Which grouping includes mine sweepers and protecting surface ships?

• A. Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG)
• B. Amphibious Ready Group (ARG)
• C. Landing Force (LF)
• D. Commander Amphibious Task Force (CATF)

Answer: (A)

Grouping mine sweepers with protecting surface ships hinges on how an Expeditionary Strike Group is structured. An ESG meshes an amphibious ready group—the ships carrying Marines and their landing capabilities—with a protective screen of surface combatants. This combination ensures both the protection of the amphibious force and the ability to clear mines in potential landing areas, thanks to mine countermeasure vessels, while surface escorts deter and defeat threats to the whole formation.

The Amphibious Ready Group by itself centers on the amphibious ships and the Marines aboard them; it can include some escorts but doesn’t inherently emphasize mine countermeasures as a core component. The Landing Force refers to the Marine element, not a ship grouping. The Commander Amphibious Task Force is the command authority for amphibious operations, not the specific grouping of ships and assets. So the grouping that contains mine sweepers and protecting surface ships is the Expeditionary Strike Group.