NORFOLK, Va. — The Arleigh Burke class destroyer USS Nitze pulled out of Norfolk today on what the Navy characterized as a scheduled independent deployment.
“Our team trained hard for the past year, preparing to face any challenge ahead and execute whatever mission our country asks of us,” said Cmdr. Sam T. Sareini, Nitze’s commanding officer. “Our crew is resilient and ready to deliver superior combat capability to deter, and if necessary, defeat America's adversaries in support of national security.”
Most recently, the Nitze sailed with ships in Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 26 and the George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group (GHWBCSG) last month to participate in a composite training unit exercise (COMPTUEX), during which the Navy says "units are tested on their proficiency and readiness for deployment through scenario-based, live training that increases in complexity and intensity."
The Nitze also participated in a large-scale exercise involving a "transfer of authority (TOA) between U.S. 2nd Fleet and Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO (STRIKFORNATO), NATO’s rapidly deployable joint headquarters in Portugal."
Also deployed aboard Nitze were the Vipers of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 48, Detachment 5.
Nitze’s most-recent regular deployment - its sixth - was based in the Caribbean and Pacific Ocean, engaging in counter-narcotic and freedom of navigation operations from May 8, 2020 - Sept. 14, 2020.
Other details such as where the ship will be operating this time or how long the deployment is scheduled to last were not included in the information provided by Carrier Strike Group 10 Public Affairs.