By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Patricia Rodriguez, Navy Office of Community Outreach

NORFOLK, Va. – Petty Officer 1st Class Alexander Talbot, a native of Brentwood, California, serves the U.S. Navy aboard one of the world’s largest warships, the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford.

Talbot joined the Navy six years ago. Today, he serves as a machinist’s mate (nuclear).

“I joined the Navy because I wanted to see the world and have an opportunity to get out and make a difference,” said Talbot.

Growing up in Brentwood, Talbot attended Liberty High School and graduated in 2011. Today, Talbot relies upon skills and values similar to those found in Brentwood to succeed in the military.

“When I was growing up, I was on the wrestling team for six years,” said Talbot. “It taught me to have a strong work ethic and drive. It taught me to tackle any challenge placed in front of me. It also helped me understand how to achieve my own goals but also be part of a team.”

These lessons have helped Talbot while serving in the Navy.

Aircraft carriers provide unique capabilities and survivability. They are a powerful exhibition of the American Navy’s legacy of innovation, technological evolution, and maritime dominance, according to Navy officials.

USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) represents the first major design investment in aircraft carriers since the 1960s. The ship is engineered to support new technologies and a modern air wing essential to deterring and defeating near-peer adversaries in a complex maritime environment. Ford delivers a significant increase in sortie generation rate, approximately three times more electrical generation capacity, and a $4 billion reduction in total life-cycle cost per ship, when compared to a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier. Once deployed, the Ford-class will serve as the centerpiece of strike group operations through the 21st century, supporting a host of evolving national strategic objectives. When the air wing is embarked, the ship carries more than 70 attack fighter jets, helicopters and other aircraft, all of which take off from and land from FORD’s state-of-the-art Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) and Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG). With nearly 5,000 Sailors serving aboard, Ford is a self-contained mobile airport.

Aircraft carriers are often the first response to a global crisis because of their ability to operate freely in international waters anywhere on the world’s oceans. Carrier strike groups have the unique advantage of mobility, making them far more strategically advantageous than fixed-site bases. No other weapon system can deploy and operate forward with a full-sized, nuclear-powered aircraft carrier’s speed, endurance, agility, and the combat capability of its air wing.

“I could not be more proud of our sailors; this crew displayed a phenomenal amount of resiliency and proficiency during each phase of our operational development,” said Capt. Paul Lanzilotta, Ford’s commanding officer. “The crew’s efforts are what make Warship 78 so great, and I can’t wait to be a part of what this mighty warship and her crew achieve in 2022.”

Since USS Langley’s commissioning 100 years ago, the nation’s aircraft carriers, such as Ford, and embarked carrier air wings have projected power, sustained sea control, bolstered deterrence, provided humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and maintained enduring commitments worldwide. Gerald R. Ford represents a generational leap in the aircraft carrier’s capacity to project power on a global scale.

“The aircraft carrier is our U.S. Navy’s centerpiece, our flagship, and a constant reminder to the rest of the world of our enduring maritime presence and influence,” said Rear Adm. James P. Downey, USN, Program Executive Officer (PEO) Aircraft Carriers. “These ships touch every part of our Navy’s mission to project power, ensure sea control, and deter our adversaries.”

According to DefenseNews.com, “The U.S. Navy has promised a first deployment for its new aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford by this fall — but that deployment won’t be a typical one…The carrier and its strike group will operate on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean alongside a long list of foreign navies…But the operations will be outside the typical Global Force Management-dictated deployment in support of the joint force.”

Serving in the Navy means Talbot is part of a team that is taking on new importance in America’s focus on rebuilding military readiness, strengthening alliances and reforming business practices in support of the National Defense Strategy.

“If we didn’t have a strong naval presence out there, I don’t think there would be as much deterrence,” said Talbot. “Other countries would try to threaten the peace of other nations without consequences. I think a lot of people sleep easier knowing we’re out here.”

With more than 90 percent of all trade traveling by sea, and 95 percent of the world’s international phone and internet traffic carried through fiber optic cables lying on the ocean floor, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity and security of the United States is directly linked to a strong and ready Navy.

Talbot and the sailors they serve with have many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during their military service.

“I was selected to be the engine room supervisor during full ship shock trials,” said Talbot. “That is where they used 40,000 pounds of explosive to test how the ship would respond and handle battle damage. Out of 75 different operators, I was only one of two who were selected. My department knew that while I was on watch, the reactor plant would operate safely no matter what.”

As Talbot and other sailors continue to train and perform missions, they take pride in serving their country in the United States Navy.

“Serving in the Navy has given me an opportunity to challenge myself every day and be a part of something bigger,” added Talbot. “I enjoy serving alongside some great friends and being around some of the greatest people I have ever met.”

By Stephanie Fox, Navy Office of Community Outreach, Media Outreach Department

Aviation Machinist’s Mate Christian Salcedo, a native of Pittsburg, CA, is assigned to the “Black Knights” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 4, aboard the USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70).

The Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group is on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations to enhance interoperability through alliances and partnerships while serving as a ready-response force in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific region. According to the ship’s Facebook page, the current bilateral operations in the Indian Ocean are with the Royal Australian Navy.

Homeported in San Diego, USS Carl Vinson is the third Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and one of only 11 operational aircraft carriers in the Navy today.  Sailors’ jobs are highly varied aboard Vinson. Approximately 3,000 men and women make up the ship’s company, and they keep all parts of the aircraft carrier running. They do everything from preparing meals to handling weaponry and maintaining the nuclear reactors. Another 2,000 sailors comprise the air wing, the people who fly and maintain the aircraft aboard the ship.

Vinson, like each of the Navy’s aircraft carriers, is designed for a 50-year service life. When the air wing is embarked, the ship carries more than 60 attack fighter jets, helicopters and other aircraft, all of which take launch and land aboard the carrier at sea.

Powerful catapults slingshot the aircraft off the bow of the ship, and these same planes return to the carrier by snagging a steel cable with an arresting hook that protrudes from the rear of the aircraft. All of this makes Vinson a self-contained mobile airport and strike platform, often the first response to a global crisis because of an aircraft carrier’s ability to operate freely in international waters anywhere on the world’s oceans.

The ship was commissioned in 1982 and named after former Georgia Congressman, Carl Vinson. A member of the United States House of Representatives for 50 years, Carl Vinson was, for 29 years, the Chairman of the House Naval Affairs and Armed Services Committee.  Vinson was the principal sponsor of the so-called “Vinson Acts,” culminating in the Two-Ocean Navy Act of 1940, which provided for the massive naval shipbuilding effort in World War II.

With more than 90 percent of all trade traveling by sea, and 95 percent of the world’s international phone and internet traffic carried through fiber optic cables lying on the ocean floor, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity and security of the United States is directly linked to a strong and ready Navy.

Allen Payton contributed to this report.

2015 Pittsburg High grad

By Stephanie Fox, Navy Office of Community Outreach

SAN DIEGO – Seaman Apprentice Taylor Sledge, a native of Pittsburg, California, serves in the U.S. Navy in San Diego, California.

“I joined the Navy for my son,” said Sledge. “I also wanted more for myself, and I wanted to experience a new environment. The Navy provided those opportunities to me.”

Sledge joined the Navy one year ago. Today, Sledge serves with Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron SIX (HSC 6) in San Diego, working with one of the Navy’s most advanced helicopters, the MH-60S Knighthawk.

Growing up in Pittsburg, Sledge attended Encinal Junior and Senior High Schools and graduated in 2015. Today, Sledge uses the same skills and values learned in Pittsburg to succeed in the military.

“Growing up, I was taught to be versatile,” said Sledge. “It’s important to be able to adapt to any new environment. It’s also important to just be a good person.”

These lessons have helped Sledge while serving in the Navy.

Navy pilots and aircrew at HSC 6 constantly train to ensure they are prepared for peacetime and warfighting missions. The mission set of the MH-60S includes anti-surface warfare, search and rescue, vertical replenishment, logistics support, personnel transport, humanitarian disaster relief, medical evacuation, support to Naval Special Warfare and organic airborne mine, countermeasures. MH-60S helicopters are also equipped with the ability to conduct replenishments at sea, search and rescue missions and enable other operations for the carrier strike group.

“For over 60 years, HSC 6 has provided all-weather rotary wing operations to America’s Navy,” said HSC 6 Commanding Officer Cmdr. Charles A. Chmielak. “Whether it’s recovering the astronauts of Apollo 14 after they returned to Earth or deploying around the world to preserve free and open sea lanes, our highly trained sailors have always answered the call, wherever and whenever the nation needs them.”

Serving in the Navy means Sledge is part of a team that is taking on new importance in America’s focus, rebuilding military readiness, strengthening alliances and reforming business practices in support of the National Defense Strategy.

“The Navy makes sure everyone is safe and everything is fair across the board by keeping the seas free,” said Sledge.

With more than 90 percent of all trade traveling by sea, and 95 percent of the world’s international phone and internet traffic carried through fiber optic cables lying on the ocean floor, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity and security of the United States is directly linked to a strong and ready Navy.

According to Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday, four priorities will focus efforts on sailors, readiness, capabilities, and capacity.

“For 245 years, in both calm and rough waters, our Navy has stood the watch to protect the homeland, preserve freedom of the seas, and defend our way of life,” said Gilday. “The decisions and investments we make this decade will set the maritime balance of power for the rest of this century. We can accept nothing less than success.”

Sledge and the sailors they serve with have many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during their military service.

“My proudest naval accomplishment is sticking with the military track,” said Sledge. “I’ve had a lot of different jobs in the past, but this is a position you have to keep working through and learning from. I’m proud of myself for staying the course.”

As Sledge and other sailors continue to train and perform the missions they are tasked with, they take pride in serving their country in the United States Navy.

“To me, serving in the Navy means teamwork,” added Sledge. “There’s a lot of teamwork and initiative that goes into service. Being able to be surrounded by like-minded people makes the work easier.”