By SAM FELLMAN
From the standoff with Syria to the response to the typhoon-stricken Philippines two months later, the US Navy fleet showed its global might in late 2013. But those deployments bear long-term risks: sailors worn down by longer cruises and scheduling flux that can shorten or endanger overhauls needed to reset the hull.
Experts have warned that the fleet cannot keep sailing at this rate.
The four-star in charge of Fleet Forces Command unveiled Wednesday the Navy’s latest plan to better maintain its ships and return a measure of predictability back to sailors’ and spouses’ lives. The Optimized Fleet Response Plan calls for extending the carrier strike group deployment cycle to 36 months and includes a standard eight-month cruise. While an increase over the once-standard six-month deployments, Adm. Bill Gortney stressed that eight-month cruises will be a drop from today’s carrier cruises that stretch months and beyond.
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