6th Fleet ships in NATO ops
and sea training environment ; The 11-day exercise, called Destined Glory '95, is taking place in the
western Mediterranean, south of Sardinia, and includes more than 20 ships and thousands of troops from
the NATO countries of Greece, Italy; Netherlands, Spain, Turkey, England and the United States,
Units of the U.S. 6th fleet participating in the exercise include the 6th Fleet flagship USS La Salle (AGF-3),
USS Mississippi (CGN-40), USS Ticonderoga (CG-47), USS Kearsarge (LHD-3), USSPensacola (LSD-38),
USS Nashville (LPD-13), USS Typhoon (PC-5), USS Sirocco (PC-6), USS James K. Polk (SSN-645) and the
U.S. Marines of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit embarked aboard the amphibious ships.
Throughout the exercise naval forces from the seven participating nations will mix and exchange
resources. Extensive cross-training and exchange of personnel among the units will also be an integral part
of NATO's annual spring naval exercise.
"We are really mixing it up this time," said Cmdr. Tony Rowe, Royal Navy, one of the officers
coordinating the exercise. "No nation will go ashore just with their own forces and material. They will be totally
integrated with the forces of other nations. This truly is a combined force training event.
One of the major goals of the excercise is to strengthen NATO amphibious capabilities in the southern
European theater by practicing the recently developed Combined Amphibious Force Mediterranean, or
CAFMed concepts.
