Rotary Wing Success at COMPTUEX

By LCDR John “Dom” Bamonte

The work-up cycle for a carrier strike group is a long and arduous road, one that takes nearly a year to complete. Units start in the basic phase where they conduct Helicopter Advanced Readiness Program (HARP) and unit level training (ULT); deployment preparation ultimately culminates in the Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX or CTX). For the rotary-wing community, helicopter squadrons regularly participate in this exercise while underway as part of the carrier air wing (CVW) or as an air detachment embarked on cruisers, destroyers, amphibious landing and littoral combat ships. In the last two years, the Pacific Fleet has executed five CTXs, certifying three carrier strike groups (CSG) and two amphibious ready groups (ARG). Through these events, we have collected many lessons learned and best practices to be employed in the areas of operations, maintenance, and training to ensure future HSM and HSC squadrons arrive well prepared to conduct integrated operations.

Carrier Strike Group 15 (CSG-15), the Pacific command charged with planning and executing CTX, provides a formal recommendation for deployment certification of the respective CSG/ARG at the conclusion of this culminating exercise.CSG-15 is allotted 30 training days to challenge the training audience by administering a robust scenario that exposes them to missions they may conduct in both the 5th and 7th Fleet areas of operation (AO). Given this short duration to cover a plethora of missions and tasking, the month is incredibly busy. It is necessary that rotary wing squadrons show up ready to perform on day one. To accomplish this, squadron Operations Departments need to organize their underway processes before embarking. Everything from mission planning, conducting shipborne flight operations, writing the daily flight schedule, and basic communication requires a team effort across multiple squadron departments. Layer on top a complex exercise scenario containing multiple countries with their own air, land, and sea forces. Squadron leadership must empower pilots, aircrewmen, and maintainers at the lowest level. Relying on a single department head or the squadron Weapons and Tactics Instructor (WTI) to lead all training and conduct all mission planning related to the exercise is not sustainable. Establishing multiple mission planning leads and extending that role to senior Lieutenants and aircrewmen will create greater depth on the bench and thin out the effects of fatigue across a greater number of people.

Another component to facilitating the organization of squadron processes is to organize the exercise [CTX] information flow. Throughout the month there will be numerous messages and orders (ex. FRAGORD, PLANORD) delivered to the CSG/ARG on message traffic. Locating and keeping track of this information is vital. A proven technique is to establish a squadron “read-board” in the ready room for relevant exercise bulletins and orders as they become available. This will ensure squadron personnel stay informed and have access to planning documents. A key enabler to the organization of information is to ensure mission planning resources are organized and accessible via functional Joint Mission Planning System (JMPS) laptops. All JMPS assets that will be underway need to be tested and functioning prior to embarking and at least one asset should also serve as the common access point for offline mission planning related publication access.

It is important to realize that the exercise information flow does not go in one direction. While a lot of information and orders will come down from higher headquarters, generating feedback and lessons learned and pushing that information up and sideways throughout the squadron and air wing is just as important. For example, it is beneficial to have a system for distributing general feedback to squadron personnel on a recurring basis. This can be done using a “lessons learned” log/notebook located at a common access point or by conducting frequent squadron “hot washes” for relevant personnel. Squadrons that have performed well at CTX have a method for distributing word to aircrew and maintainers about updates to the exercise, changes in flight operations, or sharing mistakes that were made. The pace of CTX is rapid, and without a system of pre-established processes, squadrons may find themselves struggling to stay afloat as the exercise progresses.

Similar to managing the information flow, managing interpersonal communication throughout the exercise is another area where squadrons have met strife during the last two years. While communicating clearly within your own unit while aboard a ship should be a simple task, it can become painfully complicated due to busy shipboard schedules and the dispersed nature of workspaces. Additionally, squadron leadership will often need to maintain communication with deployed detachments. Success here circles back to established squadron processes. For example, as early as possible, administration departments should create accessible digital lists that contain every squadron member’s email, rack location, and J-dial. Additionally, leveraging the Squadron Duty Officer as a focal point for passing word is a savvy tactic. Finally, to coordinate with offship detachments, holding regular meeting times via MAKO chat will create a consistent schedule where word about the Air Plan and aircraft availability can be passed. A final suggestion is to build communications contingency plans. In the tactical environment of CSGs and ARGs, normal means of communication are not always guaranteed. Having pre-established back-up methods and plans for how to communicate schedules, tasking, and general correspondence will make transitioning to alternate methods smoother.

