The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz and elements of the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group deployed from San Diego Monday in support of global maritime security operations, Navy officials announced.
Prior to departing, the strike group completed a composite training unit exercise called COMPTUEX, which is designed to fully integrate units of a carrier strike group while testing its ability as a whole to carry out sustained combat operations from the sea.
Ships, squadrons and staffs have been tested across every core warfare area within their mission sets through a variety of simulated and live events, including air warfare, strait transits, and responses to surface and subsurface contacts and electronic attacks, according to U.S. Third Fleet public affairs.
"The carrier strike group team is trained and ready," said Rear Adm. Jim Kirk, commander of the strike group. "The men and women of Carrier Strike Group 11 have demonstrated exceptional tactical and technical expertise, teamwork and toughness. We are honored to answer the call and operate forward."
In addition to conducting maritime security operations whenever and wherever called upon, strike-group units will participate in cooperative engagements, multilateral exercises and unit-level training designed to improve capability and capacity among Navy units and partner nations in the regions they may operate in.
All personnel assigned to the group completed a minimum 14-day quarantine ashore and were tested for COVID-19 prior to getting underway with their respective units. Sailors assigned to Nimitz completed a 27-day fast cruise aboard the ship which also included their testing period for the virus.
In addition to the Nimitz, deploying units include Carrier Air Wing 17, Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Princeton and Destroyer Squadron 9, which includes Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Sterett and USS Ralph Johnson.
Sterett departed Naval Base San Diego on Thursday, Princeton steamed out on Saturday and Ralph Johnson is scheduled to leave Tuesday, according to the Navy.
