On March 19th, 2008 over 580,000 sailors, marines, and civilians were serving in the Department of the Navy. 280 active ships were deployed around the world conducting operations and exercises to support missions like counterterrorism, counter narcotics, humanitarian assistance, and theater security cooperation. Individual sailors and units across the Navy were undertaking critical tasks from carrier qualifications and amphibious exercises to port visits, overseas construction projects, and funeral honors support.