operator uss america 
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships , characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag . Used more loosely , it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels , typically the first , largest , fastest , most heavily armed , or best known . An amphibious readiness group ( ARG ) of the ___MASK16___ consists of a naval element  a group of warships known as an amphibious task force ( ATF ) and a landing force ( LF ) of U . S . Marines ( and occasionally U . S . Army soldiers ), in total about 5 , 000 people . Together , these elements and supporting units are trained , organized , and equipped to perform amphibious operations . The ___MASK16___ ( USN ) is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States . The U . S . Navy is the largest , most capable navy in the world , with the highest combined battle fleet tonnage . The U . S . Navy has the world ' s largest aircraft carrier fleet , with ten in service , two in the reserve fleet , and three new carriers under construction . The service has 323 , 792 personnel on active duty and 108 , 515 in the Navy Reserve . It has 274 deployable combat vessels and more than 3 , 700 aircraft in active service . A carrier strike group ( CSG ) is an operational formation of the ___MASK16___ . It is composed of roughly 7 , 500 personnel , an aircraft carrier , at least one cruiser , a destroyer squadron of at least two destroyers and / or frigates , and a carrier air wing of 65 to 70 aircraft . A carrier strike group also , on occasion , includes submarines , attached logistics ships and a supply ship . The carrier strike group commander operationally reports to the commander of the numbered fleet , who is operationally responsible for the area of waters in which the carrier strike group is operating . The Expeditionary Strike Group ( ESG ) is a ___MASK16___ concept introduced in the early 1990s , based on the Naval Expeditionary Task Force . The U . S . Navy fields 9 Expeditionary Strike Groups and 10 carrier strike groups , in addition to surface action groups . ESGs allow US naval forces to provide highly movable and self - sustaining forces for missions in various parts of the globe . The commanding officer ( CO ) or , if the incumbent is a general officer , commanding general ( CG ), is the officer in command of a military unit . Typically , the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit , and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he or she sees fit , within the bounds of military law . In this respect , commanding officers have significant responsibilities ( for example , the use of force , finances , equipment , the ___MASK52___ Conventions ), duties ( to higher authority , mission effectiveness , duty of care to personnel ), and powers ( for example , discipline and punishment of personnel within certain limits of military law ). A task force ( TF ) is a unit or formation established to work on a single defined task or activity . Originally introduced by the ___MASK16___ , the term has now caught on for general usage and is a standard part of NATO terminology . Many non - military organizations now create " task forces " or task groups for temporary activities that might have once been performed by " ad hoc " committees . A Marine Expeditionary Unit ( MEU , pronounced " Mew "), formerly called " Marine Amphibious Unit " (" MAU "), is the smallest Marine air - ground task force ( MAGTF ) in the United States Fleet Marine Force . Each MEU is an expeditionary quick reaction force , deployed and ready for immediate response to any crisis , whether it be natural disaster or combat missions . USS America ( LHA - 6 ) , the fourth American warship to be named for the United States of America , is the first of the America - class amphibious assault ships for the U . S . Navy . She was delivered in spring of 2014 , replacing Peleliu of the Tarawa class . Her mission is to act as the flagship of an expeditionary strike group or amphibious ready group , carrying part of a Marine expeditionary unit into battle and putting them ashore with helicopters and V - 22 Osprey tilt - rotor aircraft , supported by F - 35B Lightning II aircraft and helicopter gunships . The ship ' s design is based on USS Makin Island , but to allow more room for aviation facilities she does not have a well deck , and has smaller medical spaces . With a displacement of 45 , 000 tons , she is as large as the aircraft carriers of many other nations , and can fulfill similar missions when configured with 20 F - 35B strike fighters .