NORFOLK, Va. — More than 4,000 sailors and Marines serving in the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group (BAT ARG) are scheduled to depart for deployment Feb. 8.
USS Bataan (LHD 5), USS Mesa Verde (LPD 19) and USS Gunston Hall (LSD 44) are departing for a regularly scheduled deployment in support of maritime security operations, crisis response, theater security cooperation and to provide a forward naval presence in the U.S. Navy’s 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operation.
BAT ARG is commanded by Capt. Neil A. Karnes, commander, Amphibious Squadron (PHIBRON) 6, and is comprised of multipurpose amphibious assault ship USS Bataan, amphibious transport dock USS Mesa Verde, and amphibious dock landing ship USS Gunston Hall. USS Bataan and USS Mesa Verde are both homeported at Naval Station Norfolk, and USS Gunston Hall is homeported at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story, Va.
The 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), stationed at Camp Lejeune, N.C., is commanded by Col. William R. Dunn and is comprised of a Ground Combat Element, Battalion Landing Team, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment; Aviation Combat Element, Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263; Logistics Combat Element, Combat Logistics Battalion 22; and its command element.