April 25, 2017

U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Nimitz and its carrier strike group wrapped up their final pre-deployment assessment on April 21 proving they are ready to deploy and replace the USS Carl Vinson in the Western Pacific.

Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 11 completed the Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) on April 21.

COMPTUEX is an exercise that tests a strike group’s ability to work and operate as one cohesive unit in a simulated real-world-scenario based training environment.

Nimitz was joined by CSG 11, to include Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 9 and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 11, to prove their operational capabilities prior to deploying.

Throughout the exercise, the strike group encountered an environment that mirrored, as closely as possible, what they may encounter while deployed in future areas of operation.

“Considering that the past five weeks have been the first time that the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group has trained together at sea in more than three years, we did extremely well,” said Commander, CSG 11, Rear Adm. Bill Byrne. “We did a lot of high velocity learning.”

Nimitz, during the COMPTUEX, became the first carrier strike group to implement the use of the Fleet Warfighting Training System Live, Virtual, Constructive (LVC) training concept. LVC allows for the synthetic virtual environment to be integrated with the live environment, providing a more comprehensive and realistic training environment.

LVC can create scenarios that involve higher complexities and stress the strike group to its max capabilities, leading to more proficient strike groups and fighting forces while better preparing them for what they may encounter while deployed.

Commander, CSG 15, Rear Adm. Ross Myers and his staff acted as the grading entity for the COMPTUEX. They observed the sailors aboard Nimitz and throughout the strike group as they reacted to scenarios that they may face on deployment and determined their proficiency to operate in a real-world environment.

“CSG 15, our trainers and assessors, presented an enemy and warfighting environment that was both relevant and realistic,” said Byrne. “This is the best training scenario I’ve seen in my 30 years of working these types of battle problems. That sort of competitiveness, initiative, and toughness I saw across the strike group is exactly what the Chief of Naval Operations asks of us.”