PATUXENT RIVER, Md. —NAVAIR employees received a first-hand look at the challenges and lessons learned from the seven-month deployment of USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 2 in the third “Meet the Fleet” event held June 9 at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md.

Capt. John D. Alexander, Lincoln’s commanding officer, and Capt. John G. Eden, deputy commander, CVW-2, shared their insight with more than 200 NAVAIR employees.

The carrier left San Diego, Calif., for Hawaii Sept. 7, 2010, for blue water flights, and then went to Guam for Continual Tactical Directive training in preparation for their efforts in the Arabian Gulf.

Eden said that while in the Gulf, the Wing did 27 flyovers each day with daily after-action discussions known as a ‘hotwash,’ “so we could keep learning the whole time we were there.”

Eden credited the Advanced Targeting Forward Looking Infrared (ATFLIR) system with making successful flights and strafing over the monotonous Afghan terrain possible.

“Afghanistan is the size of Texas but the terrain is not really set up for geospacial references,” Eden said. “Everything looks the same. It’s all brown, all four walls. ATFLIR was vital.”

Also crucial to the multinational effort, Eden said, was linguistics training to expose Sailors to “accents you’re not used to hearing every day” among coalition partners.

“Air traffic is like a freeway up there,” Eden said. “There are a lot of people flying out there, and you may have to talk to four people before you descend to strafe.” Being as comfortable talking to a pilot or crewmember from overseas as one is with a fellow Sailor from the Midwest made smooth, fast communication and transitions more possible.

Eden also praised the Remotely Operated Video Enhanced Receiver (ROVER) system for simplifying flights and targeting in the air for pilots faced with a monotonous, yet very busy landscape.

“Operating in the Gulf is not quiet,” Eden said. “It’s a beehive of activity. ROVER gives you that extra level of confidence.”

Alexander explained the value of port visits to, among other places, Bahrain, not only for morale, welfare and recreation events, but also to work with dignitaries, organizations and the community in each port of call.

The Lincoln has been undergoing repairs since March and is expected to deploy again in the next month. Alexander expects a lower turnaround rate for that deployment, with fewer “nuggets,” a term for those who have not deployed before, making for a smoother deployment.

Initiated by NAVAIR Commander Vice Adm. David Architzel, the post-deployment debriefs reflect his commitment to strengthening NAVAIR’s connection to the warfighter.