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Sailors Hone ASW Skills During Joint Warrior

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS101014-19
10/14/2010

By Lt. Zachary Harrell, Destroyer Squadron 24 Public Affairs

USS STOUT, At Sea (NNS) -- Guided-missile destroyer USS Stout (DDG 55) is conducting anti-submarine warfare (ASW) training while participating in exercise Joint Warrior 10-2.

Joint Warrior is a two-week, multinational training exercise that takes place off the coast of Scotland. It is designed to improve interoperability between allied navies and prepare participating crews to conduct combined operations during deployment.

ASW, one of the major warfare areas of U.S. guided-missile destroyers and plays a significant role in the exercise.

"ASW is a thinking warfare that requires a lot of quick reaction," said Ensign Shun White, ASW officer aboard Stout. "As an ASW watch team, it is important that you know more about your enemy from a tactical standpoint than he does of you."

ASW revolves around using the ship's sonar to locate and track underwater contacts. Joint Warrior allows the ship's ASW operators to hone these skills in the challenging underwater environment of the northeastern Atlantic Ocean. If executed successfully, the crew will earn its ASW certification, which is required in order to be certified overall for deployment.

Since the coast of Scotland has been known to be a common breeding site for several species of marine mammals, the Navy has taken many precautionary measures to minimize the impact of active sonar on the marine environment.

"The Navy has put in place all the protocols the government has issued regarding the environment," said Chief Sonar Technician (surface) Doug Newman, a sonar operator aboard guided-missile destroyer USS Bainbridge (DDG 96). "After we are done, we send out a message saying where we were and what we did, for documentation purposes."

U.S. ships participating in Joint Warrior include Stout, USS Bainbridge (DDG 96), USS Nitze (DDG 94) and Fleet replenishment oiler USNS Leroy Grumman (T-AO 195), and are led by destroyer squadron (DESRON) 24, commanded by Capt. Aaron Jacobs.

Joint Warrior promotes commander, U.S. 2nd Fleet's three focus areas, which are conducting safe and effective fleet operations to achieve mission, providing ready maritime forces for global assignment and teaming with allies and partners in execution of the maritime strategy.