RECENT U.S. NAVY PHOTOS

FROM: U.S. NAVY
Fire Controlman 2nd Class Richard L. Kinnison, from Parkton, N.C., fires an air slug from the Mk-32 surface vessel torpedo tubes aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81). Winston S. Churchill is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility conducting maritime security operations, theater security cooperation efforts and support missions as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Aaron Chase (Released) 120920-N-YF306-058

The U.S. Navy's forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73), right, the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Mobile Bay (CG 53), center, and the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) transit the Pacific Ocean after completing exercise Valiant Shield 2012. Valiant Shield is an integrated joint training exercise that offers the opportunity to integrate Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps assets in a blue-water environment. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class William Pittman (Released) 120920-N-SF704-026

RECENT U.S. NAVY PHOTOS

FROM: U.S. NAVY
Sailors man the rails aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) as the ship gets underway. John C. Stennis is returning to the U.S. 7th and 5th Fleet areas of responsibility four months ahead of schedule in order to maintain combatant commander requirements for the presence in the region. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Kenneth Abbate (Released) 120901-N-OY799-020　

　

　

　

Fire Controlman 2nd Class Josiah Jackson loads rounds into the close-in weapons system (CIWS) aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Nitze (DDG 94). Nitze is deployed as part of the Enterprise Carrier Strike Group to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility conducting maritime security operations, theater security cooperation efforts and support missions for Operation Enduring Freedom. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jeff Atherton (Released) 120829-N-AP176-068

SHIP'S EARLY DEPLOYMENT TO MIDDLE EAST UNDERSTOOD BY SAILORS

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta speaks with sailors aboard the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis in Bremerton, Wash., Aug. 22, 2012. DOD photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo
Sailors: Early Deployment Tough, but 'We're Needed'

By Karen Parrish
American Forces Press Service

NAVAL BASE KITSAP, Wash., Aug. 24, 2012 - In July, the crew of the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis learned their ship would deploy four months earlier than planned, and to a different part of the world than expected. Two months later, they report they're ready to go.

Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta visited the ship this week to thank the sailors for their service and their extraordinary effort in preparing the ship. During his visit, some of the crew discussed with American Forces Press Service what their summer has involved.

Petty Officer 1st Class Alex Armour has spent 10 years in the Navy, with two on the Stennis. Armour took part in the ship's last deployment, seven months in the Middle East, which ended in early March.

"We went from place to place [for] port visits," he said, "but we spent the majority of our time in the [Persian] Gulf."

Word of the next deployment -– back to the Middle East -- came in July, he said, while the ship was underway for training. Many of the sailors were anticipating the deployment that had been previously announced, which would have taken the Stennis carrier strike group to the Pacific later in the year, Armour added.

"A lot of people had made plans; they weren't planning on being out to sea [again] so quickly," he said. "The turn-around was really quick for us. ... We had to qualify the carrier and the strike group once again; just all this stuff got crunched into a four-month period. And that, I know, weighed a lot of stress [on] the personnel on board, as well as the chain of command."

Armour said he understands why the Stennis carrier strike group is headed out to the Gulf region again.

"I know we are needed there. I know there's a carrier presence that's required to be there," he said. "This is why we're on the Stennis; this is why we all joined. It is a lot quicker than we initially expected, but it is our job. ... It's not easy, but we're ready to do it."

Seaman Apprentice Azusena Roman is 19 and enlisted in the Navy a year ago. Right after her initial training she joined the Stennis for the final two months of its last deployment, she said, and she'll also take part in the upcoming one.

Roman's introduction to the Stennis carrier strike group "was intimidating," she said. "But I got along with people. Everyone welcomed me aboard, and I got the hang of things."

Word of the change in deployment schedule was shocking, she said, but added, "When they need us, they need us. [We've] got to be prepared at all times."

Roman, who got married in March, said she and her new husband had to change plans when they learned of the change in deployments. Both are from Los Angeles and her husband was planning to move this fall from there to Bremerton, Wash., the home port for the Stennis.

"He was upset about [the early deployment] as much as I was," she said. "But we should be getting used to this. We talk every day, pretty much, and we have plans for the future when [the ship] comes back. ... It's going to be tough, but we'll get through it."

Roman said she has professional goals she'll be working toward during the deployment, including earning the insignia of an enlisted surface warfare specialist, which requires study and, in some cases, qualification in various aspects of shipboard and combat operations.

