USS Lewis B. Puller (ESB-3) Participates in International Maritime Exercise 23

Photo By Spc. Bryan Clay | Brig. Gen. Matthew Reid, the Commanding General of Task Force 51/5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade, speaks to servicemembers from various nations onboard the Expeditionary Sea Base USS Lewis B. Puller (ESB 3) in the Arabian Gulf during International Maritime Exercise 2023 on March 12. IMX 2023 is the largest multinational training event in the Middle East, involving 7,000 personnel from more than 50 nations and international organizations committed to preserving the rules-based international order and strengthening regional maritime security cooperation.  

ARABIAN GULF

03.14.2023

Story by Capt. Joseph Leitner 

Task Force 51/5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade

Last week the Expeditionary Sea Base USS Lewis B. Puller (ESB 3), along with the staff of Task Force 51/5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade (TF 51/5) and service members from six foreign militaries embarked on the Puller to participate in International Maritime Exercise 2023, a multinational maritime training event involving more than 50 partner nations and international organizations.
“IMX 23 is an important way for us to practice command and control (C2) from the sea, as well as to help demonstrate our commitment to regional maritime security cooperation” said Brig. Gen. Matthew Reid, Task Force 51/5’s Commanding General. “Not only does this exercise give our staff a way to stay closely tied to our naval mission set, but it also gives us a fantastic opportunity to solidify international partnerships. We’re fully invested in demonstrating what can be accomplished when we all work together towards the region’s maritime security and stability”.
Embarked on the Puller were representatives from six other partner nations; Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Jordan, Kazakhstan, the United Kingdom, and Yemen went underway to participate in IMX 23. In addition to allowing Task Force 51/5 to practice command and control from the sea, the USS Puller enabled these partners to practice Visit, Board, Search and Seizure (VBSS) procedures in a multi-lateral setting. The training also enabled embarked medical teams, such as TF 51/5’s Expeditionary Resuscitative Surgical System (ERSS) to practice operating in a simulated mass casualty scenario.
“We’re really excited to be underway with both the 51/5 staff and our mix of international partners” said CAPT Jon Bradford, Commanding Officer of the USS Puller. “It’s a huge training opportunity for us, and a great chance to show how we support the overall picture here in the U.S. Fifth Fleet area of operations”.
Those embarked on the Puller who participated in VBSS training did so with the aim of refining shipboard close-quarters combat and counter-drug interdiction operations – missions the Puller has previously led within the region. A team of U.S. Sailors, Marines and Coastguardsmen led this week’s training efforts, which culminated in search-and-seizure exercises aboard the USCGC Robert Goldman (WPC 1142).
The Puller is the first U.S. ship to be commissioned outside of the United States and is currently forward deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet (C5F) area of operations to extend U.S. Naval Forces Central Command’s maritime reach. The Puller supports counter-piracy operations, maritime security operations, humanitarian aid, disaster relief and crisis response operations. During steady-state operations, the Puller falls under tactical command of TF 51/5.
TF 51/5 is a Joint Task Force-Capable (JTF-C) Headquarters, responds to crises and contingencies; coordinates, plans, and executes operations; conducts theater security cooperation; and advances emerging Naval concepts at sea, from the sea, and ashore in support of U.S. Central Command, Fifth Fleet and Marine Forces Central Command theater objectives.

• Date Taken: 03.14.2023
• Date Posted: 03.22.2023 03:10
• Story ID: 440899
• Location: ARABIAN GULF