The guided-missile destroyer USS McFaul (DDG 74) returned to Naval Station Norfolk, Feb. 7, after wrapping up its composite training unit exercise (COMPTUEX).
Throughout the exercise, McFaul participated in a series of scenario-driven and unscripted events, emphasizing the ship’s ability to operate as part of a larger strike group as well as fight independently.
COMPTUEX encompassed multiple warfare areas, including air defense, surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, electronic warfare, ballistic missile defense, and maritime interdiction operations.
Cmdr. Mike Gunther, USS McFaul’s commanding officer, said:
COMPTUEX is the capstone training event of a ship preparing to deploy. After this past month, I know this ship and this crew are battle-ready, prepared for any threat we may encounter, and ready to execute all assigned missions.
Four weeks long, COMPTUEX is considered one of the most grueling training events that ships and crews go through. It is a partially scripted, partially unscripted exercise that takes place entirely at sea, mimicing actual wartime conditions. The greatest challenges Sailors face throughout the exercise are fatigue and adapting to the unknown.
McFaul is scheduled to deploy sometime in Spring 2015.
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Image: US Navy