Defense Secretary Leon Panetta plans to visit Naval Base Kitsap today to meet with sailors deploying to the Persian Gulf four months earlier than they expected.
He won’t visit Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
The strike group of the USS John C. Stennis returned from its most recent deployment in March and anticipated another Persian Gulf mission at the end of this year.
In July, Pentagon spokesman George Little said the Defense Department sped up that timeline at the request of Central Command.
adam.ashton@ thenewstribune.com
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