PACIFIC OCEAN (Aug. 29, 2017) -- Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Equipment) 1st Class Jessica Carter closely observes flight operations on the flight deck of the United States Navy aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71).
Her primary responsibility is to ensure the steam catapults and arresting gear used to launch and recover aircraft, are in perfect working condition....and is standing by, just in case a problem arises, while dozens of pilots are relying on everything working to perfection.
                 USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71)
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Theodore Roosevelt is underway off the West Coast of the United States....conducting a composite training unit exercise (COMPTUEX)....in preparation for an upcoming lengthy overseas deployment.
A COMPTUEX tests a carrier strike group’s mission readiness and ability to perform as an integrated unit through simulated real-world scenarios.
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I participated in at least a dozen of them during my Navy Surface Warfare Officer years....and these were probably the best of the multitude of training exercises we went through prior to deploying overseas.
It clearly showed everybody where any weaknesses in training and/or preparation persisted....while we still had plenty of time to remedy them before many thousands of mostly very young Americans departed home for, often, the better part of a year....going in harm’s way.
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>>Top photo: Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Austin R. Clayton, USNÂ
