Seeking top students for STEM careers and the Navy’s $180,000 ROTC Scholarship

The U.S. Navy will showcase its brand-new “Strike Group” mobile mixed-reality experience on Tuesday, January 28, at Western High School in Anaheim, CA. This innovative experience is designed to highlight the wide range of STEM careers available within the Navy. The “Strike Group” offers students an immersive, hands-on look at the technology and teamwork that are essential to every role in the Navy.

According to Rear Admiral James P. Waters, Commander of Navy Recruiting Command, “From the depths of the sea to the heights of the stars, America’s Navy is the most highly skilled and technologically advanced military force in the world. Students at Western High need to understand that a STEM career in the Navy offers a life-changing experience filled with adventure, teamwork, and support. The ‘Strike Group’ brings all of these aspects to life in the most realistic ways possible.”

The ‘Strike Group’ comprises 3 distinctive, interactive challenges and experiences:

All Hands

Players will test their skills on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier in a five-person mixed-reality game. Participants will don a Meta Quest 3 headset and be transported out to the USS Gerald R. Ford, where they will team up to launch an F-35C Lightning II jet. Working together in different roles – from loading fuel to flying helicopters to piloting the aircraft itself – each player will be immersed in the experience of what it is like to serve aboard an aircraft carrier and their efforts influence a Navy mission.

Dive

Navy Underwater Construction Teams always are on call if an undersea repair is needed. In this interactive, virtual mission, participants will take on the role of a Navy diver, driving a boat to a location after a storm, and then use their dive and welding skills to help repair a damaged pier.

Achieve

America’s Navy has hundreds of roles in every field – from nuclear engineering to aviation to special operations. To help participants see themselves in one of these careers, they can take a personality quiz that will pair them with a list of jobs best suited for them. The best part? Participants also will receive an AI-generated image of themselves in their recommended role.

 Why It Is Called the ‘Strike Group’

The new “Strike Group” interactive experience is named after the Navy’s forward deployment formation known as a Carrier Strike Group. Comprised of roughly 7,500 personnel, 1 aircraft carrier with an air wing of 65 to 70 aircraft, 2 Guided Missile Cruisers, 2 Anti-Aircraft Warships, and 1-2 Anti-Submarine Destroyers. Carrier Strike Groups epitomize the leading-edge technology and teamwork that are synonymous with Navy life. The Navy currently maintains 11 Carrier Strike Groups.