United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 2004-06-18 monographic deposited born digital 23 p. GA 1.13:GAO-04-724R https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-04-724R P0b002ee18037e278 f:d04724r DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-24 GAOREPORTS-GAO-04-724R machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-GAO-04-724R GAO-04-724R Defense capabilities Defense contingency planning Defense operations Equipment maintenance Maintenance (upkeep) Military forces Military operations Military policies Military vessels National preparedness Ships DOD Fleet Response Plan DOD Operation Iraqi Freedom Correspondence A10558 The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and Operation Iraqi Freedom have prompted major changes in the employment of naval forces around the globe. These two events resulted in an ultimate surging to deploy seven carrier strike groups and the largest amphibious task force assembled in decades. According to the Navy, at the time of the September 11 attacks and in preparation for Operation Iraqi Freedom, only a small number of ships at peak readiness were forward deployed. However, most of the Navy's ships were not available for use because they were in early stages of their training cycles. This prompted the Navy, in March 2003, to develop a concept to enhance its deployment readiness strategy. The Navy's Fleet Response Plan, implemented in May 2003, evolved from a concept to institutionalize an enhanced surge capability. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-04-724R/html/GAOREPORTS-GAO-04-724R.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-04-724R/pdf/GAOREPORTS-GAO-04-724R.pdf GAO-04-724R https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-04-724R Correspondence GAO-04-724R; Defense Logistics: GAO's Observations on Maintenance Aspects of the Navy's Fleet Response Plan; Defense capabilities Defense contingency planning Defense operations Equipment maintenance Maintenance (upkeep) Military forces Military operations Military policies Military vessels National preparedness Ships DOD Fleet Response Plan DOD Operation Iraqi Freedom