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ATLANTIC OCEAN – Combat systems is a dynamic department that has a hand in every aspect of life aboard an aircraft carrier. The department is comprised of nine divisions boasting a collective of Sailors from various rates including information systems technicians, interior communications electricians to fire controlmen, and electronics technicians. They are responsible for a massive amount of equipment including all telephones, computers, speakers, radio communication equipment, radars, antennas and all of the ship’s self-defense systems.
Aboard USS George H. W. Bush (CVN 77) Cmdr. Karrie Lang is in charge of all of combat systems. Out of 20 departments, Lang is one of only three women who serve as heads of departments aboard George H.W. Bush, and the only female commander holding a head of department position aboard the ship.
“I am humbled to be in this position as the combat systems officer on board the George H.W. Bush,” said Lang. “I am so excited to be part of the Avenger Team and Team Jackpot. This is an amazing group of professionals, and I am excited to go forward on deployment with this team.”
Her goals and vision for her department team come from 18 years of naval experience.
“My department’s philosophy is all about trust, teamwork and toughness,” said Lang. “You need to have each of those things to complete any mission. The goals for the department are to build a foundation of trust, teamwork, and toughness to get through COMPTUEX and deployment. We want the entire crew to know that we are trustworthy and reliable teammates that are ready to help out and help wherever it is needed.”
COMPTUEX, or composite training unit exercise, is a carrier strike group-level, integrated training exercise designed to ensure the team is worldwide deployable and ready for sustained combat operations.
Before coming aboard as the Combat System Officer, Lang was assigned to Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 4, the command that leads COMPTUEX and assesses east coast CSG’s strike group’s readiness to deploy.
“Coming from CSG-4, everything there is about integration,” said Lang. “One of the biggest and most rewarding things of COMPTUEX from the CSG-4 perspective was being able to watch a group go from being an individual work force to being an integrated team.”
She plans to use her experience being part of the assessment and training command to ensure George H.W. Bush is support to the strike group team’s success, which starts with every Sailor being prepared to do their part.
“COMPTUEX is very busy,” said Lang. “It helps to familiarize yourself with what COPMTUEX is about. It is a very intense time with a compressed schedule. We are going to do a lot of things in thirty days, and it is going to be fast and furious. If we can get ourselves in the warfighting mindset it will help everybody understand what we are doing and why we are doing it. That will keep us a little more motivated and keep that sense of urgency.”
Along with the individual roles every Sailor will play to ensure success through COMPTUEX, there is another important mission that needs our undivided attention.
“OPSEC, or operational security, is really important,” said Lang. “Everyone is important in this fight. Our adversaries, are good at social engineering. They can gather information that makes us vulnerable. OPSEC at a command this large it is really hard. If 4,999 people do everything correctly, you can still have one Sailor that puts something out that makes us vulnerable, and increases the risk for the ship and the strike group. We are all a part of that fight. We have to be very careful with the information we put out there.”
George H.W. Bush provides the national command authority flexible, tailorable warfighting capability as the flagship of a carrier strike group that maintains maritime stability and security to ensure access, deter aggression and defend U.S., allied and partner interests.
GHWBCSG is an integrated combat weapons system that delivers superior combat capability to deter, and if necessary, defeat America’s adversaries in support of national security. It achieves its mission by projecting the combined power of George H.W. Bush, Carrier Air Wing 7, Destroyer Squadron 26, its Information Warfare Commander, and the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55).
| Date Taken: | 04.19.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 04.19.2022 19:05 |
| Story ID: | 418833 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 457 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Trust, Teamwork, Toughness: Getting to Know the New CSO, by PO1 Kaylyn Jackson-Smith, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
