Photo By Seaman Nicholas Douglass | PACIFIC OCEAN (Sept. 7, 2025) Two U.S. Marine Corps MV-22B Osprey assigned to Medium...... read more read more
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NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN – Amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) concluded joint aviation training with the U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps, boosting interoperability and readiness in the Indo-Pacific region. On Sept. 7 and 11, 2025, off the coast of Pearl Harbor, America served as a floating airfield for rotary-wing aircraft from the Army's 25th Combat Aviation Brigade (CAB) and Marine Corps’ Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 268.
"This joint training enhances interoperability amongst the Services and increases our capacity to project combat power from sea." said Cmdr. Weideman, air officer, USS America. "By working together, we improve our collective readiness and ability to respond to any contingency."
Over two days, Army and Marine Corps pilots and crew members flew CH-47F Chinook, AH-64 Apache, and MV-22B Osprey aircraft, executing more than 200 deck landings on USS America. The training boosted their overwater operational proficiency and earned them valuable deck landing qualifications critical for maritime environments.
“This training is extremely valuable for the 25th Infantry Division and the 25th CAB,” said Chief Warrant Officer 3 Michael James, senior standardization instructor pilot for 3-25 AVN Regiment. “It allows us to be proficient in deck landing operations which increases our lethality and operability with our Navy and Marine partners. Overall, it increases the U.S. Military’s combat power!”
The exercise involved three types of rotary-wing aircraft: Marine Corps MV-22B Ospreys from VMM-268, along with Army CH-47F Chinook helicopters from the 3rd Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment, and Army AH-64 Apache helicopters from the 2nd Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment, both assigned to the 25th CAB. This diverse participation highlighted the commitment of all services to joint operations.
“My training goal for the 25th CAB was to increase our proficiency and build more competent air crews in an overwater environment,” said James. “Our crews need to be able to operate from ship to shore. During this training, we were able to learn more about LHA operations, their flight deck patterns and the ship’s capabilities.”
Companies within the Army’s 25th CAB maintain proficiency in shipboard operations to be prepared to fight under all conditions. The brigade conducts Deck Landing Operations several times per year depending on the Navy’s availability, in order to maintain a high level of aviation preparedness.
America is operating in the U.S. 3rd Fleet area of operations. An integral part of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, U.S. 3rd Fleet leads naval forces in the Indo-Pacific and provides the realistic, relevant training necessary to execute the U.S. Navy’s role across the full spectrum of military operations. U.S. 3rd Fleet works together with allies and partners to advance freedom of navigation and overflight, the rule of law and other principles that underpin security for the Indo-Pacific region.
For more USS America news visit: https://www.surfpac.navy.mil/lha6/ and https://www.dvidshub.net/unit/USSA
| Date Taken: | 09.11.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 09.13.2025 02:46 |
| Story ID: | 548065 |
| Location: | NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN |
| Web Views: | 31 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, USS America Enhances Joint Readiness with Army and Marine Corps Rotary-Wing Operations, by LT Carolina Fernandez, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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