{"id":32737,"date":"2022-11-21T23:25:37","date_gmt":"2022-11-21T23:25:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/uncategorized\/2022\/11\/21\/five-allied-aircraft-carriers-to-join-6th-fleet-interoperability-tests\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T18:36:47","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T18:36:47","slug":"five-allied-aircraft-carriers-to-join-6th-fleet-interoperability-tests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/battlefield-tech\/it-networks-battlefield-tech\/2022\/11\/21\/five-allied-aircraft-carriers-to-join-6th-fleet-interoperability-tests\/","title":{"rendered":"Five allied aircraft carriers to join 6th Fleet interoperability tests"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

U.S. Navy aircraft carriers George H.W. Bush and Gerald R. Ford are teaming up with three other allied carriers in U.S. 6th Fleet this month to bolster interoperability between NATO allies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The goal is to evaluate NATO\u2019s Deter and Defend concept in the Mediterranean and North Seas with the French Navy\u2019s Charles De Gaulle, the Italian Navy\u2019s ITS Cavour and the United Kingdom Royal Navy\u2019s Queen Elizabeth. Standing NATO Maritime Groups 1 and 2 are overseeing the operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNATO routinely demonstrates its cohesion, coordinating with multiple international maritime assets at once,\u201d Royal Navy Vice Adm. Keith Blount, commander of NATO Allied Maritime Command, said in a statement Friday. \u201cThis opportunity demonstrates our ironclad commitment to the stability and security of the Euro-Atlantic Area and the strength of our collective capability.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFive carriers within our operating area presents a further opportunity to consolidate our approach to air defense, cross-domain cooperation and maritime-land integration,\u201d Blount said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The George H.W. Bush deployed<\/a> from Norfolk, Virginia, in August to replace the carrier Harry S. Truman. The Bush Carrier Strike Group includes the guided-missile destroyers Nitze, Truxtun, Farragut and Delbert D. Black, the guided-missile cruiser Leyte Gulf, and Carrier Air Wing 7.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the Ford departed Norfolk on Oct. 4<\/a> for a service-retained deployment. That means the strike group is operating under the authority of Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday, rather than a geographic combatant commander, which would be the norm during a global force management deployment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This initial deployment will prepare the carrier for a longer, more routine deployment in 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\t