User:Marcd30319/Marcd30319 original Carrier Strike Group Nine 2004-2009 operation
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Carrier Strike Group Nine 2004–2009 operations included three Western Pacific (WESTPAC) deployments in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), and Operation Enduring Freedom - Afghanistan (OEF-A), as well as providing support for regional maritime security operations. Additionally, CARSTRKGRU 9 also participated in such major military exercises as RSOI/Foal Eagle 2006, Valiant Shield 2006, and RIMPAC 2006, as well as Operation Unified Assistance, the U.S. military response to the aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. In recognition of its disaster-relief mission to Indonesia, Carrier Strike Group Nine received the Humanitarian Service Medal.
During this period, Carrier Strike Group Nine (CSG-9 or CARSTRKGRU 9) was the second U.S. Navy carrier strike group to be commanded by a former nuclear submarine commanding officer. CARSTRKGRU 9 was also the first carrier strike group to deploy with an entire Light Airborne Multi-Purpose System (LAMPS) helicopter squadron embarked, with individual air detachments operating from its escort ships and supported by its aircraft carrier/flagship's aviation facilities. The carrier strike group's 2007 composite unit training (COMPTUEX) pre-deployment training exercises included Mobile Security Squadron 2 (MSRON-2), Helicopter Visit, Board, Search and Seizure (HVBSS) Team 1, a highly specialized boarding party, which was a first for West Coast-based U.S. Navy ships.
Carrier Strike Group Nine was one of six U.S. Navy carrier strike groups assigned to the U.S. Pacific Fleet during the 2004–2009 time period. CARSTRKGRU 9 was based at Naval Base San Diego, California during this period, and it typically deployed to the U.S. Seventh Fleet operating in the Western Pacific and the U.S. Fifth Fleet in the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf. The flagship for Carrier Strike Group Nine during the 2004–2009 time period was the Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72).