Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Jomark Almazan | SAN DIEGO (Sept. 25, 2025) The amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) transits...... read more read more
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SAN DIEGO – The amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) arrived at its new homeport of Naval Base San Diego, Sept. 25, marking the end of a six-year forward deployment to Sasebo, Japan, and the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations. America’s successful operations in the Indo-Pacific underscore the Navy’s commitment to achieving peace through strength and a free and open Indo-Pacific.
Since arriving in Japan in 2019, America operated as a key asset within the Forward-Deployed Naval Forces (FDNF), leading the America Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) of ships, serving as the flagship for Expeditionary Strike Group 7 and embarking the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU). The ship’s strategic placement enabled the Navy and Marine Corps team to respond rapidly to contingencies and train as a unified force across air, land and sea-based warfighting capabilities.
America was a persistent presence in the South and East China seas, participating in numerous joint and combined exercises and operations with partners including Japan, Australia, the Republic of Korea, the Philippines, New Zealand, and Thailand. These operations enhanced maritime interoperability, strengthened regional security, and reinforced international law. The ship also provided crisis response capabilities, including humanitarian assistance and disaster response following the eruption of Mt. Bagana in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, Papua New Guinea.
“The dedication, professionalism, and sacrifice of America's crew is remarkable. From strengthening our partnerships during exercises like Talisman Sabre and Iron Fist, to providing crisis response capabilities, this team has upheld the highest standards of excellence,” said Capt. Ethan Rule, commanding officer of America. “I’m incredibly proud of this ship and the hard work and resilience of the entire crew. This year has been packed with operations amidst moving families from Japan to San Diego. The demands placed on an FDNF warship are rigorous, and team America has proven time and time again that we are up to the challenge. I couldn’t be more proud of what we’ve accomplished together.”
Most recently, America and the 31st MEU successfully completed four months of operations in the Western Pacific, where the Navy-Marine Corps team conducted amphibious and surface warfare operations alongside 13 other ships and expeditionary forces from six partner nations during exercise Talisman Sabre. America embarked over 200 multinational participants as part of the exercise, significantly advancing combined readiness and demonstrating U.S. commitment to allies and partners in the region.
America team also successfully conducted novel anti-submarine warfare operations in the Indo-Pacific. A 31st MEU MV-22 Osprey embarked aboard America was the first of its kind to deliver sonobuoys, validating additional operational capabilities while demonstrating the aircraft’s versatility in the maritime environment. This new capability enables the Navy and Marine Corps team to better find, fix, track and engage subsurface threats.
“Serving forward deployed is an incredible challenge and honor,” said. Capt. Michael Plageman, executive officer of America. “Our Sailors and Marines rose to that challenge every single day—demonstrating grit, professionalism and teamwork in some of the most dynamic waters in the world. As we return to San Diego, we bring with us not only experience but a legacy of operational excellence.”
America’s crew earned five consecutive Battle Effectiveness awards while forward deployed to U.S. Naval Forces Japan, each recognizing sustained superior performance in warfighting readiness, mission accomplishment, innovation and resiliency.
America is the lead ship of its class, optimized for aviation operations and capable of embarking more than 1,600 Marines in support of combat operations and humanitarian missions. The ship is currently assigned to the U.S. 3rd Fleet and homeported in San Diego.
As 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 news from U.S. 3rd Fleet, visit https://www.dvidshub.net/unit/COM-US3rdFleet
For more news from USS America, visit https://www.surfpac.navy.mil/lha6/ or https://www.dvidshub.net/unit/USSA. On Facebook, visit https://www.facebook.com/USSAmerica
| Date Taken: | 09.25.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 09.25.2025 12:42 |
| Story ID: | 549309 |
| Location: | SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 227 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, USS America Completes Homeport Change to San Diego, by LT Carolina Fernandez, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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