George Bush Carrier Group Completes Training Exercise in Atlantic
ATLANTIC OCEAN – The U.S. Navy announced the George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group (GHWBCSG) has successfully completed Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) on March 5, 2026. The carrier group is now expected to head to the Middle East where two other carrier groups — The Gerald R. Ford and Abraham Lincoln — are leading Operation Epic Fury against Iran.
[Photo above: The carrier George H.W. Bush transits the Atlantic Ocean on February 8. US Navy photo]
The exercise brings together all elements of a carrier strike group to operate as a cohesive fighting force under realistic conditions through simulated scenarios, live, virtual, and constructive training and the full integration of squadrons and surface platforms, resulting in CSG 4 deployment certification recommendations for U.S. Fleet Forces Command.
“COMPTUEX is the certification event for the strike group to let us know we are ready for major combat operations around the world,” said Rear Adm. Alexis Walker, commander, Carrier Strike Group 10. “It brings the entire strike group team together and enables us to operate as we would when we’re forward deployed.”
Over several weeks, units were tested in air, surface, subsurface and cyber warfare areas across all domains in increasingly complex scenarios designed to stress command and control, logistical endurance and combat integration.
Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 7, composed of nine squadrons and approximately 2,400 Sailors and naval aviators, played a central role in the exercise.
“Carrier Wing 7, the ‘Freedom Fighters’, remain credible, relevant and lethal,” said Capt. Martin Fentress Jr., commander, CVW-7. “Through each training evolution, we demonstrated the ability to overcome challenges and sustain combat power.”
Fentress noted the difficulty of integrating personnel and aircraft from across multiple locations.
“One of the biggest challenges is the tyranny of distance,” Fentress said. “Bringing thousands of Sailors in nine squadrons from across the nation together – focused on one mission – is a real hurdle. But the work required to overcome that tension builds the camaraderie we need and will help sustain us through deployment.”
The GHWBCSG repeatedly demonstrated the accurate and rapid launch and recovery of its air assets. Over the course of 28 days, Carrier Air Wing 7 flew 1,586 sorties, tallying up a robust 693 arrested landings during the day and 682 at night. The culmination of such speed and endurance is an offensive capability unique to the United States that enables a level of warfighting strength that is not lost on Fentress.
“To put it simply, the Carrier Airwing is the business end,” said Fentress. “We are the ‘strike’ in Carrier Strike Group 10. We provide the combat power projection that no one else can. We are the reason that presidents for generations have asked – when there’s an issue or problem over the horizon – ‘Where are my carriers?’”
For Capt. Robert Bibeau, commanding officer, USS George H.W. Bush, the completion of COMPTUEX reflects a crew prepared to answer the nation’s call.
“This ship exists for one purpose: to project decisive combat power wherever our nation requires it,” Bibeau said. “Our Sailors have trained to the highest standards, and they have shown the flexibility and the adaptability that’s necessary to be successful in our mission.”
