each exercising a slightly different role within the 7th Fleet area of operations.

“Our job is about optimally posturing the force for mission success and communicating potential impacts to operations throughout the strike group,” said Lt. Jeff Grabon, one of several Force Tactical Action Officers who stands watch in the JOC and is also the staff’s meteorology and oceanography officer. “Ultimately, we're bringing together enabling capabilities to achieve the ‘Up-Gunned ESG’ concept – embarking MH-60Rs and operating with CRUDES assets were steps toward this goal. Seeing our plans and efforts pay-off during this deployment has been fulfilling.”

While most ARG/MEU do not have a flag staff embarked except for contingencies or large-scale exercises, ESG 7 has been charged with developing and commanding over the Up-Gunned ESG concept. The Up-Gunned ESG will integrate the Joint Strike Fighter F-35B, cruisers and destroyers, and other enablers such as the MH-60Rs with the traditional three-ship ARG/MEU. Several of these elements were successfully integrated during Talisman Saber 2017. For TS17, the ESG 7 staff, in tandem with the other staffs serving in key warfare areas including a Royal Navy Fleet Battle Staff, utilized the multitude of capabilities to defend the strike group against opposing exercise forces in the air, surface and undersea domains while delivering combat power against both those forces and opposing forces ashore.

Aboard Bonhomme Richard, every member of the ESG 7 embarked team plays a critical role, from the intelligence specialists who stand watch in the Joint Intelligence Center to the Information Systems Technicians who ensure the networks are up and running throughout the force.

“It’s rewarding because I can see how my job relates to the bigger picture and keeping everyone safe,” said Operations Specialist Seaman James Kilbane, from Alexandria, La., who runs the common operational picture in the JOC. “By helping provide everyone situational awareness, it helps the force run smoothly.”

Though there is a multitude of staffs on board, unity among the different layers is critical to mission success.

“When we embark with the Sailors of the Bonhomme Richard and Amphibious Squadron 11, we all work together as a team to reach the same end goal,” said Information Systems Technician 2nd Class Monique Mendoza, a communications watch officer for CTF 76.

And, that goal is safe execution of the mission, whether landing surface forces or launching aircraft. One team, one fight.

“The team of the Bonhomme Richard ESG, Amphibious Squadron 11 and CTF 76 has been one of the best I have ever served with,” said Command Master Chief Pete Santos, CTF 76 command master chief. “Along with the [31st] MEU, I don’t know if I’ve ever served on such a great team. It really does feel like one big family when we have everyone together.”

• Date Taken: 09.01.2017
• Date Posted: 09.07.2017 03:56
• Story ID: 247297
• Location: CORAL SEA