Carrier Strike Group 10


Carrier Strike Group 10, is a U.S. Navy carrier strike group., CSG-10 consists of, the strike group's current flagship, with Carrier Air Wing Seven embarked on board, and ships of Destroyer Squadron 26.
Through Cruiser-Destroyer Group 2 and Cruiser-Destroyer Flotilla 2, the group traces its history to the formation of Destroyer Flotilla 2 during the First World War. From the 1970s, the group has made scores of deployments to the Mediterranean and Middle East, usually led by a large-deck aircraft carrier. Between 2004 and 2014, the group made four deployments to the U.S. Fifth Fleet operating in the Persian Gulf and North Arabian Sea. The group's aircraft flew over 10,800 air combat missions in support of coalition ground forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. The group's surface warships were also involved in several high-profile anti-piracy and maritime security operations. The group participated in two major multi-lateral exercises, Operation Brewing Storm 2005 and Operation Bold Step 2007.

Historical background

Carrier Strike Group 10's lineage can be traced to Destroyer Flotilla 2, which was established during the First World War at Naval Station Newport, Rhode Island. The Flotilla was deactivated in 1922 as part of fleet reductions after the war. Destroyer Flotilla 2 was reactivated in 1931 and served throughout the 1930s as a caretaker of reserve destroyers until again deactivated in the early days of World War II. As part of a Navy reorganization, the Flotilla was reactivated yet again in 1946. In 1973, Cruiser-Destroyer Flotilla 2 was renamed Cruiser-Destroyer Group 2, and it relocated to Charleston Navy Yard in South Carolina in 1974. Among its ships was, a destroyer tender.
Rear Admiral Samuel L. Gravely, Jr., the first African-American flag officer in the U.S. Navy, commanded Cruiser-Destroyer Group 2. Vice Admiral Henry C. Mustin, also commanded Cruiser-Destroyer Group 2. During his tenure as Commander Cruiser-Destroyer Group 2, Admiral Mustin was a pioneer in the tactical use of the Tomahawk cruise missile, and he was one of the first non-aviators to command a U.S. Navy carrier strike group.
In late June 1990, Rear Admiral Thomas D. Paulson, Commander Cruiser-Destroyer Group 2, led the cruiser and the frigate to visit Poland during BALTOPS '90, a U.S. Naval Forces Europe-hosted exercise in the Baltic Sea. Their port call at Gdynia was the first visit by United States Navy vessels to Poland since 1927.
went to war during Operation Desert Storm as part of Cruiser-Destroyer Group 2.
In the middle of 1992, there was a U.S. Navy reorganization. The chart below shows Cruiser-Destroyer Group 2's units after the reorganization.
;Cruiser-Destroyer Group 2, late 1992
In 1993, following a fleet reorganization, the group staff went aboard a new flagship, the new Nimitz class aircraft carrier. The group participated in the 2000 NATO Exercise Destined Glory, Operation Joint Endeavor, Operation Deny Flight, Operation Southern Watch, and Operation Vigilant Resolve. After 2001 the group took part in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. In 1997 Commander Cruiser-Destroyer Group 2, Rear Admiral Michael Mullen, led the group on deployment from George Washington.
On 1 October 2004, Cruiser-Destroyer Group 2 was redesignated as Carrier Strike Group 10. Subsequently, George Washington was relieved as the flagship by the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.

Structure

Commanders

The strike group commander is responsible for unit-level training, integrated training, and material readiness for the ships and aviation squadrons assigned to the group. When not deployed, the strike group is part of the U.S. Fleet Forces Command, and its commander reports to Commander Task Force 80, the director of Fleet Forces' Maritime Headquarters. Carrier Strike Group 10 is designated Task Group 80.4. When deployed overseas, the group comes under command of the numbered fleet in whose area it is operating, and will have a task force or task group designator, for example, Task Group 50.1 in the Fifth Fleet area.
Group commanders since May 2004 have included:

Composition

The current composition of the strike group includes:

2004–2005 deployment

Carrier Strike Group Ten departed Norfolk on 13 October 2004 for an extended deployment under the command of Rear Admiral Michael C. Tracy. The strike group participated in the Joint Maritime Course north of Scotland between 25 and 28 October 2004 which included multi-national strike, surface, and submarine warfare exercises. The strike group transited the Suez Canal on 11 November 2004, joining the U.S. Fifth Fleet, and relieved Carrier Strike Group Four, led by, on 20 November 2004.
Truman and Carrier Air Wing Three launched 2,577 sorties, totaling nearly 13,000 flight hours, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and maritime security operations being relieved by the Carrier Strike Group One in the Persian Gulf on 19 March 2005. One major air operation involved a VAW-126 detachment of two E-2C Hawkeyes that operated out of Kandahar International Airport in southern Afghanistan, from 4–13 December 2004. The detachment's mission was to provide airborne command and control for the inauguration of President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai. This event was attended by an entourage led by U.S. Vice President Richard B. Cheney and Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld.
Despite plans to cross the equator and visited South Africa, diplomatic issues caused the strike group to transit the Suez Canal, stopping in Portsmouth, England, prior to returning to the United States on 19 April 2005.
;2004–2005 deployment force composition
;2004–2005 deployment exercises and port visits

