Theodore Roosevelt Strike Group WESTPAC 20 Deployment
TRBATGRU
CVN-71 Theodore Roosevelt
"Rough Rider"
The Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group (TRCSG) departed San Diego for a scheduled Indo-Pacific deployment, 17 January 2020. More than 6,000 Sailors assigned to TRCSG ships and units will provide maritime security, maintain freedom of the seas in accordance with international law and customs, and operate with international partners and allies to promote regional stability and prosperity.
"The U.S. Navy carrier strike group serves as the centerpiece of deterrence, providing our national command authority with flexible deterrent options and a visible forward presence," said Rear Adm. Stu Baker, commander, Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 9. “The Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group trained hard, performed well, and is now ready to execute whatever missions we are assigned.”
TRCSG consists of Carrier Strike Group 9, USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 11, the Ticonderoga class guided-missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill (CG 52), Destroyer Squadron 23, and the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Russell (DDG 59), USS Paul Hamilton (DDG 60), USS Pinckney (DDG 91), USS Kidd (DDG 100) and USS Rafael Peralta (DDG 115).
Theodore Roosevelt’s embarked air wing consists of the “Tomcatters” of Strike Fighter Squadrons (VFA) 31, “Golden Warriors” of VFA-87, “Blue Diamonds” of VFA-146, “Black Knights” of VFA-154, “Liberty Bells” of Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 115, “The Gray Wolves” of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 142, “Wolf Pack” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 75, “Eight Ballers” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 8 and “Providers” of Fleet Logistic Support Squadron (VRC) 30 Detachment 3.
“I’m excited to lead this outstanding crew out on deployment," said Capt. Brett Crozier, Theodore Roosevelt's commanding officer. "Carrier Strike Groups bring unparalleled naval combat power to the fight. No other weapon system has the responsiveness, endurance, battlespace awareness, and command and control capabilities of a carrier and its embarked air wing.”
The TRCSG last deployed for a seven-month deployment supporting Operations Inherent Resolve and Freedom’s Sentinel, as well as maritime security cooperation efforts in U.S. 5th and 7th Fleet areas of operations October 2017 to May 2018. The Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group is part of U.S. 3rd Fleet, which leads naval forces in the Pacific and provides the realistic, relevant training necessary for an effective global Navy. U.S. 3rd Fleet constantly coordinates with U.S. 7th Fleet to plan and execute missions based on their complementary strengths to promote ongoing peace, security, and stability throughout the entire Pacific theater of operations.
Theodore Roosevelt had an outbreak of coronavirus in early March and pulled into Guam ahead of a scheduled port visit. Theodore Roosevelt rapidly responded and strategically moved more than half of the crew off ship to quarantine at various locations on Guam, leaving enough Sailors aboard to stand critical watches and to clean and sanitize the ship. The crew members who met rigorous ‘operational units’ return to work criteria set forth by U.S. Pacific Fleet returned to the ship and were able to get underway and back to their mission June 4.
"The crew of TR persevered displaying uncommon fortitude and tenacity in the face of uncertainty to meet expectations in a crisis," said Capt. Carlos Sardiello, commanding officer of Theodore Roosevelt. "This recovery of the ship and the crew on deployment is a testament to the professionalism of the young men and women of the TR who turned a potentially demoralizing downward spiral into a symbol of inspiration and hope against adversity."
The aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt was likely to become another Diamond Princess, and if no measures were taken. With the spread of the novel coronavirus accelerating on US aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt, by April 2020 the warship faced a fate much worse than the Diamond Princess cruise ship as most of the crew members remain in close quarters on the carrier to maintain its combat readiness. Only a small number of infected sailors have been off-loaded and most of the crew members remain aboard the ship, which has limitations of space, making following quarantine guidelines impossible. The captain said, "We are not at war. Sailors do not need to die. If we do not act now, we are failing to properly take care of our most trusted asset, our sailors."
Brett Crozier, captain of the Theodore Roosevelt, asked for more quarantine rooms on land in Guam, where the carrier stays, for his entire crew as soon as possible. In response to Crozier's letter, US acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly told CNN that crew members were needed to stay on the carrier because it has armaments and aircraft on it. Since the first three confirmed COVID-19 cases were identified on 24 March 2020, the aircraft carrier — with more than 4,000 people aboard — soon had 150 to 200 infected sailors.
Acting Navy Secretary Thomas B. Modly said 01 April 2020 "We already have nearly 1,000 personnel off the ship right now, and in the next couple of days, we expect to have about 2,700 of them off the ship". Modly emphasized that the Navy will not remove every sailor from the Roosevelt, noting that although it's big, it floats and it has a lot of people on it, the comparison of the aircraft carrier to a cruise ship pretty much ends there. "This ship has weapons on it. It has munitions on it. It has expensive aircraft, and it has a nuclear power plant. It requires a certain number of people on that ship to maintain safety and security," he said.
The US Navy relieved the captain of the COVID-19-infected aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt of duty after he wrote a letter to US Navy leaders demanding support in quarantining the crew. ?During a press conference 02 April 2020, acting US Navy Secretary Thomas Modly explained that Crozier was not being relieved of duty for writing the letter but because he sent it outside the chain of command. Doing so, Modly noted, "raised alarm bells unnecessarily" that undermined the efforts by the Navy to contain the virus. Modly also noted that Crozier "demonstrated extremely poor judgment" amid the outbreak and that sending the letter so broadly was "completely unnecessary to do." Modly noted "It created the perception that the Navy is not on the job, the government is not on the job and it’s just not true".
