The Source for Navy News
Exercising For The Future In The Baltic
Story Number: NNS030630-21
Release Date: 7/1/2003 9:41:00 PM
From Commander, Carrier Group 8 Public Affairs
BALTIC SEA (NNS) -- “I’ve got a possible sub bearing 195.” “Gun mount 64 is manned and ready.” “Heave around line 3.” “The helo has a green deck.” It’s not uncommon to hear these phrases at sea, but how often are you conducting Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW), manning the SCAT (Small Caliber Arms team), conducting Underway Replenishment and flight operations simultaneously? Still not impressed?
How about the fact that the submarine you’re tracking is Polish, the contact you’re working up a fire control solution on is Lithuanian, the tanker you’re refueling with is German and the helicopter landing for fuel on you flight deck is Russian?
Welcome to BALTOPS 2003.
“BALTOPS allows us to work on communications, a key aspect with NATO and Partnership for Peace countries, and it demonstrates the U.S. interest in the region,” said Rear Adm. George Mayer, commander, Carrier Group (CCG) 8, who was in charge of the exercise. “Recent actions have shown that a coalition is the way we will fight in the future, and BALTOPS provides training exercises for interoperability that are second to none.”
Baltic Operation (BALTOPS) 2003 continued a longstanding U.S. Navy tradition of supporting stability in northern Europe and around the world. In its 31st year, BALTOPS is intended to improve interoperability with NATO and Partnership for Peace (PfP) nations by conducting peace support operations at sea.
For 19 days in June, CCG-8, USS Vella Gulf (CG 72) and USS Ross (DDG 71) joined forces with 11 other countries to conduct exercises and battle scenarios in the Baltic Sea. Countries participating this year included Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
BALTOPS 2003 kicked off in Gdynia, Poland, where Vella Gulf and Ross arrived June 5 with a pre-sail conference, equipment installs and a sports competition. Participating navies weighed anchor and sailed out of Gdynia Harbor June 9. History was made shortly thereafter, with a combined Russian, Polish, Danish, Lithuanian and American amphibious landing in Poland, launched from Polish and Russian landing ship tanks (LSTs).
The early morning landing June 12 represented the first time that the U.S. Marines and naval infantry forces from Russia participated together in an amphibious beach assault exercise. “Combining our forces for the landing in Ustka was a big step both historically and for BALTOPS,” said Mayer.
Preparation for the landing started the evening before, with the loading of more than 50 U.S. Marines from 2nd Battalion 24th Marines, a Reserve unit from Milwaukee, Wis., and more than 100 of their NATO and PfP counterparts. The Polish ship ROP Gniezno and the Russian LST Kalingrad also deployed several armored personnel carriers, tanks and other landing equipment.
Another historic moment took place on the flight deck of Vella Gulf. June 15, the Russian KA-27 HELIX helicopter, refueled aboard, marking the first time in recent memory that a Russian helicopter had done so on a U.S. combatant. The HELIX had already successfully landed on Vella Gulf several times during the operation, but this time, it was for refueling.
BALTOPS 2003 consisted of two separate phases. The first was the serial phase, which included a variety of training maneuvers, such as gunnery exercises, replenishment-at-sea, undersea warfare, radar tracking, mine countermeasures, seamanship, search and rescue, maritime interdiction operations and scenarios dealing with potential real world crises.
The second phase was a scenario of events, such as anti-submarine warfare, electronic warfare, anti-surface warfare, anti-air warfare and navigation tactics. Benefiting from the hands-on training the scenario phase provided was Sonar Technician Surface Seaman Travis Knight, who noted, “The onboard trainer and exercises in the depths of the Atlantic with Los Angeles-class subs are good, but BALTOPS has been particularly useful, because the sea is only 100 to 300 feet deep at points, and we’re working against actual diesel submarines.”
The second phase climaxed June 18 with an evacuation of role-playing non-combatants by both sea and air from Bornholm, Denmark. Plans for BALTOPS 2004 will be underway shortly as the lessons learned, friendships garnered, and experiences from BALTOPS 2003 are processed and relished by all involved.
“The CCG-8 staff, the crews of Vella Gulf and Ross, and all the participating countries received training and experiences that make our forces more capable. You cannot put a price tag on real-world scenario training like BALTOPS,” Mayer concluded.
For more news from around the fleet, visit the Navy NewsStand at www.news.navy.mil.
E-mail this story to a friend | Send a comment about this story
Below the Baltic - 6/18/2003BALTOPS Fuels Historic Interoperability - 6/16/2003
VBSS Exercise with Russian Destroyer - 6/11/2003
USS Vella Gulf Wins at Sea and On the Court - 6/10/2003
BALTOPS 2003 Kicks Off In The Baltic - 6/8/2003
|
All Any Exact |
|
