Carrier Strike Group 5

Carrier Strike Group 5, also known as CSG 5 or CARSTRKGRU 5, is the U.S. Navy carrier strike group assigned to the United States Pacific Fleet and permanently forward deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet.

Carrier Strike Group 5
Carrier Strike Group 5 crest
Active25 April 1944 to date
CountryUnited States of America
Branch United States Navy
TypeCarrier Strike Group
Part ofU.S. Seventh Fleet
Garrison/HQFleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan
Nickname(s)Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group
Motto(s)First to Fight
EngagementsWorld War II
Korean War
Vietnam War
Operation Desert Storm
Operation Enduring Freedom
Operation Iraqi Freedom
WebsiteOfficial Website
Carrier Strike Group 5 led by USS Ronald Reagan with Air Force B-52 Stratofortress and Navy F/A-18 Hornet aircraft in September 2018

CSG 5 is responsible for unit-level training, integrated training, and material readiness for the group's ships and aviation squadrons. As the only continuously forward deployed carrier strike group, the CSG-5 staff does not stand down when the strike group is in Yokosuka, but instead continues to maintain command responsibilities over deploying Carrier Strike Groups and independently deployed cruisers, destroyers, and frigates that operate in the Seventh Fleet operating area. The commander and staff are also responsible for the higher level Task Force 70 duties throughout the year in addition to the CSG-5 duties. The composition of the strike group in immediate proximity of the Ronald Reagan varies throughout the year.[1][2]

The CSG 5 Commander also serves as Battle Force Seventh Fleet and Commander, Task Force (CTF 70) for 7th Fleet. In these responsibilities, CSG 5 serves as the Commander of all surface forces (carrier strike groups, independently deploying cruisers, destroyers and frigates) in the 7th Fleet area of responsibility. CTF 70 also serves as the Theater Surface Warfare Commander (TSUWC) and Theater Integrated Air Missile Defense Commander (TIAMDC) for Seventh Fleet.

The Strike Group Flagship is the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) which also embarks Strike Warfare Commander, Carrier Air Wing Five (CVW 5) and its nine squadrons. As of June 2015, CSG 5 includes three Ticonderoga-class cruisers and Destroyer Squadron Fifteen (CDS 15), which serves as the Sea Combat Commander and is responsible for seven assigned Arleigh Burke-class destroyers.

Ronald Reagan and the ten surface combatant ships operate out of Yokosuka, Japan, while CVW 5 operates out of Iwakuni, Japan, when not embarked on Ronald Reagan. Together, these units form the U.S. Navy's only continuously forward deployed (and largest) carrier strike group.[3]

Subordinate units

Flagship

See also: United States Navy ships
InsigniaNameClass
USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) Nimitz-class aircraft carrier

Destroyer Squadron 15 consists of seven ships

See also: United States Navy ships
InsigniaNameClass
USS Barry (DDG 52) Arleigh Burke-class destroyer
USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG 54) Arleigh Burke-class destroyer
USS John S. McCain (DDG 56) Arleigh Burke-class destroyer
USS Benfold (DDG 65) Arleigh Burke-class destroyer
USS Milius (DDG 69) Arleigh Burke-class destroyer
USS McCampbell (DDG 85) Arleigh Burke-class destroyer
USS Mustin (DDG 89) Arleigh Burke-class destroyer

Other ships

See also: United States Navy ships
InsigniaNameClass
USS Antietam (CG 54) Ticonderoga-class cruiser
USS Chancellorsville (CG 62) Ticonderoga-class cruiser
USS Shiloh (CG 67) Ticonderoga-class cruiser

CVW 5 consists of 9 Squadrons[4]

