When the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group gets underway this year, 1,600 sailors will embark on the largest volunteer study of crew fatigue to date.
During its last deployment, which concluded in October, the Reagan not only operated in U.S. 7th Fleet but also 5th Fleet to support the withdrawal of U.S. and coalition forces from Afghanistan.
“In the last 60 years, we’ve really focuses on isolated individuals,” but during large-scale maneuver warfare, units can become isolated just “by battlefield geometry," the Army's SERE school commander said.
The U.S. Navy doesn’t want to over-commit to buying too many ships in the next five years, in case it can’t follow through due to fiscal or supply chain issues. That will cost the service millions of dollars.