Enterprise Sailors Watch President's Speech, Mindful of Navy IA Obligations

By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jeffry A. Willadsen, USS Enterprise Public Affairs

USS ENTERPRISE, At Sea (NNS) -- Sailors aboard USS Enterprise (CVN 65) watched intently Aug. 31 as President Barack Obama announced the end of America's combat role in Iraq in a televised speech from the Oval Office.

The crew regularly contributes Sailors to fill Individual Aumentee (IA) assignments, including in Iraq.

Historically, Enterprise has more than 40 Sailors deployed on IA duty, around the world, at any given time. IAs are Sailors assigned for up to one year in theater in support of combat operations around the world.

While many IAs are in direct combat, others perform supporting roles that still play a large part in Iraq's future. Obama announced that fewer than 50,000 service members will remain in Iraq until the end of 2011 advising and assisting Iraqi forces.

"The ship itself doesn't have direct control over the number of IAs it sends overseas," said Lt. John L. Alums, the ship's IA program coordinator. "Our goal is to ensure that our Sailors are trained and ready for any mission they are called on to perform, whether in a combat or supporting role."

In a nationwide announcement on Iraqi TV Aug. 31, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki was optimistic about the changing environment in his country.

"If these security achievements were not real, we would not have been able to move to executing the bigger and more important step, which is the withdrawal of American forces that is happening today," said Maliki.

"This withdrawal would not have happened without the sacrifices of all the Iraqi people and the heroics of the army, police and security forces and the tribesmen who supported them."

"It's reasonable to assume that our deployment of IA Sailors will shift away from Iraq as the demand decreases," said Alums. "In addition to our ship's deployment, our IA Sailors must be ready to deploy anytime and anywhere in response to national tasking."

Obama's speech comes at the end of a day focused on the military. He spent the morning before his speech in Texas, where he met with service members at Fort Bliss, thanking them for their service.

"Today marks a change in our mission. It marks a milestone that we have achieved in removing our combat troops," Obama said during his primetime address. "Our combat mission in Iraq has ended, but our commitment to Iraq's future has not."

The combat mission in Iraq formally ended at 5 p.m. EDT, just three hours before the president's speech. As of Aug. 25, there were more than ten thousand Navy IAs, roughly half of whom are mobilized Reserves, deployed on the ground around the world in support of overseas contingency operations.

Enterprise is conducting work-ups and flight deck operations in preparation for its upcoming deployment.