"I want to get my ESWS pin, so I need to get qualified in many things," she said.

Lt. Cmdr. Zachary Harrell, public affairs officer for the Stennis, said since the new deployment was announced little more than a month ago, the sailors and leaders of the Stennis carrier strike group have managed both professional and personal challenges.

"Informing the sailors and the families was definitely a big priority for the command," he said. "The sailors and the crew found out directly from the admiral."

Rear Adm. Charles M. Gaouette commands Carrier Strike Group Three, the Stennis strike group. Gaouette put word on the deployment out to the crew as soon as he heard it last month, Harrell said.

"We gathered on the ship – we were underway at the time – had an all-hands call, and the admiral addressed the crew," Harrell said, adding that the admiral's main aim was to let everyone know what was coming so they could start to prepare.

The change in deployment date affected everything from supply timelines to stress management, he noted.

"We can't do what we do without sailors who have a good foundation with their families," Harrell said. "So that was definitely made to be a priority, so that the families knew and could prepare."

Ships' crews are normally encouraged to take leave at the end of a deployment, and again before they ship out for the next, Harrell said. Though the Stennis sailors had a lot of work to do getting ready for the Middle East, the command allowed as much leave time as possible, he added.

"We got seven or eight days less [leave time] than we would usually get, but we still had about 24 days where people could take time off, spend time with their families [and] get their personal lives in order," he said.

Morale among sailors on the Stennis remains high, Harrell said.

"People are always motivated to do what they've been trained to do," he said, adding leaders at all levels of the crew are working to ensure sailors have time to plan for their personal and family lives, while at the same time preparing the strike group for a seven-month mission.

Harrell said he and his wife, Amber, are both ready for the imminent separation.

"I've probably got the world's best wife," he said. "She's going to be working while I'm gone, and that helps. She's very supportive of what we do as a Navy and what I personally have to do when I leave home. I'm lucky to have her."

Other Navy spouses and families offer similar support, he said.

"They're the best people you could meet on this planet, as far as what they have to sacrifice, and their own personal strength of character," Harrell said.

                                                             Photo:  USS John C. Stenis.  Credit:  U.S. Navy.


The Stennis, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier commissioned in 1995, carries more than 80 tactical aircraft, rises some 24 stories from keel to mast, has a flight deck area of 4.5 acres and contains 900 miles of cabling and wires. As Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said during a visit to the ship earlier this week, the ship exemplifies the high-tech, flexible force-projection capability the nation's defense strategy seeks to build across the forces.

The secretary also said, during his visit, that "none of that is worth a damn without men and women in uniform."

Harrell echoed those sentiments: "We can't do anything without well-trained and well-motivated people to support the system," he said. "That's how the mission gets done, and it gets done on their backs."

SECRETARY PANETTA'S REMARKS ABOARD THE USS JOHN C. STENNIS

Photo:  USS John C. Stennis.  Credit:  U.S. Navy
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

August 22, 2012
STAFF: Afternoon, sir. How are you?

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE LEON E. PANETTA: Thank you very much. Good to be here. Spent some time at Fort Lewis a long time ago when I was in ROTC at Santa Clara. So ever since then I've spent a lot of time up here in Seattle.
　

From a defense point of view this is really a -- a community that is one of the -- one of the -- the very best in terms of supporting the military mission. There are a lot of different missions that are supported here, and I have tremendous thanks and respect for the people of Washington and the way they support our military mission.

　
So I'm glad to be here and happy to answer your questions.
　

Q: (Inaudible) -- shifted Navy or other assets to the Mediterranean or Syria region at this time?

　
SEC. PANETTA: Not at this time. We've -- we have deployed a force to the Middle East, and obviously the Stennis will -- will join that force. And the focus of that is to be prepared to deal with any contingency that develops in the Middle East.
　

Q: How much of this has to do with the conflict between Israel and Iran? Is this a positioning effort?
　

SEC. PANETTA: It deals with a lot of threats in the Middle East right now. Obviously Iran is one of those threats that we have to -- we have to be able to focus on and make sure that we're prepared to deal with any threats that could emerge out of Iran.
　

Secondly, it is the turmoil in Syria, and we're obviously following that closely as well.

　
There also are tanker threats that come from Iran that threaten some of the tanker -- the oil traffic that goes through the straits, and that's another concern.

