Source: United States Navy
“COMPTUEX is a challenging multi-warfare training opportunity for our team,” said Cole’s Commanding Officer Cmdr. Tim Clark. “Our crew is well trained, and ready for tasking. I am confident that we will meet and exceed all challenges put in front of us.”
COMPTUEXs brings Navy and Joint force trainers and capability together to exercise integrated warfighting at a high level. The exercise represents the Department of the Navy’s commitment to deliver highly-capable, integrated naval forces to deter adversaries, reassure allies, secure the free flow of trade and commerce, and enable U.S. diplomatic engagement.
“The U.S. Navy sails into harm’s way,” Rear Adm. Max McCoy, commander, Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 4. “We take our training mission very seriously, and we put USS Cole through the most complex training environment to date. Our goal is to build fighting units that think rapidly, operate at the highest readiness level, and integrate with the joint force, partners, and allies to achieve mission when tasked. It is an imperative that our Sailors are ready to fight.”
COMPTUEXs are the joint force’s premiere, multi-domain integrated warfighting exercise, and are a key element of CSG 4’s mission to train, mentor, and assess carrier strike groups, amphibious ready groups, and independent deployers for global combat against peer competitors.
“All throughout our preparation for deployment, we’ve been plugged into what our friends and shipmates in U.S. Fifth Fleet and Sixth Fleet have been doing, and we’re grateful for the lessons they’ve shared with us,” said Clark. “We also know that the adversary is always evolving, and so we too must learn and adapt at a more rapid pace than they do. While we know challenges lie over the horizon, we are confident that the high end training during COMPTUEX prepared us for what we may see in combat.”
The exercise made full use of Live, Virtual, and Constructive (LVC) training to prepare for complex operations. The Navy and Joint Force developed an integrated LVC training environment that enables the services to execute high-end training earlier, using synthetic tools while operating live tactical systems. LVC also allows the force to rapidly explore and develop new multi-domain tactics with near real-time, continuous feedback.
COMPTUEX fostered teamwork among the crew, highlighted ship interoperability with other units, and demonstrate mastery of integrating with warfare commanders. The Cole team completed a variety of events such as live-fire exercises; straits transits; maritime security exercises; multiple opportunities to exercise air, surface, and anti-submarine warfare skills; electronic attack scenarios; flight operations; underway replenishments; visit, board, search and seizure training; damage control training; and counter-unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS) engagements.
“I was very proud of our crew, and their families and friends can take pride in their Sailors on this ship,” said Command Master Chief Karyn Sigurdsson. “Throughout every challenge they faced during the exercise, they lived up to the spirit and legacy of our ship and our Navy.”
Once certified for deployment, Cole will be worldwide assignable in support of numbered fleet command and combatant commander requirements.
For more information about USS Cole (DDG 67), head to their official webpage at https://www.surflant.usff.navy.mil/ddg67 or Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/DDG67).