Expeditionary Strike Group Three

 

Expeditionary Strike Group Three
ESG Three Logo
Active	2003
Country	United States
Branch	United States Navy
Role	expeditionary striking power in the maritime, littoral, and inland environs in support of U.S. national interests
Garrison/HQ	Inactive
Battles/wars	As Amphibious Group Three: Operation Desert Shield Operation Restore Hope Operation Continue Hope Operation United Shield As Expeditionary Strike Group Three: Operation Iraqi Freedom
Commanders
Current commander	Rear Admiral Mark W. Balmert, USN
Notable commanders	Brigadier General Joseph V. Medina

The Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) Three, which has its roots in the Amphibious Group Three (COMPHIBGRU Three), is an expeditionary strike group — an amphibious ready group which combines the capabilities of surface action groups, submarines, and maritime patrol aircraft with those of Amphibious Ready Groups ^[1]— for deployment and maintaining staff proficiencies to provide fleet commanders with a highly flexible, ready fly-away unit. It is capable of projecting expeditionary striking power in the maritime, littoral, and inland environs in support of U.S. national interests.^[2]

As COMPHIBGRU Three, the organization participated in Operations Desert Shield, Restore Hope, Continue Hope and United Shield. Upon a reorganization and implementation of the newly developed strike force concept on 2003, the organization participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Expeditionary Strike Group Three Subordinate Commands

• COMPHIBRON 1
• COMPHIBRON 3
• COMPHIBRON 5
• COMPHIBRON 7
• Naval Beach Group One
• Tactical Air Control Group One^[3]

Note: COMPHIBRON = Commander, Amphibious Squadron

History

Expeditionary Strike Group Three can trace its origins to Amphibious Group Three (COMPHIBGRU Three) which was commissioned on October 1, 1984. On August 1, 1986, COMPHIBGRU Three was reorganized into three assault squadrons and two non-deploying readiness squadrons.

Operation Desert Shield

In December 1990, the 13-ship Amphibious Task Force became the largest to sail from the West Coast since 1965 when it set sail in support of Operation Desert Shield. The Task Force reached the north Arabian Sea and was joined by its East Coast counterpart and together they had a total of 31 amphibious ships, four combat logistics ships and eight supporting merchant ships, thus forming the largest Amphibious assault force since the Korean War. COMPHIBGRU THREE participated in what is considered as the major amphibious operation of the Gulf War when in February 1991, together with the Fifth Marine Expeditionary Brigade, it more than 6,500 Marines at Al Mishab, Saudi Arabia, just south of the Kuwait-Iraq border.

COMPHIBGRU THREE was to participate in numerous humanitarian assistance operations after Operation Desert Storm came to an end.

Somalian Civil War

During the Somalian Civil War, COMPHIBGRU THREE participated in various operations, Operation Restore Hope, Operation Continue Hope and Operation United Shield. In Operation Restore Hope the force acted as a Maritime Prepositioning Force - based at the Mogadishu Port Facility and in January 1995, the force played the role of Commander, Naval Forces, during the final withdraw of U.N. forces from Somalia.

1995-2000

From 1995 to 1998 COMPHIBGRU THREE participated in various naval exercises. Amongst them Exercise Cooperation from the Sea (1995) with the Russian Federation Navy, exercises with Jordanian forces (1996) embarking landing craft from the United Arab Emirates for the first time in U.S. Navy history, Exercise Native Fury in Kuwait (1998), Exercise Freedom Banner in Korea (In October 1998, the command absorbed Naval Inshore Undersea Warfare Group ONE and redesignated Naval Coastal Warfare Group ONE) and in (2000) Exercise Natural Fire in Mombasa, Kenya.

Operation Iraqi Freedom

In 2003, COMPHIBGRU THREE provided the forces and stood up as Commander Task Force 51 to execute a multitude of the Naval Component Commander's assigned missions in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. In addition to the deployments in support of OIF, CPG-3 also deployed the first expeditionary strike group, Expeditionary Strike Group One, onboard USS Peleliu (LHA-5) in August 2003. ESG 1 operated in direct support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. ESG 1 didn't return from OEF an OIF until March 2004.

In Operation Iraqi Freedom Two (OIF II), included a host of amphibious and maritime ships whose mission was to substitute Marines from the First Marine Expeditionary Force with troops from the Army's First Infantry. To support the OIF II Force Rotation Plan and the First Marine Expeditionary Force's deployment to relieve the Third Air Cavalry Regiment and the 82nd Airborne in Iraq, Commander Amphibious Group Three, Rear Adm. W. C. Marsh, and his San Diego-based staff deployed into the Fifth Fleet Area of Operations. Marsh assumed duties as Commander Task Force 51 (CTF 51) and began overseeing amphibious operations in the area.^[4]

On November 2003, Brigadier General Joseph V. Medina took command of Expeditionary Strike Group Three (COMPHIBGRU Three). This event marked the first time in history that a United States Marine Corps officer took command of a Naval flotilla. In May 2004, COMPHIBGRU Three deployed Expeditionary Strike Group Five (ESG 5 ) in support of the Global War on Terrorism.^[5]

Expeditionary Strike Group Three was expected to return in December 2004. On April 17, 2007 Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) Three was commissioned in San Diego, California.

Leadership

As of May 2007, the leadership of Expeditionary Strike Group Three consists of the following personnel:^[6]

• Commander: Rear Admiral Mark W. Balmert, USN
• Deputy Commander: Colonel Mario Enriquez, USMC
• Chief of Staff: Captain Walt Towns, USN
• Commander Master Chief: CMDCM(SW/AW) Christopher Vasquez, USN

Notes

1. ^ Warfighting Concepts and Emerging Issues: Expeditionary Strike Group/Expeditionary Strike Force (PDF). Marine Corps Concepts and Programs 2003. Programs & Resources Department, United States Marine Corps (2003). Retrieved on 2007-05-06.
2. ^ ESG 3 Mission. ESG 3, United States Navy. Retrieved on 2007-05-06.
3. ^ ESG 3 Subcommands. ESG 3, United States Navy. Retrieved on 2007-05-06.
4. ^ ESG 3 History. ESG 3, United States Navy. Retrieved on 2007-05-06.
5. ^ Official Biography for Joseph V. Medina. United States Marine Corps (May 31, 2005). Retrieved on 2007-05-06.
6. ^ Commander. Leadership. ESG 3. Retrieved on 2007-05-06.

External links

• Expeditionary Strike Group 3 website. Retrieved on 2007-05-06.

• J. L. Chirrick and Roosevelt Ulloavaldivieso (April 18, 2007). Expeditionary Strike Group 3 Established. Navy newsstand. Retrieved on 2007-05-06.

• Photo Essays: Expeditionary Strike Group 3 Deploys. Defend America. U.S. Department of Defense (February 15, 2006). Retrieved on 2007-05-06. Photos.

• Expeditionary Strike Group. GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved on 2007-05-06.

Donate to Wikimedia