Navy News Service (13/00) March 23, 2000 NNS1304. JFK Battle Group/Bataan ARG return home By 2nd Fleet Public Affairs NORFOLK, Va. (NNS) -- Sailors and Marines aboard the ships which comprise the USS John F. Kennedy (CV 67) Battle Group (CVBG) and the USS Bataan Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) recently returned to their respective homeports. USS Bataan (LHD 5) and USS Whidbey Island (LSD 41) returned to Hampton Roads March 15, following their two-day offload of Marines and equipment from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit/Special Operations Capable (MEU/SOC) in North Carolina. The ARG deployed in September. Also making their return to East Coast homeports following six-month deployments are the aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy, several embarked aircraft squadrons and associated escort ships. The six-month deployment included operations in both the Fifth and Sixth Fleet areas, three major bilateral exercises with 13 countries from Europe and the Middle East and multi- national exercises Bright Star and Noble Shirley. Throughout the deployment, the Bataan ARG with the 22nd MEU served as the Strategic Reserve Force for the Balkans and supported regional security through presence operations in the Adriatic Sea. The mobility and flexibility of the Navy/Marine Corps lead team of the CVBG/ARG/MEU make them the force of choice for a wide range of regional contingencies. They are invaluable assets in any theater, thereby remaining an essential and integral part of America's forward-deployed naval commitment. -USN- -USN-