Roosevelt, America strike groups unite for Pacific operations

Feb. 17 (UPI) -- The Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group and the America Expeditionary Strike Group joined for operations last week, the U.S. Navy announced on Monday.

Ships and aircraft of the two groups, assigned to the U.S. 7th Fleet and including Navy and Marine Corps personnel, conducted "high-end warfighting exercises" in the Indo-Pacific region, the Navy said in a statement on Saturday.

"The Carrier Strike Group's combat power is impressive, but when combined with an Expeditionary Strike Group, like the America ESG, it is unparalleled," said Rear Adm. Stuart Baker, commander of Carrier Strike Group 9, which includes the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt. "The teamwork, resilience, technical excellence and extraordinary professionalism of these two teams working together is the foundation of everything we do in the U.S. Naval Service."

Carrier Strike Group 9 includes the USS Theodore Roosevelt, Carrier Air Wing 11, a Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser, and Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers from Destroyer Squadron 23.

USS America an amphibious assault ship and flagship of the America Expeditionary Strike Group, which includes Amphibious Squadron 11, the San Antonio-class dock landing ship USS Green Bay, Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship USS Germantown and the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit.

The two groups of ships, planes and personnel are forward-deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet's area of operations in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The 7th Fleet is headquartered at Yokusuka, Japan.