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Operation Valiant Shield well under way in the Marianas
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- A U.S. Navy F/A-18E/F Super Hornet prepares for launch during Operation Valiant Shield joint exercises on the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan yesterday in the waters off Guam. (Erwin Encinares)
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- Shooters, the final authority that gives the go signal to launch and land aircraft of the USS Ronald Reagan, brief the media on where they are allowed to stand during the exercises. (Erwin Encinares)
ABOARD THE USS RONALD REAGAN—Operation Valiant Shield, a U.S. joint exercise consisting of the Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, Army, and Coast Guard, is well under way in the seas off Guam.
Starting last Sept. 12, the two-week long exercises have been going on every two years.
USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) Commanding Officer Capt. Buzz Donnelly said Valiant Shield is the U.S.’s largest maritime exercise with joint forces.
“It is really our opportunity to come together with the U.S. Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard along with the Navy and operate as one cohesive unit exercising our tactics from one end of the spectrum to the other for one dedicated two week period,“ he said during an interview with the media yesterday.
He said Valiant Shield’s goal is to increase efficiency in operations amongst the various armed service branches.
“Typically, we are disaggregated and are split up conducting real world operations throughout the entire Pacific Asiatic region,” said Donnelly.
The USS Ronald Reagan is not the only naval carrier that is conducting Valiant Shield, but the group is more focused on tactical amphibious operations.
“In addition to Carrier Strike Group 5 and Battle Force Seventh Fleet, which is centered around a carrier strike group, we also have Expeditionary Strike Group 7, which is the Seventh Fleet’s expeditionary group. [The group] embarks marines and conducts amphibious operations. They’re centered around the USS Bonhomme Richard, which sails out of Sasabo, Japan,” said Donnelly.
According to Donnelly, the USS Ronald Reagan is the flagship of the Seventh Pacific Fleet, along with other significant roles.
“The USS Ronald Reagan is the flagship for Battle Force Seventh Fleet, or Carrier Strike Group 5. We serve as the center of our maritime strike capability of the Pacific Fleet. On board we have the admiral and his staff, along with the Carrier Air Wing 5, and Cruiser Squadron Group 15. The Ronald Reagan serves as the core of that along with our other nine ships, providing the maritime capability,” said Donnelly. “Here at Valiant Shield, we are providing the strike capability for the U.S. Navy working in this joint exercise including the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps, and the Coast Guard.”
As well as being the center of the maritime capability of the Pacific Fleet, the USS Ronald Reagan is also the Navy’s only fore deployed aircraft carrier and the only fore deployed strike group.
“As fore deployed to the Seventh Fleet, we are always on station. Out at sea, we spend typically about 90 days at sea at a time and we do that several times a year as a strike group patrolling from the Western Pacific to as far as the Indian Ocean as necessary representing the U.S. and serving the Seventh Fleet’s interests.”
The USS Ronald Reagan has 3,100 members permanently assigned to the ship, which includes necessary roles such as ship maintenance, engineering systems, flight deck management, and cooks. All in all along with those participating in the exercises, the USS Ronald Reagan has 5,000 personnel.
The USS Ronald Reagan is a Nimitz-class nuclear-powered supercarrier in the service of the U.S. Navy. The ninth ship of her class, she is named in honor of former President Ronald Reagan, President of the United States from 1981 to 1989.
