U.S. Atlantic Fleet, headquartered in Norfolk, Va., is the U.S. Navy component of U.S. Joint Forces Command.
U.S. Atlantic Fleet is responsible for the entire Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea and the waters around Central and South America extending in the Pacific to the Galapagos Island.
The U. S. Atlantic Fleet provides fully trained, combat ready forces to support United States and NATO commanders in regions of conflict throughout the world. From the Adriatic Sea to the Arabian Gulf, Atlantic Fleet units are called upon to support U.S. theater commanders in chief and joint task force commanders for unified operations anywhere in the world. Additionally, the U.S. Atlantic Fleet provides readiness training, and logistical and administrative support for its surface ships, submarines and aviation squadrons.
To maintain readiness and maximize capabilities, U.S. Atlantic Fleet units operate and train with units of the Army, Air Force, Coast Guard and Allied Forces around the world.
U.S. Atlantic Fleet is comprised of more than 125,000 sailors and civilians, 188 ships and submarines and over 1,200 aircraft. Operational support to the U.S. Atlantic Fleet in the form internal training and logistics is provided by approximately 37 shore activities worldwide.
Routinely, over fifty percent of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet is either overseas, or conducting exercises in preparation for deployment as part of a phase of the Interdeployment Training Cycle (IDTC).
Recent joint initiatives between the U.S. Atlantic and Pacific Fleets have led to a major change in the way surface ships and aircraft squadrons are managed during the Interdeployment Training Cycle. Many inspections and administrative requirements have been streamlined or eliminated in order to provide increased flexibility and efficiency to unit commanders.