Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Darcy Mcatee | 211007-N-YP246-1114 WHITE BEACH, Japan (Oct. 7, 2021) U.S. Marines attached to Combat...... read more read more
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SASEBO, Japan (Oct. 25 2021) – For the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the mess decks and passageways of USS Green Bay (LPD 20) were bustling with new faces and unfamiliar uniforms. Cammies and flight suits were seen alongside the usual blue coveralls during the joint exercise Amphibious Workhorse.
More than 185 Marines and Sailors from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), Fleet Surgical Team 7 and Naval Beach Unit 7 joined Green Bay’s 385-person crew, Oct. 4-7 off the coast of Okinawa.
Capt. James T. Robinson, Green Bay’s commanding officer, said he was pleased with the result of Amphibious Workhorse.
“It was good to finally see the ship doing what she is supposed to do,” said Robinson. “We are out at sea, operating with the blue-green team, and out of everyone involved was able to get something this training opportunity.”
Marine Col. Christopher M. Haar, commanding officer of the 3rd Combat Logistics Regiment, noted that this exercise marked the first time many Marines from the 3rd Marine Logistics Group stepped aboard a naval vessel.
“We [had to] make our own luck” in the face of the pandemic, seeking out any opportunity to train safely, said Haar. He judged Workhorse as a “huge success” as it necessitated collaboration between forces to overcome various challenges, from the logistics of planning to the ultimate movement of LCACs from ship to shore. Haar said a key attribution to this success was that throughout the whole evolution: “Safety was never compromised.”
Haar said Amphibious Workhorse personified the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force mantra, “Fight Now.” He said the purpose of the exercise was to integrate forces in order to conduct an amphibious landing for advanced staging operations, and the goal was to establish water and power supplies to allow for the future development of critical infrastructure and supply caches ashore. The concentration on evolving advanced base operations fits into the broader relationship of the Marine Corps and Navy as a joint expeditionary force fighting for sea control, he said.
Haar added how Marines of all ranks were also able to gain a better appreciation of how the surface Navy operates—from navigating in the pilot house to creating water in the engineering plant, overall “really getting to see what happens onboard a ship.”
Green Bay, part of Amphibious Squadron 11, is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility to enhance interoperability with allies and partners and serve as a ready response force to defend peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
| Date Taken: | 10.28.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 10.28.2021 02:18 |
| Story ID: | 408176 |
| Location: | SASEBO, JP |
| Web Views: | 158 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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