Bold Alligator

{{Short description|American littoral warfare exercise}}

Bold Alligator is a multinational littoral warfare exercise hosted by the United States. It has been held annually since 2011.{{cite web |title=Navy, Marine Corps Begin Bold Alligator 2011 |url=http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=57692 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120129080642/http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=57692 |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 29, 2012 |date=December 11, 2010 |work=United States Navy |access-date=February 17, 2012}} In 2012, it involved 14,000 marines, sailors, airmen and soldiers, encompassing more than 25 ships and involving eleven countries,{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/16944360 |title=Bold Alligator war game preps US allies for new threats |author=Soley, Joan |date=February 9, 2012|work=BBC News |access-date=February 17, 2012}} with Canada, Mexico, UK, France, Netherlands, Spain, Italy, New Zealand, Australia, and other allied nations participating at sea, on land, and in the air, at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina and in Virginia.

In 2014 the exercise involved 19 countries:{{Cite web|url=https://dialogo-americas.com/en/articles/bold-alligator-brings-together-19-nations-us-camp-lejeune|title=Bold Alligator Brings Together 19 Nations, U.S. in Camp Lejeune|website=Dialogo Americas|language=en|access-date=2019-09-20}}

  • United Kingdom
  • Canada
  • United States
  • Mexico
  • Peru
  • Brazil
  • Chile
  • Spain
  • France
  • Germany
  • Belgium
  • Italy
  • Netherlands
  • Denmark
  • Sweden
  • Turkey
  • Japan
  • Australia
  • Norway

Bold Alligator 2012

File:US Navy 120126-N-YC845-001 The official logo of the amphibious exercise Bold Alligator 2012.jpg

Bold Alligator 2012 (BA12) was the second annual joint and multinational amphibious assault exercise sponsored by the U.S. Fleet Forces Command and the U.S. Marine Forces Command. Held from 30 January to 12 February 2012, Bold Alligator 2012 was the largest amphibious assault exercise held on the east coast of the United States since 2002. Its objective was the revitalization of U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps amphibious expeditionary tactics, techniques, and procedures, as well as the reinvigoration of combined Navy and Marine Corps operations from the sea. This live and synthetic, scenario-driven, simulation-supported exercise focused on the six core capabilities set forth in the current U.S. maritime strategy - forward presence, deterrence, sea control, power projection, maritime security, and humanitarian assistance/disaster response.{{cite web | title= Bold Alligator 2012 | url= http://www.public.navy.mil/usff/ba12/Documents/ba12_info.pdf | publisher= U.S. Navy | year= 2012 | access-date= 2012-06-03 | url-status= dead | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120801095557/http://www.public.navy.mil/usff/ba12/Documents/ba12_info.pdf | archive-date= 2012-08-01 }}{{cite web | title= Bold Alligator 2012 to Revitalize Amphibious Operations | url= http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=64978 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120916150505/http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=64978 | url-status= dead | archive-date= September 16, 2012 | work= NNS120125-28 | publisher= U.S. Fleet Forces Command Public Affairs | date= January 25, 2012 | access-date=2012-06-03}}{{cite web | author= Tyrone C. Marshall, Jr. | title= Bold Alligator' Helps to Sustain Amphibious Operations | url= https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/id/67001/ | publisher= American Forces Press Service | date= January 31, 2012 | access-date= 2012-06-03 | url-status= live | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120612222455/http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=67001 | archive-date= June 12, 2012 }}

Bold Alligator 2012 served as a key pre-deployment training exercises for Expeditionary Strike Group Two, the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, and Carrier Strike Group Twelve. Additionally, nine countries participated in this exercise, providing maritime, land, and air units or observers from Australia, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Bold Alligator 2012 was held ashore and afloat, in and off the coasts of Virginia, North Carolina, and Florida, and it culminated in three large-scale operations - an amphibious assault at Camp Lejeune; an aerial assault from the sea into Fort Pickett; and an amphibious raid on Joint Expeditionary Base East.

Bold Alligator 2012 served as the Joint Task Force Exercise for Carrier Strike Group Twelve, the final pre-deployment training exercises needed to receive its combat-readiness certification.{{cite web | author= Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Peter Melkus, USN | title= Enterprise Completes Successful Monthlong Underway | url= | work= NNS120210-05 | publisher= Enterprise Carrier Strike Group Public Affairs | date= February 10, 2012 }} During this month-long underway period, Carrier Air Wing completed 3,830 flight hours, made 2,052 arrested landings, and received a 96 percent sortie completion rate.{{cite web | author= Kristin L. Grover | title= CVW-1 Wraps-up Underway, Departs Enterprise | url= http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=65270 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120925200240/http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=65270 | url-status= dead | archive-date= September 25, 2012 | work= NNS120210-02 | publisher= Enterprise Carrier Strike Group Public Affairs | date= February 10, 2012 | access-date=2012-06-03}}{{cite web | author= Kristin L. Grover | title= CVW-1 wraps-up underway, departs Enterprise | url= http://www.norfolknavyflagship.com/oceana/news/top_stories/article_b413389a-58b6-11e1-b992-0019bb2963f4.html | work= Jet Observer | publisher= The Flagship / Military Newspapers of Virginia, Norfolk, VA | date= February 16, 2012 | access-date=2012-06-03}} This included a single-day total of 107 sorties flown on 6 February 2012 during the amphibious assault phase of Bold Alligator 2012.{{cite web | title= Marines storm U.S. beaches in training exercise | url= https://www.cbsnews.com/news/marines-storm-us-beaches-in-training-exercise/ | work= CBS News | date= February 7, 2012 | access-date=2012-06-04}}

References

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