page_title: Carrier Strike Group Nine 2004–09 operations
section_title: 2006 deployment
hierarchical_section_title: Carrier Strike Group Nine 2004–09 operations / Operational history / 2006 deployment
caption_attribution_description: English: Guam (June 20, 2006) - Navy Special Warfare (NSW) Sailors fast rope onto a rooftop from an HH-60H helicopter assigned to the "Golden Falcons" of Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Two (HS-2), during simulated Strike Warfare missions over the island of Guam. HS-2, part of Carrier Air Wing Two (CVW-2), embarked aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) during Exercise Valiant Shield 2006. Valiant Shield focuses on integrated joint training among U.S. military forces, enabling real-world proficiency in sustaining joint forces and in detecting, locating, tracking and engaging units at sea, in the air, on land and cyberspace in response to a range of mission areas. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate 3rd Class M. Jeremie Yoder (RELEASED)
context_page_description: Carrier Strike Group Nine is a U.S. Navy formation. The group is one of six U.S. Navy carrier strike groups assigned to the U.S. Pacific Fleet. In 2004–09, it was based at Naval Base San Diego and its flagship was the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln.
  The group's operations between 2004–2009 included three Western Pacific deployments in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, the War in Iraq, and the War in Afghanistan, as well as providing support for regional Maritime Security Operations. Additionally, the group also participated in the major military exercises RSOI/Foal Eagle 2006, Valiant Shield, and RIMPAC 2006, as well as Operation Unified Assistance, the U.S. military response to the aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. In recognition of its disaster-relief mission to Indonesia, the group received the Humanitarian Service Medal.
  During this period, the group was the second carrier strike group to be commanded by a former nuclear submarine commanding officer.
context_section_description: Abraham Lincoln completed additional sustainment training in southern Californian waters between 21–24 February 2006 and departed Everett on 27 February 2006 under the command of Rear Admiral John W. Goodwin. The carrier sailed to southern Californian waters to rendezvous with the guided-missile cruiser Mobile Bay and DESRON-9 guided-missile destroyers Shoup and Russell and to embark Carrier Air Wing Two (CVW-2).
  Between 25–27 March 2006, the group participated in an Undersea Warfare Exercise, a series of anti-submarine warfare exercises in Hawaiian waters while en route to the U.S. Seventh Fleet's area of responsibility. In addition to the strike group, exercise also included the nuclear-powered attack submarines Seawolf, Cheyenne, Greeneville, Tucson, and Pasadena, as well as land-based P-3 Orion aircraft from patrol squadrons VP-4, VP-9, and VP-47.
  Between 24–31 March 2006, military personnel and units of the United States, and the Republic of Korea Armed Forces took part in Reception, Staging, Onward-movement, & Integration (RSOI)/Foal Eagle 2006, the annual defence of Korea exercise. Foal Eagle involved more than 70 U.S. and Republic of Korea Navy warships and more than 100 aircraft. As part of RSOI/Foal Eagle 06, Carrier Strike Group Nine carried out exercises with the Korean Navy. Carrier Air Wing Two strike squadrons VFA-2, VFA-34, VFA-137, and VFA-151 teamed with U.S. Air Force aircraft from the 18th Wing based at Kadena Air Base for combat air patrols and coordinated bombing runs. Also, five South Korean naval officers embarked aboard Abraham Lincoln to train with the ship's crew. On 29 March 2006, General B. B. Bell, Commander, United States Forces Korea, along with Deputy Commander Combined Forces, General Hee Won-lee, and other senior members of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces, flew aboard the Abraham Lincoln to witness the carrier strike group's operations. Following RSOI/Foal Eagle 06, Carrier Strike Group Nine paid a port visit to Hong Kong between 6–10 April 2006.
  On 15 April 2006, HSL-47 helicopters and the destroyer Russell provided aid to a fishing vessel in distress (pictured) while operating in the South China Sea.
