Pacific ships exceed Navy's
six-month deployment limit
By Greg Tyler, Sasebo
bureau chief
Clover B. Christensen Courtesy of U.S. Navy
A Marine lance corporal of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit explains the fuel systems
and capacity of an AV-8B Harrier to an aviation boatswain's mate (fuels) as the aircraft
receives fuel on the flight deck of USS Essex during flight operations Oct. 20. |
SASEBO NAVAL BASE, Japan — Navy ships in the Pacific sail
outside the six-month deployment limitations that apply to ships stationed in the
continental United States.
According to Lt. j.g. Chuck Bell, a spokesman for the U.S. 7th Fleet,
the 19 ships stationed in Japan and Guam are part of the Forward Deployed Naval Forces,
meaning they are considered “deployed 365 days per year.”
Earlier this week, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Vern E. Clark, told
The Virginian-Pilot that the Navy remains committed to holding overseas deployments to six
months, but “won’t blink over taking whatever measure we have to take to make
sure that we respond to a wartime requirement.”
Clark would not predict when aircraft carriers supporting missions in
Afghanistan, including the USS Kitty Hawk from Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, would return to
their homeports.
The Kitty Hawk is without its usual load of 50 strike aircraft, which
were left in Japan so the carrier would be able to serve as a base for Special Forces
troops and helicopters.
Clark said he’s confident “our people will understand”
if their missions are extended to participate in the war on terrorism.
“Don’t anybody misunderstand this, the mission is No.
1,” he said.
From the 7th Fleet, the Kitty Hawk, the guided-missile destroyer USS
Curtis Wilbur, and the missile-carrying frigate USS Gary left Yokosuka on Oct. 1.
In addition, the amphibious assault ships USS Essex, USS Fort McHenry
and USS Germantown, all home ported at Sasebo Naval Base, Japan, are at sea. Reports
indicate they are training “off the coast of Japan” along with the 31st Marine
Expeditionary Unit from Okinawa.
Bell said he could not predict when the deployed 7th Fleet ships will
return, and because of operational concerns, he could not disclose the specific
whereabouts of the vessels.
He added that U.S.-based ships operate within a 24-month cycle that
includes scheduled six-month repair availability periods, followed by a year of training,
and then a six-month deployment.
“Our FDNF ships — because they’re deployed year-round
— must continuously balance maintenance periods, training and numerous operational
commitments,” Bell said. “As they do not operate within a 24-month cycle, FNDF
ships maintain a consistent level of readiness at all times.”
He said a consistent level of readiness for the FDNF ships
“gives the fleet commander the ability to react quickly” to short or no notice
tasks.
In all cases, Bell said, deployments for ships under 7th Fleet
command will be shaped and developed based on operational necessity.
“The events of the last month have fundamentally validated the
whole reason we have a Navy,” said Clark. “This is what we’re about. We
were there.”
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