Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Russell Scoggin | 250502-N-FF404-1034 NORFOLK (May 02, 2025) – Chief Mass Communication Specialist...... read more read more
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Sailors assigned to Navy Reserve Navy Public Affairs Support Element (NR NPASE) East participated in a training exercise May 2, 2025 aboard the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3).
The training, conducted by the ship’s public affairs shop, focused on Operational Task Visual Information (OPTASK VI) procedures and reinforced operational readiness across both active and reserve components.
OPTASK VI is a “no-fail” mission designed to capture imagery and document unsafe, unprofessional, or nefarious activities by adversaries at sea, on land, or in the air. This ability to to deliver accurate imagery not only informs public understanding but also plays a strategic role in shaping international perceptions and deterring misinformation.
“OPTASK VI is really important because you are communicating to the world interactions that happen that may be unprofessional,” said Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Taylor Parker, USS Kearsarge’s aerial cameraman. “Being able to communicate what happened and why it happened is super important so the public knows what its country is doing, where its taxpayer money is going, and if we are operating within the rules of law of maritime sea. How well we do this job dictates how well the public is informed.”
For both active and reserve sailors, the training reinforced the vital role of public affairs in ensuring transparency and documenting operations as they unfold.
“Today we covered the foundation of OPTASK VI, or VIPER as it’s called in the fleet, why we do what we do and how we operate in an operational environment” said Chief Mass Communication Specialist Gabriel Bevan, USS Kearsarge’s Public Affairs Officer. “Today was a great opportunity to be able to collaborate with our reservist counterparts. We had roughly 18 or so reservists that were onboard with us today.”
The training included classroom instruction along with a hands-on portion led by the active-duty crew. Reserve sailors had the opportunity to explore key areas of the ship, including a visit to “Vultures Row”—an observation deck high above the flight deck. Participants also toured various workspaces to better understand shipboard life. The training also included practical photo exercises, where reservists documented staged scenarios designed by the ship’s public affairs team to simulate real-world operational environments.
“There are situations in the future where MC reservists and active-duty are going to be serving side by side. It’s important to build these relationships,” said Chief Mass Communication Specialist Arif Patani, NPASE East’s Senior Enlisted Leader. “At NPASE we have MC’s that are on the ready to support exercises and operations all over the world, so it’s a great opportunity to come on our drill weekends and sharpen our operational skills like OPTASK VI.”
| Date Taken: | 05.03.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 05.03.2025 13:36 |
| Story ID: | 496923 |
| Location: | NORFOLK, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 89 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, NPASE Reservists Join USS Kearsarge for OPTASK VI Training, by PO3 Sisi Lopez Barahona, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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