Report: Recently departed Nimitz, Stennis along with Kitty Hawk in war game excercise to practice Iran assaults

Above: The USS Nimitz and the USS Stennis strike groups conducted major war games involving 17,000 personnel in the Persian Gulf in May. The games culminated in an amphibious landing exercise in Kuwait, just a few miles from Iran.

War game forces mount off Guam

The U.S. military expects to amass more than 22,000 troops off the coast of Guam starting Tuesday for a weeklong exercise involving dozens of ships and hundreds of aircraft.

The drills, which were held for the first time last year, are designed to train and test U.S. troops.

Commanders also hope the maneuvers, dubbed “Valiant Shield,” will show nearby countries that the U.S. is committed to the region.

“The exercise demonstrates to our friends and allies in the Asia-Pacific ... how important the security of the region is to the United States,” said Navy Capt. Matt Loughlin, deputy chief of staff for Task Force 519, the Hawaii-based unit directing the drills.

Read the rest at Navy Times

Vampire Bats heading to Guam

The Vampire Bats of Kadena’s 44th Fighter Squadron were scheduled to fly to Guam on Sunday to join more than 22,000 airmen, sailors and Marines for the Valiant Shield exercise.

The entire squadron — about 45 pilots, 160 support personnel, 24 F-15s and additional aircraft — are to participate in the seven-day exercise that kicks off Tuesday, Maj. John Stratton, the 18th Wing’s chief of weapons and tactics, said Friday.

About 200 personnel from 67th Fighter Squadron, the 961st Air Control Squadron and the 909th Air Refueler Squadron also will head to Guam for the exercise, Stratton said.

“This joint training is important, because that is how we will operate in any contingency in the Pacific,” he said, adding that the squadron has spent months preparing for Valiant Shield.

During the exercise, Stratton said, the squadron’s F-15s will run offensive and defensive counter air missions and coordinate communications with the other services.

The squadron also will get a rare opportunity to fire live AIM-7 missiles, Stratton said.

“We’re looking forward to just the large-force training that we don’t get to do that often,” he said.

Read the rest at Stars and Stripes

US Armed Forces integrated Valiant Shield exercises simulate possible operation against Iran

The maneuvers beginning Monday, Aug. 6, in waters off Guam include the simultaneous deployment of three carriers and their air and naval strike groups: USS Stennis, USS Nimitz and USS Kitty Hawk, altogether 30 warships, 280 warplanes and 22,000 soldiers and sailors. The exercise is commanded by Adm. Robert Willard, Pacific Fleet chief.

DEBKAfile’s military sources report: This will be America’s last major combined sea-air war game before during Bush presidency which ends in Jan. 2009 and last opportunity for drilling large-scale combined units should the president decide on a military operation against Iran.

To indicate that outside eyes were not desired, foreign observers who attended the Pacific exercises last year were not invited this year. US military sources in the region said that invitations to officers of regional nations to watch the drills would have had to include Malaysia, which has close ties with Iran.

According to DEBKA-Net-Weekly’s military sources, the exercises will be held in conditions resembling as closely as possible those in Iran and practice assaults of the kind that may be executed against the Islamic Republic.

Read the rest at Debka

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