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■ 美 해군(海軍)의 제1 원정공격군(遠征攻擊群)[ESG, Expeditionary Strike Group]





8월22일[샌디에고(San Diego) 시간], 美 해군(海軍) 병사(兵士) 약 5,000명[해병대(海兵隊) 2,200명]을 실은 강습양륙함(强襲揚陸艦) 펠레리우(USS Peleliu)[LHA 5] 등 양륙함(揚陸艦)[상륙함(上陸艦)] 3척(隻)이 샌디에고를 출발(出發), 진주만(Pearl Harbor, Hawaii)으로 향했다.





8월29일[하와이(Hawaii) 시간], 양륙함 3척 진주만 도착(到着).





진주만에서 전투함(戰鬪艦) 4척과 합류(合流)한 후, 제1 원정공격군으로서 작전(作戰)에 들어간다. 작전기간(作戰期間)은 8개월, 작전지역(作戰地域)은 명확(明確)히 밝히지 않고 있으나, 표면상(表面上)으로는 페르시아만(Persian Gulf) 지역(地域)으로 이동(移動)하는 것으로 보인다. 하지만, 한반도(韓半島) 유사(有事)에 대비(對備)한 것이 아니라고 볼 수도 없다.








* 美 제1 원정공격군 구성(構成)





USS Peleliu[LHA 5] : 상륙돌격함(上陸突擊艦, Amphibious Assault Ship)[강습양륙함(强襲揚陸艦)]





USS Germantown[LSD 42] : 헬기(helicopter) 탑재(搭載) 상륙선거함(上陸船渠艦, Dock Landing Ship)





USS Ogden[LPD 5] : 상륙수송선거함(上陸輸送船渠艦, Amphibious Transport Dock)





USS Decatur[DDG 73] : 유도탄장착구축함(誘導彈裝着驅逐艦, Guided Missile Destroyer)





USS Jarrett[FFG 33] : 유도탄장착초계함(誘導彈裝着哨戒艦, Guided Missile Frigate)





USS Port Royal[CG 73] : 유도탄장착순양함(誘導彈裝着巡洋艦, Guided Missile Cruiser)





USS Greeneville[SSN 772] : 공격형원자력잠수함(攻擊型原子力潛水艦, Nuclear-powered Attack Submarine)








* 주일미군(駐日美軍)





주일(駐日) 美 해군(海軍) 사령관(司令官, Commander) 채플린(Robert Chaplin) 소장(少將, Rear Admiral)은 8월26일 기자회견(記者會見)에서, 사세보(佐世保)에 주둔(駐屯)하고 있는 美 강습양륙부대(强襲揚陸部隊)를 원정공격군으로 신설(新設)한다고 발표(發表)해, 8월5일자 마이니치신문(每日新聞)의 보도내용(報道內容)을 인정(認定)했다.








[2003년 8월5일자 마이니치신문 보도내용]





주일(駐日) 美 해군(海軍)





사세보(佐世保)에 새로운 원정공격대(遠征攻擊隊)





북조선(北朝鮮)에 강한 압력(壓力)





마이니치신문(每日新聞) 2003년 8월5일 03:00





美 해군(海軍)이 나가사키현(長崎縣) 사세보(佐世保) 기지(基地)에 배치(配置)하고 있는 강습양륙부대(强襲揚陸部隊)에, 순항(巡航)미사일(Cruise Missile) 「토마호크(Tomahawk)」 탑재(搭載)의 이지스함(Aegis Ship) 등을 추가(追加)해, 「원정공격군(遠征攻擊群)」을 신설(新設)한다는 계획(計劃)을 진행(進行)시키고 있는 것이 8월4일, 日美 군사(軍事) 소식통의 이야기로 밝혀졌다.





상륙작전(上陸作戰)을 담당(擔當)하는 동(同) 부대에 미사일 공격능력(攻擊能力)을 갖게 함으로써, 해병대(海兵隊)의 즉응성(卽應性)·기동성(機動性)을 높인 새로운 함대편성(艦隊編成)이다.





부시(George W. Bush) 美 정권(政權)이 밝힌 선제공격전략(先制攻擊戰略)의 실행부대(實行部隊)로서 자리매김 되어, 사세보 배치에 의해 북조선(北朝鮮)에 강한 압력(壓力)을 주는 목적(目的)이 있다.





美 해군 제7함대(Seventh Fleet) 윌러드(Robert F. Willard) 사령관(司令官, Commander)은 8월4일, 마이니치신문(每日新聞)의 취재(取材)에 응해, 원정공격군에 대해 『美 해군의 변혁(變革)·재편(再編)[변환(變換, transformation)]의 일환(一環)이다』라고 배치계획(配置計劃)을 인정(認定)했다.





