• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Paul Hamilton Locks on to Tomahawk Training

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS061002-05
Release Date: 10/2/2006 11:41:00 AM

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class (SW) Joseph Vincent, USS John C. Stennis Public Affairs

ABOARD USS PAUL HAMILTON, Pacific Ocean (NNS) -- While conducting operations off the coast of Southern California, USS Paul Hamilton (DDG 60) completed the first phase of Tomahawk land attack missile exercise (TLAMEX), Sept. 26.

Hamilton is operating as part of a collaboration of ships assigned to the USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) Carrier Strike Group (JCSSG). As part of JCSSG’s Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX), TLAMEX is designed to enable the coordination of all Tomahawk capable ships to provide the maximum efficiency and effectiveness possible in a coordinated Tomahawk strike.

“Everyone brings different things to the table,” said Chief Fire Controlman Steven Pochop, Paul Hamilton’s strike division’s leading chief petty officer. “This [exercise] allows us and the other ships involved to identify the areas we are weak in and mesh everyone’s strengths together as an effective strike group.”

Laid out in three phases, phase one of TLAMEX allows the strike group to work mainly on communication with each other in the coordination of Tomahawk attacks.

“We receive taskings from the tasking authority from the JCSSG staff on the carrier [USS John C. Stennis],” said Fire Controlman 3rd Class John Bridgeman. “These taskings are practice missions to shoot the Tomahawk.”

As COMPTUEX continues, each phase of TLAMEX will become progressively more difficult. In the final phase, JCSSG will conduct in-depth communications and maneuvers. Each phase of TLAMEX can last anywhere from four to six hours.

“This is a start of the culmination of the strike group being able to work together,” said Pochop. “This is all the ships getting together, not just as a single ship performing their function, but as an entire strike group functioning as it should.”