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2nd Fleet Enhances Readiness through Operation Bold Spectrum

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS100219-12
Release Date: 2/19/2010 4:23:00 PM

From U.S. 2nd Fleet Public Affairs

NORFOLK, Va. (NNS) -- Commander, U.S. 2nd Fleet conducted a Fleet Synthetic Training (FST) event called Operation Bold Spectrum Feb. 16-18 that provides valuable training to a range of ships and commands at various stages in their pre-deployment training cycle.

The training audience included Carrier Strike Group Twelve, Destroyer Squadron 2, Destroyer Squadron Two 2, Carrier Air Wing 1, Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC), Commander Task Group 20.20 as the theater antisubmarine warfare commander, and seven Atlantic Fleet ships.

This is the first time that NECC units, Riverine Group 1 and Riverine Squadron 1 utilized a FST as a deployment certification event. In addition, this synthetic event provides the Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) certification for USS Vella Gulf (CG 72), ensuring their readiness to support this critical mission area.

Operation Bold Spectrum is part of a series of FST events to be held in a continuing effort by 2nd Fleet to ensure cost-effective training. This type of force-level event (FST-F) supports many commands at different training stages, rather than those of a particular deploying strike group. Involvement of joint partners and maritime partner nations, as well as government agencies, is a key to the FST program's success. This week in support of Operation Bold Spectrum, the Army and Air Force are participating in training with the Navy, along with Germany and Canada.

"Operation Bold Spectrum shows the inherent flexibility of Fleet Synthetic Training to provide training as well as deployment certifications to a wide training audience even with ongoing real-world operations," said Odie Ogden, assistant chief of staff for Fleet Synthetic Training at Commander, Strike Force Training, Atlantic.

The FST program is a key readiness tool that is part of the Navy's mix of live and synthetic training. FST is in-port training that can be conducted around the globe. It combines shipboard trainers, aircraft and submarine simulators and high-tech simulation centers into an interoperable network.

FST does not replace underway training. It enables the Navy to gain training efficiencies at sea by conducting some training in synthetic pier-side events.

Administered by U.S. Fleet Forces Command in Norfolk, Va., the FST program uses the underlying infrastructure of the Navy Continuous Training Environment and benefits from U.S. Joint Forces Command's Joint Training and Experimentation Network. FST also leverages the Joint National Training Capability, which uses a mix of live, virtual and constructive models and simulations in an integrated network that enables access to other service training capabilities.