IKE Completes TSTA/FEP

NORFOLK, VA, UNITED STATES

03.10.2023

Story by Petty Officer 3rd Class Samantha Alaman 

USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69)   

After several months of preparation and days out at sea, the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) took one more step toward returning to a deployment-ready state. Currently underway in the Atlantic Ocean, IKE reached its completion of Tailored Ship’s Training Availability/Final Evaluation Problem (TSTA/FEP), March 6, 2023.
“It’s the Super Bowl of the work-up cycle,” said Master Chief Fire Controlman Ian Jungling, the leading chief petty officer of training department.
TSTA/FEP is a multi-phase training assessment that gives the crew a solid foundation of unit level operating proficiency and also develops and enhances the ship’s ability to self-train following completion of the unit phase.
The evolution was conducted under the commander of carrier strike group 2 and supervised by Afloat Training Group (ATG) Atlantic personnel, who embarked aboard the carrier for its current underway.
In addition to working through the ship’s ability to integrate with other assets, the crew performed numerous drills and exercise to test its own level of readiness. These included mass casualty evolutions, shipboard firefighting, simulated man overboard and abandon ship drills, a live-firing exercise, administrative reviews, and various flight operation scenarios.
Over 10 separate training teams assisted in ensuring that the ship’s crew was battle-tested and ready for the evaluators to come aboard. The leads of each training team comprise the Integrated Training Team (ITT). ITT plans integrated training involving multiple training teams.
ITT’s biggest challenge during TSTA was creating a schedule of evets (SOE) that deconflicted the various and evolving events occuring throughout the ship, to include flight ops, replenishment-at-sea, personnel changes, advancement exams, equipment casualties, and weather.
“We got after it in a major way,” said Lt. Cmdr. Jason McClinton, IKE’s training officer. “Bravo Zulu to you all for a job well done!”
To date, IKE has accomplished 97.4% of basic phase graded requirements , has travelled 4,507 nautical miles, and has completed 2,700 sorties.
“IKE has completed TSTA/FEP,” said Rear Adm. Marc Miguez, commander of carrier strike group 2 (CSG-2). “The Sailors’ performance truly proved USS Dwight D. Eisenhower is not fleet-average. You are well above average. I’m extremely proud of all of you reaching this major milestone of accomplishing TSTA/FEP completion.”
The next step for IKE will be the Integrated Phase of the Optimized Fleet Response Plan, which includes a Composite Unit Training Exercise (COMPTUEX) that will test all warfare mission areas of the ship and CSG-2.

• Date Taken: 03.10.2023
• Date Posted: 03.23.2023 17:46
• Story ID: 440759
• Location: NORFOLK, VA, US