While CTX does arrive at the very end of a long work-up cycle, the exercise does not hold back in terms of pushing each unit to maximize mission capability. It is incredibly important for squadrons to carefully manage their aircraft maintenance schedules and flight hour allocation well in advance of this exercise to ensure their aircraft are mission capable and without significant degradations. Understandably, there will be aircraft with some system degradations. Careful aircraft grooming prior to exercise start, combined with deliberate phase maintenance planning will help to avoid major shortfalls in aircraft availability. CTX is really the last period for squadron maintenance leadership to develop relationships with ship and air wing staff before deployment. CTX may be the last opportunity to highlight an issue or concern before it is buried by other operational priorities that arise. These issues can be anything from insufficient workspace needs for maintenance personnel, a lack of critical mission system parts, or ordnance requirements that have yet to be requisitioned. CTX is an appropriate venue to highlight these outstanding needs, and involving the appropriate CSG-15 staff to help mediate these problems can help the issue progress towards a solution.

Carrier Strike Group FIFTEEN while underway on USS Abraham Lincoln executing CSG-3's COMPTUEX. Photo: USS Abraham Lincoln Public Affairs

COMPTUEX will push squadrons to exercise the full array of their skillsets and missions. Photo: Seaman Tyler Wheaton, USS Carl Vinson

While CTX serves as an assessment of the carrier or amphibious strike group, the two other major functions of the exercise are to allow for integrated phase mentorship and training by CSG-15 staff. The 30 days of training afford rotary squadrons a great opportunity to fine tune their mission planning and execution processes for nearly every mission type that they may be tasked to support. To capitalize on this opportunity, squadron training representatives should develop an exercise training plan that balances aircrew qualification attainment with deployment readiness while promoting the study of theater specific literature. Identifying which aircrew training ACTC grade sheets are attainable prior to exercise start will result in a higher success rate. CTX is focused on training CSGs and ARGs; ULT is not a priority. However, CSG-15 staff can provide guidance to squadron representatives during the planning conferences that precede the exercise on what is and is not achievable in this regard. By developing a thorough training plan, qualification accomplishment will subsequently aid in pre-deployment readiness requirements and will prevent a final “readiness crunch” post exercise. Much of the mission tasking in CTX is only revealed 72-96 hours in advance; therefore, flexibility in accomplishing readiness requirements or unit level training is limited. Lastly, much of the mission tasking ordered during CTX references actual theater OPTASKs and current concepts of operations (CONOPS). The exercise period is an opportunistic time to conduct theater specific OPTASK and CONOPS training as well as enemy order of battle reviews. This will not only prepare the squadron for exercise tasking but will also leave them better prepared for deployment.

Commander of the INDO-PACIFIC Command, Admiral Aquilino, said, “COMPTUEX is the hardest thing a CSG [or ARG] will complete during the work-up cycle.” The exercise is designed to push CSGs and ARGs to ensure they are ready and capable to support any tasking while in theater. While a month-long exercise may seem like a long period for training, the pace and tempo of tasking does not provide squadrons with significant downtime. Units must arrive prepared to operate at a “jogging” pace. HSM and HSC squadrons will be successful if they put forth dedicated effort to planning and executing their operational processes before embarking their respective ships. Additionally, identifying their training goals and interfacing with respective CSG-15 staff will ensure their readiness and qualification objectives are met to the max extent practical. Lastly, it is key that maintenance leadership manages aircraft hours and maintenance schedules to support a full month of flying. At the conclusion of CTX, while squadrons may be exhausted, they will be both certified and confident in the employment of their aircraft and their ability to execute their warfare commanders’ orders.

MH-60R launches from USS Makin Island to aid in the escort of the ARG through the Straits of Hormuz Photo: Petty Officer 3rd Class Ethan Morrow, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command / U.S. 5th Fleet