George Washington (CVN 73) - Naval Cruise Book

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Sixty-hour surge ops proves GW ready for the ‘real thing’ The key to success in any field of endeavor is preparedness. This is especially true in the military. In a world whose political shape changes almost daily, military members must be ready for sudden changes in their operational status. They must be trained for eventualities they hope will never come to pass. Rear Admiral Henry C. Giffin, III, Commander, George Washington Battle Group, and other key battle group leaders had that fact in mind when they decided to train George Washington in sustained combat operations for 60 consecutive hours beginning April 14. “The idea was to be able to launch a lot of airplanes.. .continuously.. .over a potential target area.” said Capt. Malcolm P. Branch, the ship s Commanding Officer. “By launching just an hour and 15 minutes between each cycle, we’re able to send strike airplanes to at least slow down, if not stop, an aggressor's movements.” With long-time U.S. nemesis Saddam Hussein not very far away, the possibility of having to launch such a strike wasn’t exactly far-fetched. From the pilots of Carrier Air Wing Seven to the ordnancemen of Weapons Department, everyone got the chance to act as if they were in actual combat. “This is as close as it’s going to get to real combat,” Giffin said. “Here we are in the theater...experiencing everything as if we were doing it for real. 126 60-hour surge ops

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128 60-hour surge ops