Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces (USFF) announced a decision to change the future schedules of two Norfolk-based aircraft carriers.
USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75), will replace USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) in upcoming training, operational, and maintenance schedules. Eisenhower, in turn, will shift into the training, operational, and maintenance schedule that had been planned for Truman. The commanding officers of the two ships notified the crews.
As USFF implements the Optimized Fleet Response Plan (O-FRP), a careful analysis of fleet maintenance, training and operational schedules determined that changing Truman and Eisenhower’s longterm schedules would better enable the Navy to provide ready forces for national security taskings.
O-FRP offers more stability and predictability for Sailors and families by aligning carrier strike group assets to a 36-month training and deployment cycle. While changing Truman and Eisenhower’s schedules impacts the ships’ Sailors and families, the change ultimately provides better predictability Navy-wide.
As part of this change, Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 10 staff members, who previously embarked aboard Truman, will now embark aboard Eisenhower. Conversely, CSG 8 staff members, who previously embarked aboard Eisenhower, will now embark aboard Truman. This schedule change does not affect any other ship, squadron, or staff schedules.
[mappress] Press Release, October 07, 2014; Image: US Navy