해군의 강습양륙부대는 해병대의 병원(兵員)·장비(裝備)·물자(物資)를 실어 상륙작전(上陸作戰)을 실행(實行)한다. 지금까지의 표준적(標準的)인 편성(編成)은, 대지공격능력(對地攻擊能力)은 갖지 않아, 부대가 공격을 받았을 경우의 방호능력(防護能力)도 부족(不足)했다.





새롭게 편성하는 원정공격군(ESG, Expeditionary Strike Group)은, 종래(從來)의 강습양륙부대에 토마호크 탑재의 이지스미사일구축함(Aegis Guided Missile Destroyer)[驅逐艦]·순양함(Aegis Guided Missile Cruiser)[巡洋艦], 공격형원자력잠수함(攻擊型原子力潛水艦, Nuclear-powered Attack Submarine) 등 전투함정(戰鬪艦艇) 4척(隻)을 추가(追加)해서 구성(構成)한다.





함대방호능력(艦隊防護能力)을 갖춤으로써 즉응성과 원정능력(遠征能力)이 높아지고, 토마호크로 대지공격(對地攻擊)을 하면서 해병대를 상륙(上陸)시키는 것이 가능(可能)해진다.





주한미군(駐韓美軍)의 재편이 진행되는 가운데, 사세보 기지는 대북강습양륙(對北强襲揚陸)을 위한 전개거점(展開據點)으로 자리매김 된다. 게다가, 오키나와(沖繩) 주둔(駐屯) 美 해병대의 편성에도 영향(影響)을 줄 가능성(可能性)이 있다.





美 해군은 12개 강습양륙부대를 차례차례, 원정공격군으로 개편(改編)하고 있다. 우선(于先), 태평양함대(太平洋艦隊, U.S. Pacific Fleet)에 2개, 대서양함대(大西洋艦隊, U.S. Atlantic Fleet)에 1개의 원정공격군을 배치한다.





태평양함대의 1개는 사세보 기지를 모항(母港)으로 하는 강습양륙함(强襲揚陸艦, Amphibious Assault Ship) 「에세ㄱ스(USS Essex)」[LHD 2]가 핵심(核心)이 된다.





출격시(出擊時)에는 동(同) 기지와 가나가와현(神奈川縣) 요코스카(橫須賀) 기지의 함정(艦艇)에, 오키나와 주둔 美 해병대를 실어 강습양륙작전을 실시하는 것이 예상(豫想)된다.





[이하(以下) 기사내용 생략(省略)]














[THE HONOLULU ADVERTISER]





Posted on: Friday, August 29, 2003





New strike group to embark from Pearl





Advertiser Staff





Five ships from San Diego-based Expeditionary Strike Group


One were scheduled to arrive at Pearl Harbor this morning to


join up with the Hawai'i-based cruiser Port Royal and attack


submarine Greeneville for an eight-month deployment to an


unspecified location.





The strike group is a new type of warship flotilla


considered representative of a new flexibility in the Navy.


This is its first deployment.





"The Navy has looked at what the essentials are for a strike


group," said Lt. Cmdr. Jane Campbell with the Navy Region


Hawai'i Public Affairs Office. "They provide a joint


commander, give them a group of ships which are highly


mobile and self-sustaining across an entire spectrum of


operations. It is flexible, powerful and effective."





About 5,000 Marines and sailors left San Diego last week


with the strike group, which takes the 13th Marine


Expeditionary Unit and traditional amphibious ready group of


three amphibious vessels and bulks up the force with a


destroyer, cruiser, frigate and submarine.





The strike group is based around the amphibious assault ship


USS Peleliu. Accompanying the Peleliu today will be the USS


Germantown, USS Ogden, USS Decatur and USS Jarrett.





http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2003/Aug/29/ln/ln28a.html














[THE SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE]





Strike group deploys for the Persian Gulf





11:21 a.m., August 22, 2003





SAN DIEGO - About 5,000 Marines and sailors left today on an


eight-month deployment that could include service in the


Persian Gulf and ushers in a new concept in the way the


United States projects power across the globe.





Members of the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit departed from


San Diego Naval Station at 32nd Street in a group that


includes the amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu, dock


landing ship USS Germantown and transport dock USS Ogden.





"All the ships are under way, everything is going as


scheduled," Lt. Cmdr. Charles Brown said late this morning.





The ships, with 2,200 Marines and 2,800 sailors aboard, set


sail for Pearl Harbor, where they will meet up with other


ships in Expeditionary Strike Group One.





The seven-ship strike group also includes the cruiser USS


Port Royal, destroyer USS Decatur, frigate USS Jarrett and


the nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Greeneville.





A typical Western Pacific deployment includes stops in the


Persian Gulf, parts of Africa, Asia and Australia.





