U.S. Navy sailors pose for a group photo while showcasing “Strike Group,” a cutting-edge multi-scenario, mobile mixed-reality experience designed to demonstrate the breadth and depth of Navy STEM careers, as part of Fleet Week San Diego 2024, on November 6, 2024. (Charles E. White/U.S. Navy)
(Tribune News Service) — Neither wind, nor snow, nor freezing temperatures were enough to stop the Navy from sharing “Strike Group,” its new mobile interactive experience, with Colorado Spring’s Doherty High School students on Tuesday.
Strike Group is an immersive experience designed to showcase the variety of STEM careers the Navy has to offer, including medicine, aviation and nuclear engineering, officials said.
“It is important for Doherty High students to understand that a STEM career in the Navy provides a life-changing experience filled with adventure, teamwork, and support,” said Rear Adm. James Waters, who heads Navy Recruiting Command. “The ‘Strike Group’ brings all these aspects to life in the most realistic ways possible.”
Using mixed-reality technology, students could launch and fly an F-35C Lightning II jet from the flight deck of an aircraft carrier, or they could participate in a submarine mission near the North Pole.
“The Strike Group is a big part of our recruiting efforts,” said Chief Petty Officer Zachary Goodnight, a Navy recruiter stationed in Colorado Springs.
“We’re spreading Navy awareness and showing these students everything we do on a daily basis on a carrier or submarine. You have everything from nuclear power, launching and receiving aircraft, to weapons control systems. It really helps the students see what we do every day.”
In the “All Hands” scenario, students donned a Meta Quest 3 headset and virtually transported to USS Gerald R. Ford, the Navy’s newest aircraft carrier. There each participant assumed a different role in flight operations.
In the “Seek” scenario, Doherty students participated in a simulated submarine mission, or ice exercise, in the Arctic Ocean.
Teamwork is a key component in any successful mission, and students were required to work together to launch a jet or break through thick Arctic ice.
“That’s one of the things Strike Group teaches,” Goodnight said. “Everyone has a role, and every role is critical to the success of the mission.”
A third scenario, involving a Navy SEAL trainer, was out of order on Tuesday.
Despite the wintry conditions, Doherty students said they enjoyed the Strike Group experience.
“It was a wonderful experience,” said Doherty sophomore Genesis Morell. “I learned a lot.”
“Getting to fly a plane was pretty cool,” said sophomore Josh Ehlen, who hopes to join the Navy SEALs.
Launched in December, the new “Strike Group” interactive experience is named after the Navy’s forward deployment formation. A Carrier Strike Group consists of an aircraft carrier (with an air wing of 65-70 aircraft), and several other ships. The Navy currently maintains 11 Carrier Strike Groups, officials said.
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