Carabiniere (F 593) Completes Operations with George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group
27 February 2023
MEDITERRANEAN SEA --
MEDITERRANEAN SEA -The Italian Navy Carlo Bergamini-class frigate ITS Carabiniere (F 593) detached from the George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group (CSG), Feb. 14, 2023, after operating with the strike group throughout the month.
During Carabiniere’s time with the George H.W. Bush CSG, the ship escorted the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) into and out of the port of Piraeus, Greece, for a scheduled port visit.
Carabiniere also worked with Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 7 to complete two air defense exercises (ADEX). The ADEXs were part of Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 and consisted of four to six destroyers and frigates, and provided NATO with immediate operational response capabilities.
“ITS Carabiniere integrated fully and operated superbly across a range of mission sets,” said Capt. Stephen Aldridge, commodore, Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 26. “Our continued integration with the Italian Navy is a testament to the U.S.-Italian relationship and the strength of the NATO Alliance.”
Carabiniere also participated in two underwater track exercises. During the anti-submarine warfare exercises, Carabiniere and DESRON 26 tracked simulated submarines, enabling the teams to practice finding and tracking adversarial submarines in a dynamic environment.
“Working with Carrier Strike Group 10 has been a great opportunity to display the interoperability of the NATO alliance,” said Cmdr. Davide Rossano, commanding officer of Carabiniere. “Our integration into the strike group afforded us invaluable training opportunities and a chance to hone our warfighting capabilities alongside a key ally.”
CSG-10 worked with Italian allies earlier this deployment, namely the Orizzonte/Horizon-class guided-missile destroyers ITS Caio Duilio (D 554) and ITS Andrea Doria (D 553) and Cavour CSG. Multicarrier activities with the Cavour CSG and the French Charles de Gaulle CSG demonstrated the coordination of distributed allied forces to train and operate in a joint, high-intensity security environment across all domains in the European theater.
George H.W. Bush is the flagship of CSG-10. CSG-10 is comprised of George H.W. Bush, CVW-7, DESRON-26, the Information Warfare Commander, and the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55).
The ships of DESRON 26 within CSG-10 are the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Nitze (DDG 94), USS Farragut (DDG 99), USS Truxtun (DDG 103), and USS Delbert D. Black (DDG 119).
The squadrons of CVW-7 embarked aboard the George H.W. Bush are the “Sidewinders” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 86, the “Jolly Rogers” of VFA-103, the “Knighthawks” of VFA-136, the “Pukin Dogs” of VFA-143, the “Bluetails” of Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 121, the “Patriots” of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 140, the “Nightdippers” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 5, and the “Grandmasters” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 46.
For over 80 years, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-U.S. Naval Forces Africa (NAVEUR-NAVAF) has forged strategic relationships with allies and partners, leveraging a foundation of shared values to preserve security and stability.
Headquartered in Naples, Italy, NAVEUR-NAVAF operates U.S. naval forces in the U.S. European Command (USEUCOM) and U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM) areas of responsibility. U.S. Sixth Fleet is permanently assigned to NAVEUR-NAVAF, and employs maritime forces through the full spectrum of joint and naval operations.
The George H.W. Bush CSG is on a scheduled deployment in the NAVEUR area of operations, employed by U.S. Sixth Fleet to defend U.S., allied, and partner interests.