US 2nd Fleet, the US Navy command responsible for operations on the East Coast and in the North Atlantic, has reached full operational capability (FOC) less than 20 months after it was re-established in August 2018.
Additionally, the FOC was achieved seven months after the fleet reached initial operational capability (IOC).
The achievement of FOC signifies C2F has reached sufficient capacity to sustain command and control over assigned forces using the operational functions and processes of the maritime operations center and maritime headquarters.
C2F will primarily focus on forward operations and the employment of combat ready naval forces in the Atlantic and Arctic, and to a smaller extent, on force generation and the final training and certification of forces preparing for operations around the globe.
“Within an increasingly complex global security environment, our allies and competitors alike are well aware that many of the world’s most active shipping lanes lie within the North Atlantic,” said Vice Adm. Andrew Lewis, commander of the Norfolk-based C2F.
“Combined with the opening of waterways in the Arctic, this competitive space will only grow, and 2nd Fleet’s devotion to the development and employment of capable forces will ensure that our nation is both present and ready to fight in the region if and when called upon.”
In June, C2F led exercise Baltic Operations on behalf of Naval Forces Europe, marking it the first time the fleet operated in the European theater since its reestablishment.
Building its expeditionary capability, C2F established a maritime operations center (MOC) this past September in Keflavik, Iceland. This forward operating MOC, made up of approximately 30 members of C2F staff, possessed the ability to command and control forces, provide basic indicators and warnings for situational awareness, and issue orders while maintaining reach-back capability to C2F headquarters.
