Seven carrier strike groups underway for exercise Summer Pulse '04

All Hands, August, 2004

DOD announced that this summer, the simultaneous deployment of seven aircraft carrier strike groups (CSGs) will demonstrate the ability of the Navy to provide credible combat power across the globe by operating in five theaters with other U.S., allied and coalition military forces.

Exercise Summer Pulse '04 will be the Navy's first exercise of its new operational construct, the Fleet Response Plan (FRP). FRP is about new ways of operating, training, manning and maintaining the fleet flint results in increased force readiness and the ability to provide significant combat power to the President in response to a national emergency or crisis.

The exercise began in late June and will continue through August. This allows the Navy to exercise the full range of skills involved in simultaneously deploying and employing carrier strike groups around the world. Summer Pulse '04 will include scheduled deployments, surge operations, joint and international exercises, other advanced training and port visits.

Under the FRP construct, the Navy can provide six CSGs in less than 30 days to support contingency operations around the globe. Two more CSGs can be ready in three months to reinforce or rotate with initially responding forces, to continue presence operations in other parts of the world, or to support military action in another crisis.

Summer Pulse '04 will exercise file logistics and shore infrastructure necessary to execute a large scale surge operation, stress the operational concepts in the Navy's Sea Power 21 strategy and improve Navy interoperability with numerous allies and coalition partners, as well as other U.S. military forces.

The seven aircraft carriers involved in Summer Pulse '04 will include: the Norfolk based USS George Washington (CVN 73) CSG and the San Diego based USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) CSG, both currently deployed, and Yokosuka, Japan-based USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63). The Mayport, Fla.-based USS John F Kennedy (CV 67) CSG will begin a combined and joint exercise early this month, followed by a scheduled overseas deployment.

The Norfolk based USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) CSG will conduct a scheduled training exercise followed by overseas pulse operations with the Norfolk-based USS Enterprise (CVN 65) CSG, beginning early this month. USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) will conduct operations in the U.S. Northern Command and U.S. Southern Command theaters during the ship's inter-fleet transfer from Norfolk, to its Pacific Fleet homeport of San Diego.

The near-simultaneous deployment of seven carrier strike groups provides the Navy and the joint combatant commanders an opportunity to exercise the FRP while maintaining the ability to respond to crises around the globe, enhance regional security and relationships, meet combatant commander requirements including forward presence and demonstrate a commitment to allies and coalition partners. Summer Pulse '04 is scheduled to conclude in August.

For more information on the Summer Pulse '04 events and to schedule coverage opportunities, please contact Fleet Forces Command media office at (757) 836-3600, or visit the CFFC website at www.cffc.navy.mil.

For more news from the Department of Defense, go to www.defenselink.mil.

Story courtesy of the U.S. Deportment of Defense.