See also: List of United States Navy aircraft squadrons
CodeInsigniaSquadronNicknameAssigned Aircraft
VFA-27 Strike Fighter Squadron 27 Royal Maces F/A-18E Super Hornet
VFA-102 Strike Fighter Squadron 102 Diamondbacks F/A-18F Super Hornet
VFA-115 Strike Fighter Squadron 115 Eagles F/A-18E Super Hornet
VFA-195 Strike Fighter Squadron 195 Dambusters F/A-18E Super Hornet
VAW-125 Airborne Command & Control Squadron 125 Tiger Tails E-2D Hawkeye
VAQ-141 Electronic Attack Squadron 141 Shadowhawks EA-18G Growler
VRC-30 Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 30 Det. 5 Providers C-2A Greyhound
HSC-12 Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 12 Golden Falcons MH-60S Seahawk
HSM-77 Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 77 Saberhawks MH-60R Seahawk

Other Squadrons

See also: List of United States Navy aircraft squadrons
CodeInsigniaSquadronNicknameAssigned Aircraft
HSM-51 Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 51 Warlords MH-60R Seahawk

History

World War II

On 25 April 1944, Rear Admiral Frank D. Wagner formed Carrier Division Five when he assumed command aboard USS Wasp and USS Hornet in Pearl Harbor. Rear Admiral Joseph J. Clark succeeded Wagner and commanded the division through 12 months of sustained combat operations in the Western Pacific and waters surrounding Japan, working for both Third Fleet (ADM William Halsey) and Fifth Fleet (ADM Raymond Spruance). This included participation in the First and Second Philippine Sea Battles and the Iwo Jima and Okinawa campaigns. Clark was succeeded by Rear admiral Arthur C. Davis in July 1945.

Korean War

During the Korean War, Rear Admiral G.R. Henderson commanded Carrier Division 5 and served as Commander, Task Force (CTF) 70 and 77 aboard USS Princeton (CV 37). Carrier Division 5 moved back and forth between Yokosuka, Japan and the Korean Theater, serving as CTF 70 or 77 on multiple occasions.

On 1 August 1955, Carrier Division 5 comprised Essex (Bremerton), Kearsarge, and Shangri-La (both homeported in San Diego).[5]

Vietnam War

Prior to the Vietnam War, the location of Carrier Division 5 moved between several Pacific ports and utilized rotating carriers from the West coast of the U.S. as its flagship. During the Vietnam War, 12 different commanders led Carrier Division 5 and Task Force 77 in numerous combat deployments to the Vietnam War zone. Beginning in 1964 Carrier Group Five was permanently deployed to the Western Pacific and dual-hatted CTF 70/77, homeported at Naval Air Station Cubi Point in the Philippines.[6]

In December 1971, Commander Carrier Division 5, Rear Admiral Damon W. Cooper, led Task Force 74 aboard Enterprise to the Indian Ocean following the outbreak of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.[7]

Carrier Division 5 became Carrier Group 5 on 30 June 1973, and in October, Carrier Group 5 arrived in Yokosuka, Japan aboard USS Midway marking the first forward deployment of a complete Carrier Battle Group in a Japanese port (the associated Air Wing, CVW-5, moved into Atsugi, Japan this same year). On 1 January 1974, still homeported at Cubi Point, the group was responsible for three carriers: 63 and 64 both homeported at San Diego and USS Enterprise (CVAN-65) homeported at Alameda.[8] Carrier Group Five shifted its forward deployed location from Cubi Point, Republic of Philippines to Yokosuka in mid-1991. Midway remained in Yokosuka for 18 years and was relieved by Independence (CV 62) on 11 September 1991.

Afghanistan and Iraq

In the lead up to the Gulf War, Rear Admiral Daniel March, Commander, Carrier Group 5, became Commander, Task Force 154 (Battle Force Zulu), part of Naval Forces Central Command. The Task Force directed four carriers (USS Midway (CV-41), CV-61, CV-66, and CVN-71) in the Arabian Sea/Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Storm.[9]

On 11 August 1998, USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) relieved Independence as the Carrier Group 5 flagship. After the terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, DC, on 11 September 2001, the Kitty Hawk Battle Group was ordered to deploy to the Indian Ocean and was later involved in combat missions against the Taliban and Al Qaida in Afghanistan. The ships got underway again in January 2003 with orders to deploy to the Persian Gulf as part of the build-up of military forces in the area in preparation for the war against the regime of Saddam Hussein in Iraq. Kitty Hawk arrived on station late February/early March and from 20 March on, participated in air strikes against targets in Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

USS George Washington (CVN-73) relieved Kitty Hawk on 25 September 2008. Carrier Group Five was renamed Carrier Strike Group 5 on 1 October 2004.

