For 1st time since WW2, a CSG will be under 3rd Fleet command after crossing IDL

The Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group is currently underway for the Western Pacific on a regularly scheduled deployment. But this time, the CSG will remain under U.S. 3rd Fleet command and control even after crossing the International Date Line (IDL).

By U.S. Navy photo [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Traditionally, U.S. Navy warships will come under the responsibility of the 7th Fleet after crossing the IDL.

The new concept is the brainchild of Adm. Scott Swift, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, under his “Third Fleet Forward” strategy to make both fleets operate more efficiently.

For Rear Adm. James W. Kilby, commander of Carrier Strike Group 1, reporting to Vice. Adm Nora Tyson “isn’t a big change,” he says.