| 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 |
| Engagements | 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 Gerard Heuber, 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.
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Note: COMPHIBRON = Commander, Amphibious Squadron
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.
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 landed 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.
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.
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.
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 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 April 17, 2007 Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) Three was commissioned in San Diego, California.
As of July 2011, the leadership of Expeditionary Strike Group Three consists of the following personnel:[5]