US Marines embark on USS Gabrielle Giffords in US Southern Command region

Photo By Sgt. Camila Melendez | EASTERN PACIFIC OCEAN – Aviation Electronics Technician 2nd Class Brandon Parks with the Independence-class littoral combat ship USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10) explains to U.S. Marine Maj. George Saenz, an engineering officer with U.S. Marine Corps Forces, South, how vertical replenishment transfers are executed aboard the Gabrielle Giffords Nov. 25, 2020. A VERTREP is part of a replenishment at sea evolution, where supplies are transported to a ship at sea with the use of an aircraft. Gabrielle Giffords is deployed to the U.S. 4th Fleet area of responsibility to support Joint Interagency Task Force South’s mission, which includes counter illicit drug trafficking in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific. U.S. Marines with U.S. Marine Corps Forces, South embarked aboard the Gabrielle Giffords for a three-week assessment to support naval integration and interoperability between the U.S. Marine Corps with the U.S. Navy. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Camila Melendez)  

MIAMI, FL, UNITED STATES

11.16.2020

Story by Cpl. Camila Melendez 

U.S. Marine Corps Forces, South

EASTERN PACIFIC OCEAN – U.S. Marines with U.S. Marine Corps Forces, South embarked on the littoral combat ship USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10) Nov. 16 for a three-week assessment in order to meet the Corps’ Force Design 2030 effort and to identify future Marine Corps integration and interoperability opportunities in the U.S. Southern Command theater.

Force Design 2030 is a report created by the commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. David Berger, that directs the Marine Corps to prepare and set conditions to meet the challenges of the future while supporting the ongoing naval integration initiative.

The Gabrielle Giffords is deployed to the U.S. 4th Fleet area of responsibility to support Joint Interagency Task Force – South’s mission, which includes counter illicit drug trafficking in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.

The assessment of this class of ship, which is known for its stealth, agility, versatility and maneuverability through littoral waters, aimed to set conditions for developing future littoral combat ship employment concepts and Marine Corps deployment for training opportunities in the Latin American and Caribbean regions.

“It’s designed to operate at much higher speeds than a traditional combative ship, as well as much shallower waters than where most ships are able to gain access. So that opens up the ports that we can pull into,” said Cmdr. Rion Martin, the commanding officer of the Gabrielle Giffords.

The four-Marine team actively engaged with the crew to evaluate how Marines can integrate on a littoral combat ship and be best prepared to serve as an integrated team in the Latin American and Caribbean region.

While embarked the team was able to observe operations, which, included conducting counter illicit trafficking operations with an embarked law enforcement detachment from the U.S. Coast Guard, flight deck operations, and small boat operations with their rigid hull inflatable boat. The Gabrielle Giffords also conducted underway replenishment operations, picking up pallets of supplies from their Chilean Navy partners aboard replenishment oiler CNS Almirante Montt (AO 52).

Col. David Emmel, the operations officer for MARFORSOUTH, said deploying Marines aboard a littoral combat ship helps us identify how best to integrate the Navy and Marine Corps team in support of expeditionary advanced base operations and other missions. Gen. Berger’s Commandant’s Planning Guidance states that future naval force development and employment will include new capabilities that will ensure the Navy and Marine Corps team cannot be excluded from any region in advancing or protecting national interests or those of U.S. allies.

“Right now, the Marine Corps integrates with the Navy and they allow us to transport them somewhere quickly,” said Martin. “The LCS and its speed capability is a significant opportunity for the deployment of Marines, and the Commandant’s Planning Guidance includes the idea of smaller elements being more dispersed or dispersing lethality and taking smaller groups of Marines on platforms. Spreading them out can really confound the enemies’ targeting solution.”

The Force Design 2030 calls for substantial adjustments in how the Marine Corps organizes, trains and equips the force to support a profound shift in missions from inland to littoral. The shift in missions align with the commandant’s focus and emphasis on the importance of naval integration for the modernization of the Marine Corps.

“The intent for deploying Marines on the littoral combat ship was to further develop Marine Corps contributions to emerging naval operating concepts and to assess how we can better integrate and support our shipmates to accomplish a mission,” said Emmel.

Maj. George Saenz, an engineering officer with MARFORSOUTH who led the four-Marine assessment team aboard the Gabrielle Giffords, said there’s still a need to experiment with Marines in order to further evaluate and develop processes such as the launch and recovery tactics and procedures from an LCS. Nonetheless, the ship offers the potential to deploy Marines with niche capabilities that fall in line with the Commandant’s Planning Guidance.

“I’m excited at the possibility of Marines being able to deploy on this type of platform,” said Saenz. “I think this is an excellent opportunity for the Marine Corps to train at sea with our partners in the region, assure our partners of our capabilities to support our shared challenges and maximize our maritime presence over vast distances aboard agile ships like an LCS.”

• Date Taken: 11.16.2020
• Date Posted: 01.11.2021 07:58
• Story ID: 386640
• Location: MIAMI, FL, US