The strike group is one of the initial ideas from the post-


Sept. 11 "Deep Blue" think tank created to revolutionize how


the Navy combats terrorism and emerging opponents, according


to The San Diego Union-Tribune.





Rear Adm. Bob Conway told the Union-Tribune the first-of-a-


kind flotilla is more powerful and versatile than other


amphibious units.





"The spectrum of warfare is open to this group," he said.





The flotilla will be able to land Marines on distant shores,


like its predecessor amphibious groups. But it will also be


able to better defend itself in enemy waters, thanks to the


inclusion of heavily armed warships capable of firing 5-inch


cannons and launching Tomahawk cruise missiles.





http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/military/20030822-1146-deploygulf.html














[STARS AND STRIPES]





Navy to launch beefed-up Expeditionary Strike Group





By Sandra Jontz, Stars and Stripes





European edition, Friday, August 22, 2003





ARLINGTON, Va. - The Navy is embarking on a potential new


future for deployments as sailors and Marines leave on the


first Expeditionary Strike Group.





The experimental ESG, which was to leave Friday from San


Diego, essentially is an amphibious ready group on steroids;


a surface action group beefed up with a submarine and


maritime patrol aircraft, in addition to the Corps' 13th


Marine Expeditionary Unit, recently certified as Special


Operations Capable.





Because of ongoing military operations and obligations


around the world, the 5,000 sailors and Marines have been


told to prepare for a possible eight-month deployment


instead of the typical six months.





"Sailors, Marines and family members of the Peleliu ESG have


been told to be prepared for an eight-month deployment,"


said Lt. j.g. David Luckett, a Navy spokesman. "As the Chief


of Naval Operations has said, the Navy is not wed to


traditional six-month, heel-to-toe deployments. One of the


advantages of the naval forces is that our schedules and


deployment times are very flexible, as evidenced by the


recent surge of forces in support of Operation Enduring


Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom."





"So, while the Navy is looking at a range of options for


deployments to support the idea of presence with purpose,


the current plan calls for the Peleliu ESG to be deployed


for eight months," Luckett added.





The sailors and Marines won't earn additional pay for merely


being deployed longer, but, if eligible and where


applicable, will collect separation and danger pay for the


length of time they are deployed.





"Because the operations in Iraq and in the Gulf affected our


normal troop deployment, we had to adjust the scheduling,


and that means a longer deployment for this ESG," said Maj.


Douglas Powell, a Marine Corps spokesman. "We have to have a


presence out there, and because of what it takes to get a


unit ready - a work up for six months to have those units


rotate in - we had to bump this deployment out two months."





The concept of the additional air and sea power of an ESG is


to let sailors and Marines operate in shallow, narrow


waterways as easily as in the open ocean, according to a


Navy statement about the upcoming deployment.





"We have a joint operations center on USS Peleliu … that


brings all the warfare commanders together on one ship along


with the Marines," Cmdr. Louis Meier, a battle group


training coordinator, said in a statement. "All those things


are now working together to form a synergy that expands the


capabilities of the composite warfare system."





The newly formed ESG-1 is made up of the San Diego-based


amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu, the dock landing ship


USS Germantown, and the amphibious transport dock USS Ogden


added to the guided missile cruiser USS Port Royal, guided


missile destroyer USS Decatur, guided missile frigate USS


Jarrett, and the fast-attack submarine USS Greeneville.





The idea for an Expeditionary Strike Group had been pushed


from the Navy's leadership since March 2002, when then-Navy


Secretary Gordon England pushed for the larger-scale


fighting group.





If all goes well, the Navy plans an expansion in which the


Navy and Marine Corps will have two Pacific Fleet ESGs and


one Atlantic Fleet ESG next year, the Navy statement said.





http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=16486&archive=true














[USPACOM]





ESG to be formed around Sasebo-based amphibious ship





Nagasaki Shimbun, 08/28/2003





RADM. Robert Chaplin, Commander U.S. Naval Forces Japan,


made it public during a press conference held Aug. 26 that


an expeditionary strike group (ESG) would be newly formed


around the USS Essex Amphibious Ready Group, based at


Sasebo, incorporating ships from a Yokosuka-based Aegis ship


and a Guam-based submarine. This is part of the U.S. Navy's


transformation to enhance the Navy-Marines joint operational


capabilities.





Amphibious Ready Groups carry Marines from Okinawa and


conduct amphibious landing operations. By adding an Aegis


ship equipped with Tomahawk cruise missiles, the ESG can


land troops while conducting anti-ground attacks,


consequently aiming to improve Marine mobility and


readiness.





USS Essex (40,532 tons), based at Sasebo, is said to be the


core of the ESG. The U.S. Navy conducted an exercise


simulating the formation of an ESG in the Western Pacific in


Sprint. No additional ships will be forward deployed to


Sasebo.





http://www.pacom.mil/articles/030828sasebo.shtml














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