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By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Nathan Burke,
USS Ronald Reagan Public Affairs
EAST CHINA SEA - The U.S. Navy’s only forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) completed her first Unit Level Training Assessment – Sustainment (ULTRA-S), the final phase of her Fleet Response Training Cycle, Nov. 7.
Afloat Training Group Western Pacific (ATGWP) inspectors embarked aboard Ronald Reagan and conducted a four-day evaluation, which consisted of the review of the ship’s material and administrative readiness to conduct training, conduct combat missions and support and survive combat casualty control situations.
“It’s important to have the forward deployed naval forces (FDNF) carrier ready,” said Senior Chief Damage Controlman Markiso Tisdale, an ATGWP team lead. “Having people who are well trained and equipment that is in its best readiness condition makes Ronald Reagan an asset to the Navy and ready to fulfill whatever task is required.”
“ULTRA-S provides the strike group, through ATGWP, with a mid-cycle opportunity to observe, assess and evaluate shipboard watch standing as well as war-fighting and survival efficiencies while sustaining requisite readiness levels,” said Lt. Cmdr. Lionel Dacpano, Ronald Reagan’s training officer.
ULTRA-S assessed the Ronald Reagan’s warfare proficiency and her crew’s ability to maintain mission readiness in several areas including surface warfare, air warfare, medical readiness, seamanship, navigation, engineering, damage control, combat operations and systems, intelligence, force protection and anti-terrorism.
“We did great,” said Dacpano. “I feel that all the hours we put in, all the general quarters drills we put in, all the warfare drills and all of our own training paid off. We, as a blended crew, are starting to gel. We are doing really well and improving a lot.”
According to Dacpano, following the hull swap Ronald Reagan crew completed 18 general quarters drills, hundreds of individual warfare drills and dedicated thousands of man-hours to prepare for ULTRA-S.
“Once we became the FDNF carrier, we are on what’s called the sustainment FRTP [Fleet Reponse Training Plan] cycle,” said Dacpano. “FRTP is the standard cycle and next year we are going to start fresh. It’s a very rigorous training cycle compared to any other aircraft carrier.”
Dacpano added there are four major training events of the FRTP cycle, which include crew certification during SRA [Selective Restricted Availability] and Core 1, Core 2 and ULTRA-S, which occur while the ship is underway.
“It’s very intensive training cycle Ronald Reagan must complete because she is FDNF,” said Senior Chief Damage Controlman R. David Shaft, an ATGWP team lead. “They are always in the sustainment phase because they are constantly training and evaluating for deployment.”
“Ronald Reagan’s crew absolutely did a great job,” said Shaft. “It was interesting for us to assess a ship that has the blended crew of Sailors from the former FDNF entity, the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73), and the crew who came from Ronald Reagan, previously a CONUS [Continental U.S.] based ship. It was interesting to see that blended crew come together because it’s not easy to be the FNDF carrier.”
Ronald Reagan and its embarked air wing, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5, provide a combat-ready force that protects and defends the collective maritime interests of the U.S. and its allies and partners in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.
| Date Taken: | 11.08.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 11.08.2015 02:16 |
| Story ID: | 181305 |
| Location: | USS RONALD REAGAN, EAST CHINA SEA |
| Web Views: | 670 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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