Two U.S. carrier groups complete exercise in Straits of Hormuz
ABU DHABI — The U.S. Navy has concluded another exercise in the Gulf
as part of an effort to deter Iran while reassuring Gulf Arab allies that fear being drawn into a U.S.-Iran conflict.
On Thursday, the navy concluded an exercise of its two carrier strike
groups near the Iranian coast. The exercises took place in the Straits of
Hormuz, the passage for 40 percent of global oil shipping.
The exercise was comprised of the navy's USS John C. Stennis, USS Nimitz
and the Marine Corps's Bonhomme Richard amphibious assault group. The
exercise consisted of nine ships, 140 combat aircraft and 17,000 personnel
in the largest daylight transit since 2003.
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This was the second major Gulf exercise over the last three months, Middle East Newsline reported. In
March, the navy held an exercise that included Stennis and the USS Dwight D.
Eisenhower.
Officials said the latest exercise, which took place around 55
kilometers from Iran, sought to enhance naval reconnaissance capability.
Stennis contains a defense system that integrates data from numerous radars
and sensors for a common situational awareness picture.
The Shipboard Shelf-Defense System, installed in 2006, was designed to
track up to 200 vessels or aircraft simultaneously. The system contains
digital maps that track friendly and enemy forces.
On June 1, several components of the Bataan Expeditionary Strike Group
left the Gulf area. The group participated in several exercises in the
region.
"From a maritime operations perspective, I think we did really well,"
Bataan commander Capt. Rick Snyder said. "As a strike group, we covered the
whole gamut. We did our part with a presence and being able to interact with
our partners."