Modly said the decision to sack Capt Crozier was his alone and explained that the captain’s actions forced his hand. “I have no doubt in my mind that Captain Crozier did what he thought was in the best interest of the safety and well-being of his crew,” he said. “Unfortunately, it did the opposite. It unnecessarily raised the alarm of the families of our sailors and Marines with no plans to address those concerns.”
David Ignatius reported it wasn’t clear what role Trump may have played in Crozier’s ouster. Modly told one colleague Wednesday, the day before he announced the move: “Breaking news: Trump wants him fired.” Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher was pardoned and reinstated by Trump despite being found guilty of war crimes by a jury of his peers. U.S. Navy Captain Brett Crozier was removed from his command for sounding the alarm on COVID danger to sailors under his authority. Trump on 04 APril 2020 came out in support of the Navy's decision to fire Captain Brett Crozier. “I thought it was inappropriate for the captain of the ship... I agree with their decision [to fire him] 100 percent... I thought it was terrible what he did. To write a letter? This isn't a class on literature, This is a captain of a massive ship that’s nuclear-powered”.
"Perhaps you don't do that in the middle of a pandemic," Trump said, adding “The letter was a five-page letter from a captain, and the letter was all over the place. That’s not appropriate. I don’t think that’s appropriate.”
“I think the firing was a really bad decision, because it undermines the authority of the military commanders who are trying to take care of their troops, and significantly negatively impacts the willingness of commanders to speak truth to power,” said retired Adm. Mike Mullen, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Modly told the Roosevelt crew 06 April 2020 that Crozier, was either "too naive or too stupid" to be in command or that he intentionally leaked to the media a memo in which he warned about coronavirus spreading aboard the aircraft carrier and urged action to save his sailors. The acting secretary also accused Crozier of committing a "betrayal" and creating a "big controversy" in Washington by disseminating the warning so widely among Navy officials.
Modly initially defended his remarks, issuing a statement that said, "I stand by every word I said." However, hours later, after top members of the House Armed Services Committee began calling for his resignation, Modly apologized to the Navy for his comment. "Let me be clear, I do not think Captain Brett Crozier is naive nor stupid. I think, and always believed him to be the opposite," Modly said in his statement. "We pick our carrier commanding officers with great care. Captain Crozier is smart and passionate. I believe, precisely because he is not naive and stupid, that he sent his alarming email with the intention of getting it into the public domain in an effort to draw public attention to the situation on his ship. I apologize for any confusion this choice of words may have caused." Modly also apologized directly to Crozier for "any pain my remarks may have caused."
Within hours Modly was out; replaced by the acting undersecretary of the Army James McPherson who will serve as acting secretary of the Navy. Admiral Mullen said, Modly “has become a vehicle for the president. He basically has completely undermined, throughout the T.R. situation, the uniformed leadership of the Navy and the military leadership in general.”
USS Theodore Roosevelt headed out to sea from Naval Base Guam 20 May 2020 after nearly two months of being under quarantine there. The carrier set sail to test the critical systems required to sustain it during its upcoming operations. This simulation process, or "fast cruise," is a key step for the carrier to recommence its scheduled deployment, the fleet explained in a statement. During the process, the ship remained in waters off the coast of Guam so its pilots and air crews could be re-certified for flight operations. "Our sailors have tested all of the ship's systems individually, but this is our opportunity to integrate all of that together and show that (USS) Theodore Roosevelt is ready and able to go back to sea," said Captain Carlos Sardiello, commanding officer of USS Theodore Roosevelt, according to the fleet's statement.
USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) left Naval Base Guam and entered the Philippine Sea May 21 to conduct carrier qualification flights for the embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 11. Theodore Roosevelt is on a scheduled deployment to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations. It moored in Guam after some members of the crew displayed symptoms and later tested positive for COVID-19. After moving nearly 4,000 crewmembers off ship and cleaning the entire ship from bow to stern, the appropriate number of crewmembers to operate the ship underway have returned from quarantine after passing rigorous return-to-work criteria. Scaled manning allows the ship to bring on board the right makeup of personnel required to safely operate and complete a particular mission requirement.
The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) returned to San Diego 09 July 2020, marking the end of their deployment to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations. More than 6,000 Sailors from Theodore Roosevelt Strike Group and embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 11 deployed Jan. 17 to conduct operations in the Indo-Pacific and maintain security and stability in the region. “I am incredibly proud of the Theodore Roosevelt Strike Group and all they’ve accomplished over the deployment,” said Rear Adm. Doug Verissimo, commander Carrier Strike Group 9. “They operated in a variety of complex environments ranging from how to respond to an international pandemic to operating safely throughout the Indo-Pacific, including the South China Sea.”
Theodore Roosevelt sailed over 31,835 nautical miles, deploying dynamically to support dual-carrier operations, expeditionary strike force operations, air defense exercises, and joint-service interoperability exercises. Theodore Roosevelt made a historic port visit to Da Nang, Vietnam, only the second time a U.S. aircraft carrier has visited the country since the Vietnam War, to commemorate 25 years of U.S.-Vietnam diplomatic relations.
To ensure the success of the deployment extends beyond their return to homeport, Theodore Roosevelt conducted a variety of training classes promoting sound decisions and safety. The information provided in the classes helps individual Sailors and their families know what to expect after returning to homeport. Topics covered included drinking and driving, returning to children, traffic safety, motorcycle safety, car buying, and money management.
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