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In the interest of speed and timeliness, this story is fed directly from the Associated Press newswire and may contain spelling or grammatical errors.
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Military deploying new-look strike force from San Diego
Friday August 22, 2003
SAN DIEGO (AP) Seven heavily armed warships departing from
here Friday combine troops, ships and weaponry in a new-look Navy
and Marine Corps strike force that military officers say will be
more powerful and versatile than traditional arrangements.
The Expeditionary Strike Group One is the first of its kind and
is being called a part of the military's larger effort to emphasize
flexibility along with intimidating firepower and cooperation
between various branches. Similar groups are planned for both
Pacific and Atlantic fleets.
About 5,000 sailors and Marines overall will be deployed for
eight months on the troop-carrying ships, cruiser, destroyer,
frigate and attack submarine. Amphibious assault ship Peleliu will
serve as the joint operations center.
Navy Rear Adm. Bob Conway said that by combining more than 100
Tomahawk missiles with aircraft and 2,200 combat Marines, ``The
spectrum of warfare is open to this group.''
The Navy usually deploys its ships either in larger aircraft
carrier groups or three-ship task forces carrying Marines but less
firepower.
The new configuration will get significant Marine forces and
powerful missiles to emerging combat locations faster than before,
said military analyst Patrick Garrett of GlobalSecurity.org, a
Virginia-based think tank.
``It's an enormous step forward,'' Garrett said. ``It may mean
you'd have a (powerful warship) on the scene in hours or days,
instead of weeks.''
Strike Group One will be commanded by a Navy admiral while the
next group is expected to be led by a Marine general.
The Marines deploying Friday are from the 13th Marine
Expeditionary Unit based at Camp Pendleton, with ships from San
Diego and Pearl Harbor. Also part of the force are Navy SEALs and
Marines from air stations in Miramar and Yuma, Ariz.
The strike force's destination was not disclosed but military
officials said its ``areas of responsibility'' include the Arabian
Sea, Persian Gulf and Iraq.
(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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