Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro, Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Mike Gilday, and Rep. Rob Wittman travelled to Hampton Roads, Virginia, August 10, to take part in Large Scale Exercise (LSE) 2021 and meet with Sailors and Marines.
NOFOLK (NNS) - Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro, Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Mike Gilday, and Rep. Rob Wittman travelled to Hampton Roads, Virginia, August 10, to take part in Large Scale Exercise (LSE) 2021 and meet with Sailors and Marines.
This visit marked Del Toro's first engagement with Sailors and Marines since being sworn in as the 78th Secretary of the Navy yesterday evening.
"This exercise is unlike anything I've ever seen in my 26-year naval career," said Del Toro. "That is why it was important for me to come to Norfolk on my first day as Secretary to see the work our Sailors and Marines are doing. LSE 2021 is the biggest exercise we've done in a generation, and it will no doubt inform our efforts going forward as we deter our adversaries worldwide."
While in Norfolk, Del Toro, Gilday, and Wittman visited the LSE 2021 command and control center at Navy Warfare Development Command, U.S. Fleet Forces Command Maritime Operations Center, and embarked aboard USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) to meet with Sailors and Marines taking part in the exercise at sea.
"No doubt, the Navy's ability to conduct globally integrated operations is absolutely fundamental to us maintaining sea control and power projection," said Gilday. "Ultimately, this exercise will help us refine concepts and capabilities so we can better deliver coordinated effects from all domains in support of the Joint Force.
LSE 2021 merges live and synthetic training so Sailors and Marines across the globe can exercise the same battle problem in real time. It is intended to test warfighting concepts like Distributed Maritime Operations (DMO), Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations (EABO) and Logistics in a Contested Environment (LOCE) as well as help Sailors and Marines build the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in today's complex maritime environment.
"What separates us from our adversaries are our people," Del Toro told a group of Sailors and Marines at Navy Warfare Development Command and aboard USS Kearsarge. "My commitment is to work tirelessly to get you the resources you need to fight and win. Thanks for what you do day-in and day-out."
Over the past 10 years, the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps have conducted numerous major exercises in the European, Atlantic and Pacific theatres, which have grown in scope and complexity in a testament to sustained U.S. commitment to maritime security globally.