Preparation exercises, 2005 and 2007

Code-named Operation Brewing Storm, Joint Task Force Exercise 05-2 was held between 14 and 22 July 2005, and it involved Carrier Strike Group Ten, Carrier Strike Group 2, the Spanish frigate Álvaro de Bazán, and the Peruvian submarine Antofagasta. Truman and Carrier Air Wing Three also completed sustainment training 19 July 2005 in accordance with the U.S. Navy's Fleet Response Training Plan, which included general quarters drills, strike warfare, close air support, and air defense operations. Following humanitarian assistance and disaster response operations in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in September 2005, Truman underwent an extended yard period at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, Virginia.
In 2007, the strike group's final preparation for deployment was Joint Task Force Exercise 07-2. JTFEX 07-2 involved 30 ships and more than 15,000 personnel from five different navies led by the aircraft carriers,, and . It took place between 26 and 31 August 2007 off the coast of North Carolina and Florida.

2007–2008 deployment

On 5 November 2007, the group departed Norfolk under the command of Rear Admiral William E. Gortney for its 2007–2008 deployment.
Carrier Air Wing Three aircraft flew more than 26,500 hours during 9,500 sorties, including 2,459 combat sorties directly in support of coalition forces operating on the ground in Iraq. This included flying almost 14,000 combat hours and expended 77,500 pounds of ordnance during 228 troops-in-contact events, as well as providing defense to the Iraqi oil platforms. Additionally, the carrier air wing provided logistical support to the American Embassy in Lebanon. The air wing's aircraft also carried out a variety of security cooperation exercises with five countries within the Sixth Fleet and Fifth Fleet areas to enhance allied cooperation and interoperability.
Surface warships of Destroyer Squadron 26 operated with over 50 coalition warships from 11 countries supporting combat operations in Iraq, carrying maritime security operations in the Persian Gulf, and conducting seven exercises throughout the Middle East. The squadron's warships made 1,021 approach-and-assist visits with local fishermen and merchants to encourage them to contact coalition warships as first responders against Persian Gulf piracy and smuggling. They also conducted Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure operations, searching for vessels that could support international terrorist organizations by transferring personnel, drugs, and weapons. Finally, Destroyer Squadron 26 provided security patrols in the northern Persian Gulf to protect the vital Khor Al-Amaya and Al-Basra oil terminals from possible terrorist attacks.
Carrier Strike Group 10 completed its 2007–2008 deployment on 6 June 2008.
;2007–2008 deployment force composition
;2007–2008 deployment exercises and port visits

2010 deployment

On 21 May 2010, Carrier Strike Group 10 deployed for its 2010 deployment under the command of Rear Admiral Patrick Driscoll. During the seven-month deployment, the strike group flew 2,915 missions into Afghanistan and Iraq, delivering 35,000 pounds of ordnance in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Operation New Dawn, providing surge support for coalition forces in Afghanistan, and to support existing maritime security operations in the Persian Gulf. Detachments from helicopter squadron HSL-44 based on board the destroyers and flew a combined 1,875 hours in support of anti-piracy operations, multinational training events, and counter-smuggling missions in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean.
Normandy served as the naval Regional Air Defense Commander during the deployment, providing surveillance of more than 264 million square miles of air space. On 5 July 2010, the guided-missile frigate assisted 16 stranded Pakistani fishermen whose boat had taken on water and sank two days earlier. After being spotted floating adrift in a life raft by a Task Force 57 Lockheed P-3 Orion, the stranded crew was recovered by the Elrods rigid-hulled inflatable boat before being transferred to the Pakistani Navy frigate PNS Babur on 6 July 2010. On 18 November 2010, guided-missile destroyer located and provided assistance to two Iranian mariners who were spotted floating in a life raft in the Persian Gulf. Oscar Austin was operating with Combined Task Force 152, and the two mariners were picked up by an Iranian rescue vessel.
On 15 November 2010, four Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters from squadron VMM-266 landed and re-fueled on board the carrier Harry S. Truman following operations in Afghanistan and Pakistan. These VMM-266 helicopters part of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, and they were returning to the amphibious assault ship after completing humanitarian relief efforts in Pakistan. Because of the distance between Pakistan and Kearsarge, Truman acted as an intermediate refueling point.
Carrier Strike Group 10 returned to Naval Station Norfolk on 20 December 2010, completing its six-month deployment.
;2010 deployment force composition
;2010 deployment exercises and port visits