The Arleigh-Burke class guided-missile destroyers USS Carney (DDG 64), USS Ross (DDG 71), USS Donald Cook (DDG 75), and USS Porter (DDG 78), the four Forward-Deployed Naval Forces-Europe (FDNF-E) ships based out of Naval Station Rota, Spain, celebrated results from the September 2019 fall Advancement Exam, Nov. 27, 2019.
Sailors stationed aboard these vessels continue to show higher-than-average advancement results each cycle compared to the rest of the fleet. FDNF-E Sailors taking the E-4 advancement exam had an 86 percent advancement rate, while Sailors competing for promotion to E-5 and E-6 had advancement rates of 30 percent and 21.7 percent, respectively, compared to the Navy’s averages of 22 percent, 16 percent, and seven percent, respectively.
FDNF-E leadership attributes the higher advancement averages to the high operational tempo of the four ships.
“These four FDNF-E destroyers continuously patrol the U.S. 6th Fleet theater, which has an area of responsibility extremely relevant to today’s threats,” said Capt. Joseph Gagliano, commander, Task Force (CTF) 65. “Constantly participating in theater-wide exercises, maritime interoperability training, cross-deck operations, and interoperability with both NATO and partner nations, in addition to completing strait transits, maritime evolutions, mission fulfillment, and continual national tasking, these Sailors are able to better hone their skills and further their knowledge within their rate.”
Leadership acknowledged how the FDNF-E Sailors continue to showcase their operational knowledge and skills through continued outstanding performance, resulting in better futures for the Sailors, FDNF-E ships, and the theater overall.
“Our Sailors work hard here [in 6th Fleet],” said CTF 65 and Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 60 Command Senior Chief Michael Maclin. “[Enjoying higher advancement rates] is one of the ways to enjoy the fruits of their labor."
CTF 65 and DESRON 60, headquartered in Rota, Spain, oversee the forward-deployed forces of U.S. 6th Fleet’s area of operation in support of regional allies and partners as well as U.S. national security interests in Europe and Africa.
U.S. 6th Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts the full spectrum of joint and naval operations, often in concert with allied and interagency partners, in order to advance U.S. national interests and security and stability in Europe and Africa.