The aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) (Ike) departed its homeport of Norfolk to begin Tailored Ship's Training Availability/Final Evaluation Problem (TSTA/FEP) Nov. 21.

The TSTA/FEP process, which is assessed by Afloat Training Group (ATG) Atlantic, is unit-level training designed to prepare the ship, its crew and embarked air wing for full integration into a carrier strike group by measuring proficiency in a wide range of mission-critical operational areas.

The TSTA portion will assess the crew's ability to respond to and recover from casualties, and is meant to improve their overall ability to operate the ship by sharpening damage control, medical aptitude and combat systems. During the FEP segment, ATG assessors will measure the crew's ability to conduct combat missions and support functions such as flight operations, while maintaining the ability to survive complex casualty control situations. The FEP assessment will mark the culmination of the basic phase of the ship's fleet response training plan (FRTP).

Although Ike crew members have worked to maintain proficiency in these areas since returning from back-to-back deployments in July 2013, this evaluation period marks the first time that Ike will integrate with Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 10, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 3 embarked and ships from Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 26.

As the first carrier strike group scheduled to deploy under the Optimized Fleet Response Plan (OFRP), this TSTA/FEP marks another first with the strike group integrating early in the training phase.

"All the Sailors, from ship's company to the air wing and carrier strike group, have been training toward these critical assessments," said Capt. Paul C. Spedero Jr., Ike's commanding officer. "While they're certainly ready now, this training will afford them the opportunity to get even better."

The ATG inspectors will assess the crew's knowledge and capabilities through a variety of scenarios including life-saving skills, damage control, navigation and weapons drills. General quarters (GQ) drills allow all of these subjects to be simultaneously graded through training scenarios that include simulated attacks on the ship.

"All these GQs leading up to this have been setting up the expectation and the standard that we need to train like we fight so that everyone's ready," said Senior Chief Hospital Corpsman Nicholas Noviello, a leader on the medical training team. "The crew just needs to keep up their motivation and dedication, and all the hard work and training they've received recently will pay off. They're going to knock it out of the park."

Ike's crew will continue to conduct these drills throughout the underway period until the ATG assessors determine that they are proficient across the graded category spectrum.

Ike and embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 3 will move into the integrated phase of training, wherein the ship and air wing will exercise individual unit warfare skill sets in conjunction with other CSG-10 assets. The next major graded evolution in the pre-deployment certification will be a Composite Unit Training Exercise (COMPUTEX), scheduled for next year. COMPTUEX will test all warfare mission areas of both the ship and the strike group.

For more news from USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, visit www.navy.mil/.