PACIFIC OCEAN - The America Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) with the embarked 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) began their Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) off the Southern California coast, May 1.

Throughout COMPTUEX, the ARG, consisting of the amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6), amphibious transport dock ship USS San Diego (LPD 22) and amphibious dock landing ship USS Pearl Harbor (LSD 52), will complete simulated scenarios such as surface and subsurface threats as well as simulated straits transits.

As part of this exercise there will be an increase in military air traffic, amphibious operations and military training missions around the Southern California coastal operating areas.

Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) is designed to forge the ships of the America ARG into a fully-functioning combat force providing a robust set of sea-based capabilities, an extensive set of ship-to-shore connectors, and the ability to respond to crises and deter transnational threats. This enables the Navy-Marine Corps team to shape actions across the range of military operations to resolve conflict, conduct humanitarian assistance or combat the enemy in remote, austere environments that would otherwise be inaccessible.

COMPTUEX is a training exercise in which the ARG will be evaluated and tested on their reaction to real-world scenarios and their performance as an integrated unit.