U.S. Navy ships are scheduled to participate in an independent deployer certification exercise (IDCERTEX) in the Southern California operating area April 25-May 3.
IDCERTEX will provide a multi-ship environment to train and certify independent deployers in surface warfare, air defense, maritime interception operations, command and control/information warfare, command, control, computers and combat systems intelligence and mine warfare.
The exercise, led by Commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet (C3F) and executed by Commander, Carrier Strike Group Fifteen (CSG 15), will include Commander, Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 3, Commander, Naval Mine and Anti-Submarine Warfare Command (NMAWC), Commander, Carrier Air Wing Nine (CVW 9), Commander, Destroyer Squadron 21 (DESRON) 21, the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74), the guided-missile cruiser USS Mobile Bay (CG 53), the guided-missile destroyers USS Higgins (DDG 76), USS Chung Hoon (DDG 93), USS Kidd (DDG 100), USS Stockdale (DDG 106), USS William P. Lawrence (DDG 110), and Littoral Combat Ship USS Freedom (LCS 1).
IDCERTEX will serve as CSG 15’s final opportunity to evaluate and certify Higgins and Sailors from USS Fort Worth (LCS 3) Crew 101, embarked aboard Freedom, across multiple warfare areas prior to regularly scheduled deployments.
The exercise involves training between multiple ships and aircraft and consists of flight operations, submarine tracking, strait transit formations, replenishment-at-sea and other required mission evolutions.
Freedom and Higgins are homeported in San Diego as part of U.S. 3rd Fleet.
[mappress mapid=”15781″]
Image: US Navy