US aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower deploys for Europe, Middle East

U.S. Navy’s aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, with about 7,000 sailors attached to its carrier strike group, departed Naval Station Norfolk for a deployment to the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operations.

The IKE CSG is deploying to relieve the Harry S. Truman Strike Group supporting air strikes against ISIL.

As a part of the Great Green Fleet initiative, IKE CSG ships and aircraft will employ operational procedures and energy conservation measures in order to enhance operational capabilities.

In front of USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) and USS Nitze (DDG 94), Adm. Phil Davidson, Commander U.S. Fleet Forces Command, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Energy) Joe Bryan addressed guests and family members, focusing on the historic nature of the CSG’s deployment.

“IKE’s employment of innovative new energy operational procedures, new energy efficient systems and alternative fuel put us on a path of improved savings, and more importantly, a more effective fighting force,” Davidson said.

“From Short-cycle Mission and Recovery Tanking – SMART – and configuration management for our Air Wing onboard IKE, to the stern flaps you see on our destroyers and cruisers, LED lighting, the use of energy dashboards and a thermal management control system in Nitze behind me, our Sailors are incorporating technologies and operational procedures that maximize our fuel usage.”

This deployment will also mark the first full work-up cycle involving all strike group ships training and certifying together in accordance with the Optimized Fleet Response Plan (OFRP).

OFRP is the Navy’s force generation process that balances fiscal realities and combatant commanders requests.