page_title: Exercise Summer Pulse
section_title: Aftermath
hierarchical_section_title: Exercise Summer Pulse / Aftermath
caption_attribution_description: English: Aboard USS Enterprise (CVN 65) – Original graphic art produced by Navy photographers, and illustrator draftsman during exercises supporting Summer Pulse 2004. Summer Pulse is the simultaneous deployment of seven aircraft carrier strike groups (CSGs), demonstrating the ability of the Navy to provide credible combat power across the globe, in five theaters with other U.S., allied, and coalition military forces. Summer Pulse is the Navy's first deployment under its new Fleet Response Plan (FRP). U.S. Navy illustration (RELEASED) For more information go to: &lt;a href="http://www.cffc.navy.mil/summerpulse04.htm" Target="_BLANK"&gt;www.cffc.navy.mil/summerpulse04.htm&lt;/a&gt;
context_page_description: Summer Pulse 2004 was the codename for a worldwide surge deployment that served as the first full-scale test of the United States Navy's then-new Fleet Response Plan. During Summer Pulse 2004, a total of seven carrier strike groups were underway at the same time in five different theaters of operations. This number of underway carrier strike groups had not been matched since the six carrier battle groups deployed during Operation Desert Storm. In addition to the carriers, the Navy also deployed 17 submarines and one submarine tender.
  The FRP was designed to allow the Navy to provide up to seven carrier strike groups to support any contingency worldwide in 30 days. The plan allowed for two more CSGs to be ready within three months to reinforce or relieve the forces initially deployed. This allows for a continuous presence and the ability to swiftly respond to different crisis situations. Summer Pulse 2004 also allowed the U.S. Navy to exercise the logistics and shore infrastructure needed to execute a large-scale surge operation, as well as the operational concepts in its Sea Power 21 strategy.
context_section_description: Regarding the success of Summer Sure 2004, Rear Admiral James D. Kelly, Commander Carrier Group Five (COMCARGRU-5), noted:
  Summer Pulse ’04 and the [FRP] are not about how often and how long we can deploy. They are about being able to answer the nation’s call in force – six CSGs in 30 days and two more within three months – by providing credible combat power where and when it is needed. Summer Pulse ’04 is the proof of our readiness.
  Summer Pulse 2004 drew criticism from Chalmers Johnson who stated that the U.S. Navy's multi-carrier surge deployment looked "like the peacetime equivalent of the Normandy landings and may well end in a disaster" in his editorial essay published in the Los Angeles Times on 15 July 2004.  He also characterized Summer Pulse 2004 as a "modern rerun of 19th century gunboat diplomacy" directed at the People's Republic of China and timed for the upcoming 2004 U.S. presidential election that "sounds like a last hurrah of the neocons."  Johnson also asserted that all seven U.S. Navy carrier strike groups were being deployed to the Chinese coast near Taiwan, prompting the Los Angeles Times to issue the following correction on 4 August 2004:
  A commentary by Chalmers Johnson on 15 July on a U.S. naval exercise and China's potential reaction incorrectly stated that seven carrier groups in "Summer Pulse 2004" would be off the Chinese coast near Taiwan. The Navy says the carrier groups will be deployed globally, with only one in the western Pacific.
  Although there was some congressional criticism, the Fleet Response Plan remains the operational cornerstone for United States Navy in the early 21st century, with Summer Pulse 2004 being its first operational test.
  In Fiscal Year 2015, The United States Navy introduced a new Optimized Fleet Response Plan (O-FRP) with the USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) being the first aircraft to use this new plan.  The Optimized Fleet Response Plan is designed to align carrier strike groups to a new 36-month training and deployment cycle. All required maintenance, training, evaluations, plus a single eight-month overseas deployment will be scheduled throughout this 36-month cycle in order to reduce costs while increasing overall fleet readiness.  Also, this new plan will streamline the inspection and evaluation process while maintaining a surge capacity for emergency deployments.  The ultimate objective is to reduce time at sea while increasing in-port time from 49% to 68%.  While initially to be used by U.S. Navy carrier strike groups, the Optimized Fleet Response Plan will be adopted for all fleet operations.
caption: Summer Pulse 2004 graphic – USS Enterprise
exif: {"Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "300", "Image YResolution": "300", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "Adobe Photoshop 7.0", "Image DateTime": "2004:06:22 17:05:37", "Image ExifOffset": "156", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "294", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "7917", "EXIF ColorSpace": "Uncalibrated", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "2100", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "1680"}