Task Force 76 Expeditionary Strike Group SEVEN / Task Force 76 ( Amphibious Force U . S . SEVENTH Fleet ) is a United States Navy task force . It is at one and the same time operationally a Task Force of the United States Seventh Fleet and administratively , the USN ' s only permanently forward - deployed Expeditionary Strike Group . It is based at the White Beach Naval Facility at the end of the Katsuren Peninsula in Uruma City , Okinawa , Japan . CTF 76 conducts operations throughout the U . S . Seventh Fleet area of operations , which includes the Western Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean . History . 10 January 1943 – Southwest Pacific Amphibious Forces - later called the Seventh Amphibious Force is formed in Brisbane , Australia . Participated in Operation Chronicle , the landing at Lae , the landing at Scarlet Beach at Finschhafen , Battle of Arawe and Battle of Cape Gloucester on the island of New Britain , 1944 – Particiated in the landing at Saidor and Admiralty Islands campaign . 1950 – Supported UN during Korean War by stationing ships at Inchon and Wonsan . 1954 – CTF 76 participated in Passage to Freedom , the largest operation of its kind in history . Operation evacuated 310 , 000 people from communist - controlled North Vietnam to South Vietnam and carried 58 , 000 tons of cargo and humanitarian aid . 1965 – Participated in amphibious landings , assaults and demonstrations off the eastern coast of the Republic of Vietnam . Also cleared mines off the Vietnamese coast toward the end of the Vietnam War . Amphibious Ready Group Alpha , and its U . S . Marine contingent " Special Landing Force Alpha " or SLF - A often referred to as the " Sluff " , during the Vietnam era ) formed Task Group 76 . 4 . TG 76 . 4 consisted of various support vessels , such as Landing Platform , Helicopter ( LPHs ) such as the , or . Other vessels included LSTs ( Landing Ship Tank ) or LSD ( Landing Ship Dock ) supported a reinforced Marine Corps battalion referred to as a Battalion Landing Team ( BLT ) . The Marine elements of the Group were referred to as Special Landing Force Alpha which itself consisted of the BLT and a Marine Helicopter Squadron . The ARG also included an Amphibious Group Command Ship ( AGC ) or the Amphibious Communication and Command Ship ( LCC ) which carried the Commander Amphibious Forces , Pacific Fleet and command and communications support facilities . Three AGCs and one LCC rotated to the Western Pacific and all four were involved in the amphibious landings by the LCC / AGC / SLF in Vietnam . The one LCC was and the three AGCs were , and . 1971 - Homeported to Okinawa , Japan 1975 – Rescued more than 100 , 000 people from Phnom Penh and Saigon ( including in Operation Eagle Pull ) . Also assisted in recovery of the American - flagged SS Mayaguez after it was hijacked by the Cambodian Khmer Rouge in the Gulf of Thailand . 1983 – Transited to Suez Canal to support multi - national forces in Lebanon . 1999 – Belleau Wood Amphibious Ready Group completed no - notice five - month deployment to Persian Gulf for Operation Desert Fox . 2000 – and complete humanitarian mission to East Timor supporting Australian - led forces . Continued missions until East Timor became 191st member of United Nations in 2002 . 2004 – and deploy to Indonesia in support of Operation Unified Assistance to provide support and aid to the victims of the 26 Dec . tsunami in Southeast Asia . 2005 – Forward Deployed Amphibious Ready Group returns to Sasebo , Japan following unscheduled eight - month surge deployment to North Persian Gulf in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and the Global War on Terrorism . 2005 – Forward Deployed ARG deploys for Fall Patrol . Conduct Amphibious Landing Exercise / Talon Vision ( PHIBLEX / TV ) 06 in the Republic of Philippines and then make a port visit to Hong Kong . 2006 – Forward Deployed ARG deploys for 5 - month Spring Patrol , participating in TRUEX / MUEX in Guam , Balikatan 06 in the Republic of Philippines , Foal Eagle 06 in the Republic of Korea ( ROK ) and Cobra Gold in the Kingdom of Thailand . 2006 – and embarked Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 5 Detachment ( Det ) 51 complete Summer Patrol throughout Southeast Asia , participating in Cobra Gold and WP - MCMEX in Malaysia , while making port visits to Brunei , Vietnam , Singapore and Hong Kong . 2007 - Forward Deployed ARG participates in joint exercises with the Republic of Korea , Kingdom of Thailand , Australia , Japan , Kingdom of Cambodia , Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Republic of the Philippines . Task Force 76 units also participated in Operation Sea Angel II , a disaster response mission in the People ' s Republic of Bangladesh . 2009 - Between Aug . 7 and Oct . 18 , Task Force 76 assigned forces supported Foreign Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief operations in Taiwan , Indonesia and the Republic of the Philippines . 2011 - Operation TOMODACHI : , , and were positioned off of north eastern Honshu to assist the disaster recovery efforts in conjunction with the Japan Self Defense Force . 2011 - assisted in flood relief efforts in Thailand along with elements of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit . 2012 - Task Force 76 and assigned units directly participated in 12 bi - lateral exercises including Balikatan , Amphibious Landing Exercise , and Explosive Ordnance Disposal Exercise in the Republic of the Philippines , Cobra Gold in Thailand , Foal Eagle , Clear Horizon and Korean Interoperability Training Program in the Republic of Korea , Valiant Shied , Terminal Fury and Keen Sword in Japan . Forward - deployed CTF 76 ships and commands . Transiting Amphibious Ready Groups . United States - based Amphibious Ready Group s which pass through the U . S . Seventh Fleet area of operations fall under the operational control of CTF 76 .