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U.S., U.K. warships to drill off U.S. coast

NORFOLK, Va. — A massive joint training exercise is scheduled to begin July 26 off the coast of the eastern United States involving 25 ships, dozen of aircraft and thousands of sailors.

Named “Operation Bold Step,” the Joint Task Force Exercise, or JTFEX, will involve some 15,000 personnel from the U.S. and British navies.

The five-day exercise serves as a “forward-certifying event” for the ships of the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, and “sustainment” training for the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group. The Eisenhower returned to port from a nearly eight-month deployment to the Middle East on May 23. The Truman strike group is scheduled to deploy next from Norfolk.

The Royal Navy aircraft carrier Illustrious and the destroyer Manchester will also participate in “Bold Step.”

“This exercise will not only test the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group but also the command and control capabilities as required for interoperability with the British strike group and the HMS Illustrious,” said Vice Adm. Marty Chanik, 2nd Fleet commander, in an announcement.

As part of that interoperability, a unit of Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier attack aircraft will operate from the Illustrious, which is designed to launch and recover the Harrier jump-jet. And on July 10, a Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey aircraft landed on the Illustrious.

In addition to the carriers and British ships, the cruisers Hue City, Anzio, San Jacinto and Monterey will participate; along with the destroyers Oscar Austin, Winston S. Churchill, Ramage, Cole, Carney, Farragut, Bainbridge and McFaul; the frigates Kauffman, Nicholas, Simpson, Stephen W. Groves, John L. Hall, McInerney and Robert G. Bradley. The attack submarines Boise and Montpelier are taking part as well as U.S. Air Force and NATO aircraft.