　
So there are a number of issues in that region. It is -- you know, we're gone through the Arab spring there. The results of that present both challenges and opportunities. And all of that is the reason we maintain the force that we have in the Middle East.
　

Q: (inaudible) -- two-carrier requirement that was going to end in September and now is definite or is there a new end date?
　

SEC. PANETTA: You know, we're looking at what we need in order to deal with the potential challenges that we face in the Middle East. I can't give you a time frame as to how long we'll have to maintain that -- that presence. But clearly maintaining two carriers in that region was important to us in order to have the ability to confront any contingency.

　
Q: Do you have any more details about the kind of assistance the military can provide to Jordan or Turkey in the case of Syrian refugees?

　
SEC. PANETTA: You know, dealing with Syria, obviously we've tried to focus on three areas of importance. One is to do what we can to assist on the humanitarian effort, and I think the president pointed out we've done about $81 million, $82 million. But we're also working with Jordan and with Turkey to try to deal with the refugee flows and try to help them as best we can.
　

Secondly is the -- the whole threat of chemical and biological weapons. There are sites in Syria. We're concerned about the security of those sites. So we're continuing to monitor those sites and work with both Turkey, as well as Jordan and Israel to ensure that -- that none of those weapons fall into the wrong hands.

　
STAFF: Couple more here, guys.

　
SEC. PANETTA: And let me just mention, the third one is the -- is obviously working with the opposition to try to give them what assistance we can. Basically we're providing nonlethal assistance at this time, but we're working with other countries to try to give them what support they can get in order to try to confront the Syrian army.
　

Q: Is there any possibility for a no-fly zone in the region at this point?

　
SEC. PANETTA: Well, you know, we've developed contingency plans for all kinds of possibilities there. But as I -- as I said, that's not on the front burner right now.

　
Q: Sir, is the U.S. any closer to declaring whether or not the Haqqani Network is a terrorist organization?
　

SEC. PANETTA: That's -- that's a decision that the State Department has to make with regards to making a recommendation on that. And I think it's probably best one that is addressed to them.
　

Q: Mr. Secretary, you testified that you're having -- you've called for investigations into the system-wide review of PTSD diagnoses. Is that close to being completed, or when might we see results from that?

　
SEC. PANETTA: Well, obviously, it -- you know, the concern sprang out of a situation here at McChord that told us that there was some misdiagnoses that had taken place.
　

Actually as a result of that I've asked all of the services to review all of their diagnosis to see just exactly whether the same thing has occurred elsewhere, and that's -- that's ongoing right now.
　

Also, there is an ongoing investigation here as to what took place at McChord, making sure that -- that we do everything possible to find out what happened and try to make sure we're taking steps to avoid that happening in the future.
　

I sent, obviously, high level individuals from the Pentagon who have visited here to try to look at the situation. We've made some changes. I'm awaiting further recommendations as to what we can do to do everything possible to make sure that that kind of misdiagnosis doesn't take place.

　
STAFF: Last one. Anyone?

　
Q: (Inaudible) -- for this region. (Inaudible) -- Pacific Rim.

　
SEC. PANETTA: I would assume that Bremerton's going to stay busy for a long time to come as a result of having to focus and project our force into the Pacific. That's -- that's going to -- we're going to need the kind of shipyards and maintenance and backup that Bremerton provides.

　
STAFF: Thank you all very much.

　
SEC. PANETTA: Okay.

RECENT U.S. NAVY PHOTOS

FROM: U.S. NAVY
Marines assigned to Amphibious Assault Vehicle Platoon, Combat Assault Company, 3rd Marine Regiment, make their way to the amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2) during Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2012. Twenty-two nations, more than 40 ships and submarines, more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel are participating in the biennial RIMPAC exercise from June 29 to Aug. 3, in and around the Hawaiian Islands. The world's largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity that helps participants foster and sustain the cooperative relationships that are critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world's oceans. RIMPAC 2012 is the 23rd exercise in the series that began in 1971. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Mike Meares (Released) 120712-F-ZB240-995

Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Equipment) 3rd Class Jeanette Nunn, right, and Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Equipment) 2nd Class Ashawn Robertson observe as an F/A-18C Hornet assigned to the Golden Dragons of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 192 launches from the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74). Stennis is conducting sustainment exercises off the coast of California designed to maintain mission readiness. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Kenneth Abbate (Released) 120716-N-OY799-391