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Red alert on the Atlantic: The heavily armed aircraft carrier strike group Carrier Strike 8 is training on the high seas for a real-world scenario. The goal of the four-week exercise in the Atlantic Ocean is to optimize the tactical interaction of the individual battleships before they embark on their next major deployment. In our report, we show the heart of the fleet, the 333-meter-long aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman – guarded by several destroyers and a German Navy reconnaissance ship, the frigate Hessen.

During the training operation, the 7,000 crew members of the USS Harry S. Truman must perform extremely strenuous physical labor. The sailors will conduct and analyze several thousand takeoffs and landings until every last detail is perfected. Because later in combat, mere seconds will often determine the survival of the pilots and the crew on board.

For two weeks, the aircraft carrier strike group Carrier Strike Group 8 is undertaking one of the toughest military exercises in the US Navy. Tactical cooperation between several crews from three different nations is paramount in this training exercise. The 7,000 sailors on board are repeatedly subjected to gunfire and attacks. Fires are extinguished and evacuations are practiced – extremely realistic combat scenarios. Our report shows how the team is meeting these challenges.