The next pre-deployment milestone consisted of HIGGINS’ ordnance onload at Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach. Once the ship was outfitted with its deployment load of ammunition, HIGGINS was once again underway with the NIMITZ Strike Group in March for its Joint Task Force Exercise. Coincident with that two week exercise, HIGGINS sent three teams to the recently instituted Non-Compliant Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure school and, as a result, became one of the first ships to deploy to the Fifth Fleet AOR with an organic non-compliant boarding capability, greatly enhancing its effectiveness in waging the Global War on Terrorism.