  Carrier Strike Group Nine also paid a port visit to Singapore between 27 April–1 May 2006 and subsequently transited the eastern portion of the Strait of Malacca. On 3 May 2006, while conducting flight operations in the Java Sea, the strike group was visited by U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia B. Lynn Pascoe and Lt. Gen. Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, Indonesian secretary-general of defense, who thanked the strike group for their relief work during Operation Unified Assistance. On 9 May 2006, Prince Mohamed Bolkiah, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Brunei Darussalam, along with several government officials, the heads of Brunei's armed forces, and Chargé d'affaires of the U.S. Embassy to Brunei Jeff Hawkins, visited USS Abraham Lincoln off the northwest coast of the island of Borneo to thank the strike group for its Operation Unified Assistance relief work. During its 2006 WESTPAC deployment, Carrier Strike Group Nine hosted more than 3,000 Distinguished Visitors (DV), public visitors, and members of the media.
  During May 2006, while en route to Sasebo, Japan, Carrier Strike Group Nine had to divert its course because of Typhoon Chanchu by through Philippine waters via the Balabac Strait, between the Philippine island of Palawan and Sabah, Borneo, crossed the Sulu Sea, and then transited the Surigao Strait between the islands of Mindanao and Samar before the group returned to its original course for Japan. 
  Valiant Shield 2006 was held in the Guam operating area between 19–23 June 2006, and it included 28 naval vessels, nearly 300 aircraft and, approximately 22,000 service members from the U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps, and U.S. Coast Guard. Valiant Shield is a joint exercise designed to reinforce the United States' commitment to the Pacific Region by demonstrating the U.S. military's ability to conduct joint command and control operations and rapidly deploying joint forces in respon
caption: HS-2 helicopter on Guam
exif: {"Image ImageDescription": "060620-N-6074Y-119 Guam (June 20, 2006) - Sailors from Navy Special Warfare (NSW) units fast rope onto a rooftop from an HH-60H helicopter assigned to Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron (HS) 2 \"Golden Falcons\", during simulated Strike Warfare missions over the island of Guam. HS-2, part of Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 2, embarked on USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), is currently ashore on the island of Guam operating with a detachment of HS-14 \u201cChargers\u201d in support of Exercise Valiant Shield. Exercise Valiant Shield 2006 is the largest Pacific joint exercise in recent history.  Held off the coast of Guam, it involves 28 naval vessels including three carrier strike groups. More than 300 aircraft and approximately 20,000 service members from the Navy, Army, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard are also participating in the exercise. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate 3rd Class M. Jeremie Yoder (RELEASED)", "Image Make": "NIKON CORPORATION", "Image Model": "NIKON D70s", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "300", "Image YResolution": "300", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "Adobe Photoshop CS2 Macintosh", "Image DateTime": "2006:06:26 12:45:37", "Image Artist": "MC3 (AW) M. Jeremie Yoder", "Image WhitePoint": "[313/1000, 329/1000]", "Image PrimaryChromaticities": "[16/25, 33/100, 21/100, 71/100, 3/20, 3/50]", "Image YCbCrCoefficients": "[299/1000, 587/1000, 57/500]", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Co-sited", "Image ExifOffset": "1320", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "2034", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "4320", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/80", "EXIF FNumber": "4", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Shutter Priority", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0221", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2006:06:20 01:04:12", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2006:06:20 01:04:12", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "YCbCr", "EXIF CompressedBitsPerPixel": "4", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "-2/3", "EXIF MaxApertureValue": "39/10", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Pattern", "EXIF LightSource": "Shade", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire", "EXIF FocalLength": "29", "EXIF SubSecTime": "10", "EXIF SubSecTimeOriginal": "10", "EXIF SubSecTimeDigitized": "10", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "Uncalibrated", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "2100", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "1500", "EXIF SensingMethod": "One-chip color area", "EXIF FileSource": "Digital Camera", "EXIF SceneType": "Directly Photographed", "EXIF CVAPattern": "[0, 2, 0, 2, 2, 1, 1, 0]", "EXIF CustomRendered": "Normal", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Auto Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Manual", "EXIF DigitalZoomRatio": "1", "EXIF FocalLengthIn35mmFilm": "43", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard", "EXIF GainControl": "Low gain up", "EXIF Contrast": "Hard", "EXIF Saturation": "Hard", "EXIF Sharpness": "Hard", "EXIF SubjectDistanceRange": "0", "EXIF Gamma": "11/5"}