Shaffer
02-18-04, 07:11 AM
The seven-ship USS Wasp Expeditionary Strike Group, with about 6,300 sailors and Marines, shipped out Tuesday as part of a new Navy strategy that focuses on more battle groups with fewer ships to create a more nimble force.
This ESG, centered around the Norfolk-based amphibious assault ship Wasp, is the second in the Navy but the first to deploy from the Atlantic Fleet. It sailed Tuesday for a six-month cruise to the Mediterranean Sea and Persian Gulf.
"After the terrorist attacks on 9-11 ... the Navy senior leadership felt that there was a requirement to organize differently in order to provide a more responsive presence and a more flexible presence - as well as a more lethal presence," said Capt. Steven C. Joachim, commander of the Wasp ESG.
With the Cold War over and the Soviet Union no longer a threat, there's no longer a need for the Navy's traditional large battle groups designed to fight big forces in deep water.
http://www.wavy.com/Global/story.asp?S=1644829&nav=23iiKscR
This ESG, centered around the Norfolk-based amphibious assault ship Wasp, is the second in the Navy but the first to deploy from the Atlantic Fleet. It sailed Tuesday for a six-month cruise to the Mediterranean Sea and Persian Gulf.
"After the terrorist attacks on 9-11 ... the Navy senior leadership felt that there was a requirement to organize differently in order to provide a more responsive presence and a more flexible presence - as well as a more lethal presence," said Capt. Steven C. Joachim, commander of the Wasp ESG.
With the Cold War over and the Soviet Union no longer a threat, there's no longer a need for the Navy's traditional large battle groups designed to fight big forces in deep water.
http://www.wavy.com/Global/story.asp?S=1644829&nav=23iiKscR