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Monterey Returns from Neptune Warrior

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS060724-03
7/24/2006

By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class (SW) Stefanie Holzeisen-mullen, Fleet Public Affairs Center Atlantic

NORFOLK, Va. (NNS) -- More than 380 Sailors aboard the guided-missile cruiser USS Monterey (CG 61) returned to Naval Station Norfolk July 24 after seven weeks of operating in the North Atlantic to support U.S. 6th Fleet tasking and participate in the joint military course Neptune Warrior.

“The Neptune Warrior course provided an outstanding opportunity for Monterey to improve our warfighting readiness, flex our interoperability with NATO partners, and observe capabilities that we don’t often see,” said Capt. Robert E. Oldani, commanding officer of Monterey. “It was a terrific experience for us.”

Neptune Warrior, a course designed and led by the Joint Maritime Operational Training Staff (JMOTS) Northwood in the United Kingdom, strives to improve interoperability between allied navies, as well as to prepare the participants for a role in a Coalition Joint Task Force during upcoming deployments. Neptune Warrior is the United Kingdom’s advanced certification course and is on par with a U.S. Joint Task Force Exercise, which normally certifies U.S. ships.

“I am very proud of the performance of every Sailor on board Monterey,” Oldani continued. “We accomplished every objective and improved our interoperability with our NATO partners.”

For Monterey, who will deploy later this year as an element of a coalition task force, the opportunity to work with and operate alongside NATO forces was an invaluable chance to prepare for future evolutions.

“By exercising with our NATO partners,” said Oldani, “we improved our ability to operate effectively with our NATO partners in peacetime and times of war. We flexed our communications, our seamanship and our warfighting tactics and procedures to bring Monterey to the peak of readiness.”

While underway, Monterey Sailors also had the chance to visit Scotland and Norway, and host the U.S. ambassador to the Kingdom of Norway, as well as the Norwegian chief of defense.

“The port visits and the exercises were tremendous. We improved our proficiency in every mission area, attaining the highest readiness status possible across the spectrum,” said Oldani, about the success of Monterey’s participation in the exercise. “We are ready and certified for our upcoming deployment.”

Monterey is scheduled to deploy later this year for a regularly scheduled six-month deployment in support of NATO operations.