Amphibious Force U.S. 7th Fleet Turns 70

By Lt. Brian Wierzbicki, CTF 76 Public Affairs

OKINAWA, Japan (NNS) -- The staff of Amphibious Force U.S. 7th Fleet celebrated its 70th anniversary with a ceremony at White Beach Naval Facility.

The Seventh Amphibious Force was known as the Amphibious Force, Southwest Pacific. On Dec. 15, 1942 Rear Adm. Daniel E. Barbey received orders from commander in chief, U.S. Fleet, to establish this force and he assumed command Jan. 10, 1943.

Rear Adm. Jeffrey A. Harley, commander, Amphibious Force 7th Fleet addressed Sailors and Marines about the history of the amphibious fleet and the significant contributions of our amphibious forces to the Pacific region during the past 70 years.

"We are proud of our history and heritage," said Harley "our legacy throughout the past seven decades has brought peace and stability to this region."

During World War II Amphibious Force U.S. 7th Fleet participated in every assault landing in the Southwest Pacific and took part in the occupation landings following the successful completion of the war.

Since then, the assigned forward deployed naval assets have participated in every major conflict, conducted multilateral exercises supporting the cooperative engagement strategy and provided humanitarian assistance to strengthen our bond with coalition partners.

"We recognize that security and stability are forged in these partnerships," said Harley "we must continue our commitment to our allies and partners in the Pacific."
Amphibious Force U.S. 7th Fleet is responsible for conducting expeditionary warfare operations supporting a full range of theater contingencies including humanitarian and disaster relief operations and full combat operations to help maintain peace and stability and protect our vital interests in the Pacific.