Courtesy Photo | 250821-N-AB116-1005 DUTCH HARBOR, Alaska (Aug. 21, 2025) An MH-60S helicopter,...... read more read more
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NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN – During the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command-led joint exercise Northern Edge 2025 (NE25), crews from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 14 demonstrated the U.S. Navy’s advanced search and rescue (SAR) capabilities, establishing an Expeditionary Advanced Base (EAB) in Alaska’s Aleutian Island chain.
Operating out of Dutch Harbor, Alaska, from Aug. 17-22, 2025, HSC-14 staged MH-60S on land to provide extended SAR coverage in support of maritime strike scenarios over the Gulf of Alaska, enabling the aircrew and pilots to practice their skills in environments and conditions far from their usual operating area in southern California.
Fixed-wing flight operations can take pilots and aircraft hundreds of miles from the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), from which they were based. In the cold Alaskan waters, rapid SAR response times become critical, necessitating the need for a quick launch and recovery from nearby assets. By establishing an EAB in nearby Dutch Harbor, HSC-14 provided advanced SAR coverage across the remote region.
“With the extreme distance, we realized months ago that it was going to be necessary to have search and rescue coverage well outside what HSC-14 could provide from the aircraft carrier,” said Cmdr. Robin Dirickson, commanding officer of HSC-14. “We identified a few locations where we'd be able to forward stage our helicopters to ensure that in the event anything happened to any of the fixed wing aircraft, our helicopters were properly positioned to make sure they got out of the water quickly.”
During the exercise, the squadron collaborated closely with the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Coast Guard, and Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center personnel recovery experts to coordinate SAR coverage throughout the Aleutian Island Chain. This ensured smooth integration across commands and enabled HSC-14 to streamline logistics and adapt to Alaska’s unique operational challenges, including extreme weather and limited infrastructure.
“The opportunity to integrate with the joint force is a phenomenal experience,” said Dirickson. “Working with the Air Force and Coast Guard to accomplish challenging missions and refine procedures is critical, so if the high-end fight comes and we need to rely on each other, it’s not the first time.”
A key component of the strike group’s versatility lies in its ability to send assets ashore, while maintaining mission readiness on land and at sea. Disaggregated from Abraham Lincoln and with limited means of communication ashore, the expeditionary teams provided remote SAR capabilities while the shipboard team maintained coverage from the aircraft carrier.
“This was proof that the carrier strike group could execute this event organically with our own assets, a big win, especially the interoperability between Fleet Logistics Multi-Mission Squadron (VRM) 30’s CMV-22B Osprey and really fleshing out the tactics, techniques and procedures for this EAB operation,” said Lt. Anthony Vidal, HSC-14’s weapons and tactics instructor and the assistant officer in charge of the EABO evolution. “Ospreys can carry enough fuel to meet us at an austere location where we can link up, get gas, and then we can continue on, kind of like a pit stop along the island chain.”
A highlight of the mission, a simulated medical emergency, demonstrated how the joint force could execute a full rescue and medical evacuation sequence in. Crew members from HSC-14 simulated recovering a patient, and transferred them to a CMV-22B Osprey, which simultaneously refueled the HSC-14 helicopters. By working together during this exercise, crews were able to validate new tactics, techniques, and procedures.
Dirickson stressed the importance the entire crew played, contributing to the success of the mission, particularly in being able to maintain multiple assets both at sea and ashore.
“I am unbelievably proud of our maintenance folks,” said Dirickson. “We sent more than 20 personnel, and the amount of work it took to have five mission capable aircraft up for a week is incredible.”
Northern Edge 2025, led by U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, provided an opportunity for joint interoperability and multi-domain operations designed to offer high-end, realistic war-fighter training and enhance the combat readiness of participating forces, ensuring the U.S. forces remain ready to respond to contingencies in the Indo-Pacific region.
CSG-3 participants in Northern Edge included Abraham Lincoln, Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 21 staff, Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS O’Kane (DDG 77), USS Michael Murphy (DDG 112), and USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG 121), and the nine squadrons of CVW-9, including an F-35C Lightning II squadron, Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 314; three F/A-18E/F squadrons, Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 14; Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 41, Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 151; Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 133, operating the EA-18G; Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 117, operating the E-2D; Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 14 operating the MH-60S; and Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 71.
For more news from CSG-3, visit http://www.dvidshub.net/unit/CSG3 and www.facebook.com/CarrierStrikeGroupThree.
| Date Taken: | 08.27.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 08.28.2025 00:11 |
| Story ID: | 546727 |
| Location: | NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN |
| Web Views: | 83 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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