US carrier's exit from Gulf sparks concern as Russian ships enter to join Syria fight

[jakeXT]

8. 4000 marines and sailors from the USS Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group are on their way

http://wavy.com/2015/09/30/three-ships-scheduled-to-deploy-saturday/

NAVAL STATION NORFOLK, Va. — More than 4,000 sailors and Marines got underway Tuesday morning after a three-day delay caused by Hurricane Joaquin.

The Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group, with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Group embarked, deployed on a seven-month float to provide maritime and theater security, as well as crisis response in the 5th and 6th fleets. The blue-green team will be aboard the amphibious assault ship Kearsarge and amphibious transport dock Arlington out of Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, and the dock landing ship Oak Hill out of Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek/Fort Story. The MEU is based out of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

The blue/green team is "trained well and ready to execute," Capt. A.P. Bennett, ARG commodore, said.

While Bennett would give no specifics on training or potential missions, there is no doubt Syria is on everyone's radar. Russian marines have established their presence in the embattled nation and have been joined by Chinese and Iranian marines. Russian surface warships from the Black Sea have also relocated to the eastern Mediterranean to protect fighter jets conducting airstrikes.

http://www.navytimes.com/story/military/2015/10/06/kearsarge-arg-and-26th-meu-get-underway-tuesday-morning/73443372/