Battle Group

A US Navy tactical formation built around a high-value unit (a carrier or an amphibious flagship) with escorting surface combatants, submarines, and a logistics ship. The carrier battle group was the standard Cold War construct; in 2004 the Navy renamed the carrier battle group the carrier strike group (CSG) and the amphibious ready group’s combat element the expeditionary strike group (ESG) to reflect modular, mission-tailored task organization. The term survives generically for any escort screen protecting a central asset.