Humanitarian assistance and disaster relief

In 2011, Carrier Strike Group 5 participated in two humanitarian assistance operations, Operation Tomodachi in Japan and support to Thailand during their worst flooding in 50 years.[3]

On 11 November 2013 George Washington Carrier Strike Group (GWCSG) was ordered to the Republic of the Philippines in response to Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda. The strike group, commanded by Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery, was assigned as Joint Force Maritime Component Commander for the disaster relief which was named Operation Damayan, and the force was assigned to Joint Task Force 505, commanded by Marine Corps Lt. Gen. John E. Wissler (Commanding General, III Marine Expeditionary Force). For Operation Damayan, the strike group included USS George Washington (CVN-73), six surface combatants, 23 helicopters from three squadrons, three Military Sealift Command ships and two amphibious ships all crewed by 8,000 sailors, The strike group concentrated its relief efforts on the islands of Leyte and Samar and the cities of Tacloban and Guiuan, delivering nearly 1,000,000 pounds of food, water and medical supplies and transporting more than 2,500 displaced personnel. Yolanda had reached speeds up to 195 miles per hour (mph), gusts up to 235 mph and landfall waves of 50 feet. According to the Philippine government's national disaster risk reduction and management council, the super typhoon impacted more than 4.2 million people across 36 provinces in the Philippines.

Hull swap

On 14 January 2014, the U.S. Navy announced that USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) will replace George Washington as the flagship of Carrier Strike Group 5. George Washington was scheduled to undergo her mid-life complex refueling and overhaul at Newport News Shipbuilding shipyard in Newport News, Virginia. Carrier Air Wing Five will continue to be assigned to Carrier Strike Group 5.[10]

2017 deployment

In May 2017, Ronald Reagan completed a Selected Restricted Availability maintenance in Yokosuka, Japan, and joined the USS Carl Vinson and Carrier Strike Group 1 in the Sea of Japan amid increased tensions over North Korea's nuclear weapons program. The rest of CSG 5 including the USS Shiloh, USS Barry, USS McCampbell, USS Fitzgerald, and USS Mustin arrived in early June. The two Strike Groups were also joined by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force vessels JDS Hyūga and JDS Ashigara.

On 17 June, the USS Fitzgerald was involved in a collision with the Philippine-flagged cargo vessel MV ACX Crystal in the Sea of Japan. The Fitzgerald suffered heavy damage and seven members of her crew were killed with three more injured, including the ship's CO Cmdr. Bryce Benson. The ship was taken to Yokosuka, Japan, for repairs after the injured crew members were evacuated by helicopter.

Commanders

Group commanders since 2000 have included:

  • Rear Admiral Robert F. Willard  (September 2000 – September 2001)[11][12]
  • Rear Admiral Steve Kunkel  (September 2001 – February 2003)[12][13]
  • Rear Admiral Matthew Moffit  (March 2003 – May 2003)[14]
  • Rear Admiral James Kelly  (July 2003 – July 2005)[15]
  • Rear Admiral Douglas McClain  (July 2005 – February 2007)[15][16]
  • Rear Admiral Richard Wren  (February 2007 – December 2008)[16][17]
  • Rear Admiral Kevin M. Donegan  (December 2008 – May 2010)[18]
  • Rear Admiral Dan Cloyd  (May 2010 – April 2011)[19]
  • Rear Admiral J. R. Haley  (April 2011 – January 2013)[20]
  • Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery  (January 2013 – October 2014)[21]
  • Rear Admiral John Alexander  (October 2014 – July 2016)[22]
  • Rear Admiral Charles Williams  (July 2016 – September 2017)[23]
  • Rear Admiral Marc Dalton  (September 2017 – July 2018)[24]
  • Rear Admiral Karl Thomas  (July 2018 – September 2019)[25]
  • Rear Admiral George Wikoff  (September 2019 – November 2020)[26]
  • Rear Admiral Will Pennington  (November 2020 – Present)[27]

