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SAN DIEGO -- Marines and Sailors assigned to elements of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), embarked aboard the amphibious transport dock USS Somerset (LPD 25), returned home Aug. 10 after a seven-month deployment in the U.S. 3rd and 7th Fleet areas of operations.
Elements of the 15th MEU, embarked aboard Somerset, deployed on Jan. 23, 2024, to U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and 7th Fleet area of operations, where they participated in six exercises.
“Our team aboard Somerset played a critical role in strengthening bonds with our partners and conducting training that informs the service,” said U.S. Marine Corps Col. Sean Dynan, commanding officer of the 15th MEU. “They set the tone and emphasized the impact our capabilities bring to the Indo-Pacific, and even more so when combined, side-by-side our partners.”
In U.S. 7th Fleet, Somerset and the 15th MEU conducted Exercise Cobra Gold 2024 in Sattahip, Thailand; Exercise Tiger TRIUMPH 2024 in Visakhapatnam, India; Exercise Balikatan 2024 in the province of Palawan, Philippines; Cooperation Afloat and Readiness Training (CARAT) Indonesia 2024 in Bandar Lampung, Indonesia; Exercise Tiger Strike 2024 in Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia; and Marine Aviation Support Activity (MASA) 2024 with a CH-53E Super Stallion detachment in Subic Bay, Philippines.
In U.S. 3rd Fleet, Somerset and the 15th MEU participated in Exercise Rim of the Pacific 2024 held on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, as their final stop before returning home to San Diego.
Cobra Gold, the largest joint exercise in mainland Asia, was the first exercise for Somerset and the 15th MEU team. During the 43rd iteration, Marines and Sailors of the 15th MEU and Somerset conducted three combined, joint all-domain operations (CJADO) events alongside partners from Thailand, Republic of Korea, and Japan, with 26 other nations participating in other training events. The key CJADO events included an amphibious assault exercise, noncombatant evacuation operation, and a combined arms live-fire exercise.
Just weeks after Cobra Gold, Somerset pulled into Visakhapatnam, India, to participate in the third iteration of Tiger Triumph, which focused on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief readiness and enhancing interoperability between the two nations. The exercise was broken down into a harbor phase and a sea phase, where U.S. and Indian forces strengthened combined operational maneuver, command and control, and joint sustainment operations. The training also included integration with special operations forces (SOF) from both nations and multiple services.
In the province of Palawan, Philippines, Somerset and the amphibious dock landing ship USS Harpers Ferry (LSD 49), participated in Balikatan. Alongside partners from the Armed Forces of the Philippines, training activities focused on securing key maritime terrain to support territorial defense, conducting simulated long range, precision strike fires, and sensing and shooting surface threats with missile defense systems to highlight combined capabilities and ensuring readiness to respond to crisis or contingency. During unit level training at Balikatan, the 15th MEU’s Amphibious Combat Vehicles (ACV) Platoon, assigned to Alpha Company, Battalion Landing Team 1/5, 15th MEU, conducted a live-fire, waterborne gunnery range exercise in Oyster Bay, Philippines, marking the first overseas employment of the ACVs during their initial deployment.
CARAT Indonesia was a joint, bilateral maritime exercise focused on subject matter expert exchanges, jungle training, and amphibious operations. The exercise highlighted the 30th anniversary of the CARAT series and 75 years of bilateral relations between the U.S. and Indonesia. The CARAT maritime exercise series promotes regional security cooperation, maintains and strengthens maritime partnerships, and enhanced interoperability among participating forces.
Tiger Strike combined 15th MEU forces with Malaysian soldiers assigned to the 10th Parachute Brigade, a Malaysian army unit focused on developing amphibious capabilities. The exercise shared best practices across a wide variety of military skills, amphibious operations, live-fire ranges, unmanned aerial systems employment, urban operations, jungle operations and survival, reconnaissance and multi-domain awareness, engineering, medical, and improving communication and coordination between U.S. and Malaysian forces.
During MASA, four CH-53E Super Stallions attached to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 165 (Reinforced), 15th MEU, provided support to Marines assigned to I Marine Expeditionary Force and 3d Marine Littoral Regiment, 3d Marine Division. Some of the roles fulfilled by VMM-165 (Rein.), 15th MEU, included long-range transportation of personnel, mail, and cargo, aerial refueling, and SOF integration.
At RIMPAC, training was broken down into three major phases: harbor phase, force integration phase, and the tactical phase. The focus throughout all three phases was integration between 12 partner nations to establish and enhance combined capabilities and develop standard operating procedures. The culminating event was a combined amphibious raid, highlighting the multinational forces’ capabilities and interoperability, including forces from 10 nations and more than 375 participants.
“Our Marines took advantage of every opportunity to learn and immerse themselves into the cultures of these great countries we had the opportunity to visit,” said U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. Lindsay Mathwick, commanding officer of Combat Logistics Battalion 15, 15th MEU, and commander of troops aboard Somerset. “Our allies and partners are our greatest strength, and it is inspiring to see the way our Marines were able to integrate on the training grounds and build relationships that they will truly never forget.”
Somerset is part of the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group and 15th MEU team, which is a flexible, self-sustained crisis response force, capable of conducting operations from combat missions to humanitarian aid and disaster relief. This team is the premier crisis-response force in the Indo-Pacific region.
| Date Taken: | 08.10.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 08.11.2024 15:32 |
| Story ID: | 478312 |
| Location: | SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Hometown: | SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 766 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
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