The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108) is underway off the coast of Southern California participating in a sustainment exercise (SUSTEX).

SUSTEX is a re-certification evolution designed to test the capabilities of the carrier strike group. It evaluates how ships work together in a variety of tactical situations and ensures the strike group and its Sailors are ready to deploy.

Wayne E. Meyer will join other assets of Carrier Strike Group 1 on a scheduled deployment early next year.

"Wayne E. Meyer has been working hard to prepare for deployment," said Cmdr. Vincent A. Fortson, Wayne E. Meyer's commanding officer. "We have conducted multiple gun-shoots, replenishments at sea, and tactical exercises as part of our preparation for deployment."

The sustainment exercise consists of a variety of training evolutions including anti-air warfare, anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, strike warfare, irregular warfare and maritime interdiction scenarios.

"So far this underway, the ship has conducted 80 hours of flight operations, three replenishments at sea, multiple small boat excursions, an integrated live fire event with three other cruisers and destroyers, and for the main event, firing a Standard Missile," said Fortson.

Carrier Strike Group 1 is comprised of aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), Carrier Air Wing 2, guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain (CG 57) and several guided-missile destroyers part of Destroyer Squadron 1.

Commissioned Oct. 10, 2009, Wayne E. Meyer is named after Rear Adm. Wayne E. Meyer, who is known as the father of the Aegis combat system. The Aegis combat system uses powerful computer and radar technology to track and guide weapons to destroy enemy targets.

For more news from USS Carl Vinson CVN 70, visit www.navy.mil/.

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