Current force

Surface combatants

Fixed-wing aircraft

Rotary wing aircraft

References
  1. "Carrier Strike Group Five". Navy Data. U.S. Navy Outlets. 2013. Archived from the original on 3 November 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2011.
  2. "The Carrier Strike Group". Navy Data. U.S. Navy. 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2013.
  3. "Carrier Strike Group 5". Navy Data. U.S. Navy. 2013. Archived from the original on 17 October 2014. Retrieved 1 November 2013.
  4. "Carrier Air Wing Composition" (PDF). US Navy. Tailhook Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 February 2007. Retrieved 30 December 2006.
  5. NAO 1955, 19.
  6. USS Midway Cruise Book 1987, 18. Retrieved 2012-05-01.
  8. NAO 1 January 1974, 163, 172
  9. USS Mobile Bay Command History 1991–94. Retrieved 2012-05-01.
  10. "Navy Aircraft Carrier Moves Underscore Pacific Rebalance Strategy". NNS140114-15. U.S. Pacific Fleet Public Affairs. 14 January 2014. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
  11. Journalist Daniel Bristol (7 June 2006). "Vitale Assumes Command of TRCSG". NNS060607-16. USS Theodore Roosevelt Public Affairs. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
  12. "Norfolk Carrier Strike Group 2 Gets A New Commander". U.S. Naval Academy Foundation. 18 September 2007. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
  13. "Flag Officer Assignment". News Release # 346-09. U.S. Department of Defense. 19 May 2009. Archived from the original on 30 May 2011. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
  14. "Flag Officer Assignment". News Release # 158-09. U.S. Department of Defense. 11 March 2009. Archived from the original on 30 May 2011. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
  15. "Carrier Strike Group 2 Welcomes New Commander". NNS100729-27. U.S. Navy. 29 July 2010. Retrieved 26 August 2010.
  16. "Rear Admiral Gregory M. Nosal". Command Info: Commander Carrier Strike Group Two. Carrier Strike Group Two. 2012. Archived from the original on 16 February 2012. Retrieved 22 March 2012.
  17. Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Samantha Thorpe, USN (1 March 2013). "Carrier Strike Group 2 Holds Change of Command". NNS130301-19. USS George H.W. Bush Public Affairs. Retrieved 1 March 2013.
  18. "Flag Officer Assignment". News Release # 138-10. U.S. Department of Defense. 23 February 2010. Archived from the original on 3 November 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2013.
  19. "Flag Officer Assignment". News Release # 00120810. U.S. Department of Defense. 8 December 2010. Archived from the original on 3 November 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2013.
  20. "Flag Officer Announcements". News Release # 177-12. U.S. Department of Defense. 13 March 2012. Archived from the original on 3 November 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2013.
  21. "United States Navy Biography". News Release # 613. U.S. Navy. 2 July 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2013.
  22. "Forward-Deployed Carrier Strike Group Welcomes New Commander". NNS141007-06. U.S. Navy. 7 October 2014. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  23. "Navy relieves two more commanders in 7th Fleet after deadly collisions". Stars & Stripes. 18 September 2017. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  24. Daniels, Jeff (18 September 2017). "Navy removes admiral and captain following string of accidents". CNBC. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  25. LaGrone, Sam (19 July 2018). "New Commander Takes Charge of Largest U.S. Navy Battle Force". USNI News. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  26. "New Task Force 70 commander takes charge aboard USS Ronald Reagan in the South China Sea". Stars & Stripes. 30 September 2019. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  27. "CTF-70 Conducts Change of Command". Defense Visual Information Distribution Service. 5 November 2020. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
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