Fleet Survey Team Prepares for Bold Alligator

From Navy Information Dominance Force Command

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. (NNS) -- Fleet Survey Team (FLTSURVTEAM) led the way for Bold Alligator '14 with beach and hydrographic surveys of the strategic training and operational beaches that will be used in the exercise beginning Oct. 29; Fleet Survey Team completed its work Sept. 21.

"You can't get to the fight without being able to navigate to the fight, and that's what we provide," said Cmdr. David Kuehn, FLTSURVTEAM commanding officer. "We take away navigational uncertainty in the littorals, providing physical battlespace awareness to the on-scene commander in order to make safety of navigation decisions for his or her ship-to-shore force movement."

Hydrographic surveys provide that mission-critical information by measuring water depths and by creating an accurate map of the sea floor in the near-shore areas.

The six-person survey team for Bold Alligator provided the Marine Corps Intelligence Activity, Expeditionary Strike Group 2, and U.S. Fleet Forces with tactical decision aids that will help leaders determine which beaches and areas of beaches are viable for landings. The monthlong project included the survey of three separate areas at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story, Virginia, and Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

FLTSURVTEAM (CTE 80.7.1.1) is operationally part of the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command (NAVMETOCCOM) under Fleet Forces Command, and as of Oct. 1, was administratively re-aligned under U.S. Navy Information Dominance Forces (NAVIDFOR) Command. FLTSURVTEAM conducts hydrographic surveys, related environmental assessments and produces field charts to enable safe and effective maritime navigation and access to the littorals for Naval and Joint Forces. FLTSURVTEAM also has fly-away teams to conduct rapid-response hydrographic surveys globally to support emergent U.S. Navy and combatant commanders' priority maritime requirements. NAVIDFOR is a global readiness-focused TYCOM, responsible for organizing, manning, training, equipping (MT&E) and identifying requirements for all Navy Information Dominance (ID) capabilities.