22nd MEU Air Combat Element Lands Aboard Bataan

From USS Bataan Public Affairs

USS BATAAN, At Sea (NNS) -- The 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit's (MEU) Air Combat Element (ACE) completed a successful embark of aircraft and aircrews aboard USS Bataan (LHD 5), April 1.

The 22nd MEU ACE, Marine Medium Tilt Rotor Squadron 263 (VMM-263) (Reinforced), brought aboard a complement of aircraft that includes MV-22B Ospreys, CH-53E Super Stallions, AH-1W Cobras, UH-1N Hueys and AV-8B Harriers to support the ship and MEU's deployment to the Meditteranean Sea and anywhere else around the world.

"With this Blue/Green team together on Bataan, we become an extremely flexible force capable of a wide range of missions," said Capt. Steve Koehler, USS Bataan commanding officer. "Our Sailors and Marines are well-trained, professional, and ready to execute whatever mission they are called upon to perform."

The ACE is capable of providing air assault and personnel and equipment transport, as well as aerial reconnaissance. Bataan's Air Department is responsible for safely directing, launching and recovering the ACE aircraft.

"Our report card is based on how well the air plan is executed," said Bataan's Air Boss Cmdr. Dan Olson. "We were about an hour and a half late today due to weather, but we finished right on schedule, so I'd say we're all off to a good start. I think the ACE is already striking on all cylinders.

"We have one more aircraft than we did last deployment," said Olson. "The deck is full. The hangar bay is full. We haven't moved Osprey in 18 months, but today, we were able to land them, move them and stuff them like a day hadn't gone by."

Bataan and the 22nd MEU, including the ACE, previously operated together in 2009, during a seven-month deployment to U.S. 5th and 6th Fleets for the first at-sea operational deployment of the Osprey.

Leading up to the current deployment, coordination between leadership was ongoing.

"[Bataan's] Air Boss drove down to New River with the ship's air operations officer, and spent a day training our leadership, talking about best practices, asking questions," said Lt. Col. Chandler Nelms, VMM-263 commanding officer. "It was extremely valuable, both for the fly-on today and as we continue through the deployment."

"It's important to build those professional relationships," said Olson. "We've done that, and we'll continue to do that. We're ready, and the ACE is certainly good to go. They're pros."

Bataan and the MEU will conduct integrated training prior to arriving in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of responsibility.

"The training is a continuous process," said Nelms. "We're always honing our skills, training to each mission set. We want to be ready to go for anything."

The Bataan Amphibious Ready Group/22nd MEU (BATARG/22MEU), which includes Bataan, along with the dock landing ship USS Whidbey Island (LSD 41) and landing transport dock USS Mesa Verde (LPD 19), is scheduled to relieve the Kearsarge ARG/26th MEU, which has been on station in the Meditteranean Sea since the beginning of coalition operations in Libya.