The ships and squadrons of the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) carrier battle group departed their east coast bases for a scheduled six-month deployment. The Roosevelt battle group will relieve the USS Enterprise (CVN 65) battle group, currently on station in the Arabian Gulf.  The USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) amphibious ready group is scheduled to begin its six month deployment Apr. 14, relieving the USS Nassau (LHA 4) amphibious ready group.

The deployed naval forces include the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt with nine tactical aircraft squadrons onboard, a group of four cruisers, destroyers and frigates, a fast combat support ship and a submarine.  The destroyer USS Peterson will also depart for a deployment as flagship for Standing Naval Forces Mediterranean. The submarine USS Boise will also deploy to join the battle group. Two other ships of the Roosevelt battle group, the guided missile destroyer USS Ramage and the guided missile frigate USS Elrod, will deploy in May to the Middle East Force.   Departing Apr. 14 with the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge are the dock landing ship USS Gunston Hall and the landing transport dock USS Ponce, along with more than 2,000 Marines from the 26 Marine Expeditionary Unit (26 MEU).

During preparations for deployment, the Roosevelt battle group and Kearsarge amphibious ready group participated in Joint Task Force Exercise 99-1.  The exercise, held in the waters off Virginia, North Carolina and Puerto Rico, provided the soon-to-be- deployed forces with an enhanced understanding of joint operations, and served as the final certification of their readiness to deploy.   The exercise included training in a simulated threat area involving air, naval, and ground operations as well as surveillance, rescue, humanitarian assistance, maritime interdiction, embassy support and non-combatant evacuations.

In addition to U.S. forces, the exercise also included participation by units from Great Britain, the Netherlands, France, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Bolivia and Brazil.  This kind of "combined" training enhances the readiness of both U.S. and allied forces, and is representative of the way nations often assign forces to deal with modern crises today.

Rear Adm. Winston Copeland, Commander Carrier Group Eight, commands the Theodore Roosevelt Battle Group.

The mobility and flexibility of the aircraft carrier battle group and amphibious ready group make them the force of choice for a wide range of regional contingencies.  During recent deployments, ships, aircraft, Sailors and Marines from east coast stations have participated in a variety of humanitarian and evacuation operations, as well as  logistics support and presence operations off the coast of the former Yugoslavia, and contingency operations in the Arabian Gulf.

VF-14 is part of CVW-8 aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71).