George Washington (CVN 73) - Naval Cruise Book

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Lifter recharging in the fun St. X Thomas sun. Sailors shed their sunglasses and cabana hats to get refocused and finish the underway strong. COMPTU EX already completed, the Sailors were ready to take on the upcoming Joint Force Task Exercise. In 1994 USACOM combined U.S. Navy and Marine Corps readiness exercises to form a “Joint” package for biannual deployments to the Mediterranean area of operations. “Joint Task Force Exercise 95 (JTFX 95) was the first iteration of this exercise series, which continues to this day. The Joint Task Force Exercise is the culmination of training and preparation for deployment. This exercise requires U.S. Naval and often. Allied forces, to integrate all assets to accomplish missions in a multi- threat. multi-dimensional environment. Throughout the exercise. Navy and Marine commanders must analyze mission requirements, prioritize and allocate assets, respond to constant changes in the exercise scenario, and orchestrate a coordinated response to crises similar to those they will face when deployed. In addition to the combat prowess of his forces, the Battle Group Commander and the warfare commanders are evaluated on their ability to accurately analyze and assess the tactical situation, assimilate new information and effectively allocate resources that are ready to fight. They are tested on overall mission accomplishment, interoperability, response to emergent tasking and force protection. By the time GW pulled back into Norfolk on May 7, the carrier had successfully accomplished all these areas of readiness. With less than two months to prepare for “the big day.” GW’Sailors spent as many precious moments with their loved ones as they could.